Heritage Tourism in St. Kitts

Posted on October 20, 2009 by Bruce
Island Resources Vice President Judith Towle who worked on dozens of projects in St. Kitts and Nevis, both on behalf of the Foundation, and also on behalf of the Board of the Mukti Fund, a family foundation that made grants to small NGO projects for 20 years, sent this article from the Caribbean Net News to Minister of Tourism, Ricky Skerritt, a long time friend of the Foundation. . . . 

From: “Judith Ann Towle” <jtowle@irf.org>
Date: October 20, 2009 9:46:33 AM EDT
To: “Ricky Skerritt” <chalkey@sisterisles.kn>
Subject: Heritage Tourism in St. Kitts
from Caribbean Net News 

Heritage tourism – The future in St Kitts
Published on Tuesday, October 20, 2009
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (SKNIS) — The value of heritage tourism and its role in attracting a niche target audience was highlighted by Minister of State responsible for Tourism, Richard Skerritt on Thursday. 
Tourism Minister, Richard Skerritt and Clayton Perkins

Skerritt identified such when a delegation from the Ministry of Tourism and the St Kitts Tourism Authority toured developments at Fair View, the recently opened Clay Villa site, and Wingfield Estate. 

At Fair View, the team was welcomed by Clayton Perkins, who revealed plans to transform the property into a multipurpose events center capable of hosting meetings, weddings, receptions and other social activities. A food and beverage service will be available, a gift shop, and a lush tropical garden will be added for enhanced ambience. 

The most impressive aspect of the project is the restoration of the Great House and additional structures such as the kitchen, which has a traditional brick oven with chimney. The buildings will transport visitors back in time to the colonial past as authentic furniture and other interior décor will be on display. This will form part of a museum tour to be offered when the project is completed in 2010. 

Perkins noted that a number of persons have expressed concern that several of the structures have been stripped down to their foundation. 

He explained that this had to be done in most cases due to severe damage caused by termites. He assured that original materials will be reused where possible when rebuilding the structures and photos and other illustrative tools will be used to ensure everything is restored. 

“This is the kind of project that Government welcomes,” Minister Skerritt told Perkins and support staff, noting that they can count on some level of support. “I have been assured by Perkins that he is in contact with the National Trust (formerly known as the St Christopher Heritage Society) and others in the relevant areas of Government so that this project can become something that all of us in the Federation can be proud of.” 

At Clay Villa, the touring party, which included Permanent Secretary Lloyd Lazar, St Kitts Tourism Authority Chair, Alfonso O’Garro and CEO Rosecita Jeffers, marveled at the botanical garden, the gift shop and museum as well as the array of birds, fishes and the like housed there. 

The officials made a final stop at Wingfield Estate, the home of Romney Manor which houses Caribelle Batik. Renovation work to windmills and other sugar manufacturing-related ruins is planned. 
The batik employees, who typically work in the background, were saluted for their contributions representing the best of art and the best of nature – to the tourism product. 

“You’ve been doing it for a long time and sometimes when people have been around for a long time and things have been happening for a long time you take things for granted,” Minister Skerritt said. “I’m not talking politics here. I’m just saying that you must not take what’s good for granted … and what is good you should try to keep it going.” 

“We are happy to see that you are keeping Romney Manor going,” the Minister of State responsible for Tourism concluded to the cheers of the staff.

>–< Over 37 Years of Environmental Assistance to Islands >–<

ISLAND RESOURCES FOUNDATION
1718 P Street NW, Suite T4
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. 202.265.9712; fax: 202.232.0748
[Caribbean Offices in Tortola, BVI and St. Thomas, USVI]

>–< Check the Foundation’s website at www.irf.org >–<
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Encyclopedia of Earth: Review Articles on LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMs

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Bruce

The Encyclopedia of Earth <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Large_marine_ecosystems> might be a good idea — it’s a great concept but it remains to be seen if everyone or anyone will pitch in to make it really work. It’s sort of a green wikipedia.

In the meantime they are sort of cobbling together the Encyclopedia and about a year ago they began posting a series of articles on a topic of interest and potential use to small oceanic islands (stand up and cheer): the Articles are about LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS, and individual LMES, such as a three or four page summary of the CARIBBEAN SEA LME. 

and the article — PLEASE go to the site if you want to correct or expand this article. For example, given the initiation of the Caribbean LME GEF Project, there is a major need to update the GOVERNANCE section.

Caribbean Sea large marine ecosystem

Table of Contents

 

Content Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(other articles)
Article Topics: Geography, Marine ecology and Ecology
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Mark McGinley (other articles)
Last Updated: August 23, 2008

Introduction

 

Location of the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem. (Source: NOAA)

 

The Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) is a semi-enclosed sea located in the Western Hemisphere between North and South America, and bounded by Central America to the west. It encompasses an area of 2,515,900 square kilometers and is the second largest sea in the world. It is noted for its many islands, including the Leeward and Windward Islands situated on its eastern boundary, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. There are numerous banks and breaking shoals. The LME is comprised of four deep basins: the Venezuelan Basin in the east, the Colombian Basin in the west (from which it is separated by a ridge), the Cayman Trough in the northwest, and the Yucatan Basin in the north. For information about water depths, see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990. There is little seasonal variation insurface water temperatures. Temperatures range from 25.5 degrees Celsius in the winter to 28 degrees Celsius in the summer.

Productivity

The Caribbean Sea LME is considered a Class III, low (<150 gC/m2-yr) productivity ecosystem, according to SeaWiFS global primary productivity estimates, although upwelling along the northern coast of Venezuela contributes to relatively high productivity in that area. Other factors contributing to the greater productivity of South America’s northern coast are the nutrient input from rivers and estuaries. The remaining area of the LME is mostly comprised of clear, nutrient-poor waters (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). A key component of the shallow water ecosystem are the coral reefs of the Caribbean Sea (for a description, see Milliman, 1976, and Glynn, 1976). Living corals are made mostly by calcium-secreting corals and thrive in clear, oceanic, shallow, low-nutrient waters, with plenty of sunlight and warm temperatures. Coral growth can be limited by high turbidity, exposure to fresh water or air, extreme temperatures, pollution, and excess nutrients. There is some background information available on this area thanks to a multidisciplinary study called the Cooperative Investigations in the Caribbean Sea and Adjacent Areas (CICAR), which was completed during the 1970’s (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). There is still a need for better understanding of the role of physical and biological offshore processes.

Fish and Fisheries

 

Catch by species in the Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem. (Source: NOAA)

 

The Caribbean Sea LME produces an estimated catch of &frac12; million metric tons (1987 FAO report for 1985). Venezuela accounts for 53.5%, Cuba for 16%, Guyana for 8%, and the Dominican Republic for 3%. The remaining 34 countries account for 2% or less. Since most of the fishing is artisanal, it is likely that a substantial proportion of the catch is unreported. The principal modes of fishing are traps and handlines, with some netting and spear fishing. Over 170 species are caught for commercial purposes, but most of the catch is comprised of less than 50 species. Venezuela has the higher catch due to higher productivity in that area (see productivity paragraph), the size of its shelf and a pelagic fishery that includes yellowfin tuna and swordfish. The principal species harvested in the Caribbean Sea LME are spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), coralline reef fishes, and conch. Spiny lobster is one of the most valuable species of the Caribbean. There is concern over the long-term sustainability of spiny lobster due an increase in fishing effort. In some areas the minimum legal size is well below the size of reproductive maturity (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). Coralline reef fish are a major fishery. Reef fish while centered in the Caribbean range as far as southern Florida and the Bahamas. The U.S. Caribbean Fishery Management Council recognizes 65 shallow-water species with economic importance (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). Traps are the primary means for catching reef fishes and crustaceans. The conch fishery has collapsed in many Caribbean areas and it is unlikely this catch can be sustained. Richards and Bohnsack (1990) report a decline of catch per unit effort. Several species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered in many areas in the Caribbean as a result of overexploitation. The University of British Columbia Fisheries Center have detailed fish catch statistics for this LME.

Pollution and Ecosystem Health

 

A reef shark. (Source: NOAA)

 

The Caribbean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem is showing signs of stress, particularly in the shallow waters of coral reef systems. There have been unexplained episodes of massive coral bleaching and coral deaths. Coral growth can be limited by high turbidity, exposure to fresh water or air, extreme temperatures, pollution, and excess nutrients. Corals are essential to reef growth and help prevent erosion. Large sections of reefs are smothered by macroalgae (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). Bleaching may be due to an increase in water temperatures. Bleaching occurs when the coral expels its resident symbiotic algae. Two other diseases affecting coral are white band disease, which killed 90% of Acropora palmata off Buck Island, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and black-ring disease. Coral reef degradation is caused by increased sedimentation, anchor damage, excess nutrients, ship groundings, storms, hurricanes, and diver contact (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). Massive reef fish mortalities occurred in August 1980, following Hurricane Allen. The cause of death was not determined. The mass mortality of the sea urchin Diadema spp. in 1983 also remains unexplained. Land development, as well as an increase in population and tourism, are contributing to the area’s environmental degradation. There are signs of overfishing of the reef resources. Fish kills, oil pollution, and land erosion resulting from deforestation are other forms of pollution (see Richards and Bohnsack, 1990). For information on biological diversity and pollution issues in this LME, see UNEP’s Caribbean Environment Program site.

Socioeconomic conditions

 

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100 Serious Twitter Tips for Academics

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Bruce

from Dierdre Williams in St. Lucia — also on-line in several places — this version from http://j.mp/100_Twitter_Tips

Begin forwarded message:

100 Serious Twitter Tips for Academics

By Jill Gordon
Twitter’s popularity has soared recently, and for good reason. What started as a simple way to update friends about daily life has grown into a powerful tool for business, communication, and education. While many campuses are just picking up on the educational rewards possible with Twitter, there is still plenty of room to create new and exciting ways to use Twitter on campus. The following tips will help you know just how to get started using Twitter in academia, teach you etiquette, offer strategies and benefits, provide suggestions for specific ways to use Twitter, list tools to use with Twitter, and more.
Getting Started
If you are new to Twitter or could use a few more basic pointers, check out these tips.
  1. Set up an account for your class. Academhack has excellent step-by-step instructions for getting your class set up with a Twitter account.
  2. Explore ways the class can communicate with Twitter. Doug Belshaw outlines three ways to use Twitter with students here.
  3. Learn about the benefits. This article profiles three professors’ use of Twitter with their classes and watch this video about Twitter at college.
  4. Learn from others’ experience. Some of those who have used Twitter in an academic setting have graciously shared their experiences and resources. Get started with Howard Rheingold’s delicious bookmarks on Twitter usage.
  5. The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter. Read this blog post for great advice on getting started with Twitter.
  6. Ten Top Twitter Tips. Find helpful Twitter tips, including understanding the different types of messages.
  7. How to Use Twitter: Tips for Bloggers. Get some basic tips here.
  8. Twitter 101: Clarifying the Rules for Newbies. This article takes a look at three Twitter mistakes those new to Twitter can make and how to avoid them.
  9. Lunch n Learn: Twitter for Beginners. Watch this video presented by Birmingham City University.
  10. VIDEO: A beginner’s guide to Twitter. The article accompanying this video offers great suggestions for those just starting out with Twitter.
Twitter Etiquette
There’s nothing worse than finding out you unwittingly committed a faux pas, so brush up on your Twitter etiquette here.
  1. Keep direct messages private. If someone sends a direct message, be respectful and continue this conversation privately.
  2. Don’t post one-on-one chatter publicly. It’s a waste of everyone else’s time to read about your plans with a friend to meet up for coffee. Keep those conversations private and you won’t risk burning out other followers.
  3. Ask questions. Remember that Twitter is at its best as a communication tool, so don’t just write what’s on your mind, also ask questions to open the dialog to others.
  4. Be nice while tweeting during a presentation. This blog post recommends only tweeting something you would be comfortable saying face-to-face.
  5. Be prepared to feel the sting. Not everyone thinks before commenting on Twitter, so be prepared to have others tweet comments about you that may not be so diplomatic.
  6. Make dedicated accounts for each class or project. Don’t try to lump more than one group together. It can get confusing and too overwhelming.
  7. Don’t send messages just to make a post. Make sure what you are tweeting is relevant to the discussion happening on the feed.
  8. Learn the etiquette. This wiki page offers plenty of information on Twitter etiquette as well as ways to help manage your Twitter experience.
Strategies
These strategies will help you use Twitter smarter.
  1. Use hashtags. Hashtags, or the # symbol before keywords, can add order to what may seem Twitter chaos. This article describes three ways to use hashtags.
  2. Play BackChatter. BackChatter is a Twitter game that draws those attending a conference into becoming interactive participants.
  3. Find and use apps. Applications can enhance your Twitter experience, so learn how you can find the latest apps for Twitter here.
  4. Join Twitter Freaks. This Diigo community offers a great selection of resources for using Twitter.
  5. Twitter Tweets for Higher Education. Find some interesting suggestions for using Twitter in academia here.
  6. TwiTip. This blog features advice for using Twitter to your best advantage.
  7. 35 Twitter Tips from 35 Twitter Users. These tips ranges from being honest to recommendations for apps to better manage your Twitter use.
  8. 100 Totally Free Twitter Power Strategies. Find tips lots of strategies and tips here.
  9. Twitter tips – tools for your tweets. Not only can you find tools to enhance your Tweets, you also learn some basics about using Twitter here.
  10. Top 10 Twitter Hacks. Learn more than ten ways to make Twitter work for you with this article.
Ideas for Instructors
Instructors can benefits from these Twitter tips.
  1. Present a faculty forum. Once you have a semester or two of Twitter use in the classroom,host a presentation for fellow faculty members to help educate them on how to use Twitter in the classroom.
  2. Live blog a conference. Use Twitter to live blog a conference or lecture. Not only are you keeping notes for yourself, but you have created a record for others to access as well.
  3. Notes after class. Twitter can serve as a notepad to record thoughts and ideas after class.
  4. Lesson plans. Twitter your lesson plans so you, your students, and even other instructors can see what you are doing.
  5. Collaborate. Geography no longer has to divide good instructors. Learn from and share with other instructors at your own campus or at campuses around the world.
  6. Instant feedback. Especially in a large lecture class, Twitter provides instructors an opportunity for instant feedback on the class as it is occurring.
  7. Find support. Reaching out for advice or feedback on a specific task or project is easy with Twitter. Read Tom Scheinfeldt’s description of an outreach community created around Omekausers.
  8. Increase class participation. Having students use Twitter invites more class participation, from acknowledging their attendance to finding a daily schedule.
  9. Problem solving. If you have run into a snag, post your problem on Twitter and watch the creative solutions roll in.
  10. Testing new technology. Easily find participants on Twitter to help you test new technologieslike Jeff Utecht did.
Benefits for Students
These tips offer benefits for students, improving their learning environment.
  1. Asynchronous class conversation. Students can discuss topics relevant to what is happening in class as something happens away from traditional class time.
  2. Create community. Students who come together as a community are generally more open to communicating and learning from one another in class. Twitter promotes a sense of community through its sharing of personal information.
  3. Create a greater depth of interpersonal understanding. Getting to know small bits of someone over time provides a greater picture of who that person is, therefore developing a deeper sense of understanding that promotes more openness and sharing in the classroom.
  4. Make better connections with professors. Students and professors can communicate through Twitter to open up better working relationships.
  5. Post questions about assignments. If students are stumped, posting a question on Twitter opens up opportunities for other students to help clarify or for the instructor to step in.
  6. As questions without raising a hand. Standing behind Twitter is sometimes less intimidating than raising a hand and having an entire class staring at you when asking a question. Twitter can encourage asking questions or finding clarification.
  7. Provides “backchannel“. The term “backchannel” refers to the conversation occurring secondary to the main lecture or presentation. Read about some of the benefits of the backchannel in this article.
  8. Brings together online communities. Creating a sense of community in online classes can sometimes be challenging. Twitter can help create this sense of community.
Tips for the Class
Implement this tips in class for a new way of finding and sharing information.
  1. Twitter search. The search tool on Twitter will immediately provide you with any tweets including your given keyword, so go explore with topics from class.
  2. Direct tweet. Professors and students can contact each other through direct tweets without having to share cell phone numbers.
  3. Collaborate on projects. When working together on projects, set up a group using an app likeTweetworks to facilitate communication between everyone.
  4. Make announcements. Professors can send out reminders about upcoming tests, project due dates, or any other class news.
  5. Brainstorm. Brainstorm on class topics any time and anywhere ideas occur by posting them on Twitter and seeing who else contributes.
  6. Take a poll. Take opinion polls or get feedback by using an app like PollDaddy.
  7. Share interesting websites. Both professors and students can post interesting websites that are relevant to their class.
  8. Use tools to find answers from tweeters you don’t know. It’s one thing to gather information from your followers, but it’s a totally different opportunity to find answers from among a larger group of Twitter users. This article offers five suggestions to do just that.
  9. twiggit. Find interesting news articles or articles relevant to a current topic in class and share the results with this tool that combines Digg with Twitter.
Assignments Using Twitter
Try some of these assignments utilizing Twitter.
  1. Use it to teach a foreign language. Conversing with native speakers is an excellent way to reinforce foreign language lessons. See how this professor used Twitter to teach Italian.
  2. Learn from professional journalists. Study how these journalists use Twitter to enhance their careers or see what other teachers are doing.
  3. Do community service. Become inspired by this story of how Twitter helped bring water to 50 remote villages.
  4. Write a thesis. Consider writing a thesis (or a smaller research paper) on the effects of Twitter like this student did.
  5. Writing succinctly. Have students practice sharing complex thoughts in 140 words or less for a great writing lesson.
  6. Play Telephone. Play this old childhood game with a new twist by having students create a story chained together by their tweets or use twittories to accomplish this goal.
  7. Learn probability. While this math lesson was originally done for younger students, it is anexcellent example of using Twitter to deliver hands-on learning.
  8. Study geography with Twitter and Google Earth. Follow this teacher’s lead to incorporate these two technologies into a dynamic geography lesson.
  9. Connect with classrooms in a different geographic location. Collaborate with another classroom to expand the possibilities of learning.
  10. Twitter-specific projects. Help students learn how to use Twitter by offering assignments such as this one from this Georgia Southern University instructor.
  11. Have a Twitter treasure hunt. Follow the example given here to create a treasure hunt with students’ prize being the completion of the assignment.
Follow These
Here are suggestions for people and things to track on Twitter.
  1. A professional. Keep up with what professionals in your area of interest are doing through their Twitter feed.
  2. A famous person. Many politicians and celebrities are on Twitter. Follow them to keep abreast of current events.
  3. Mentors. If professors or other key figures in your field of study are on Twitter, follow them to keep up with their research and activities.
  4. The news. Twitter has quickly become a recognized resource for up-to-the-minute news from well-respected news sources.
  5. Citizen journalism. World events, such as the recent protests in Iran, are beginning to unfold on Twitter. Students and instructors alike can follow citizen journalism right alongside the mainstream news reports.
  6. Track a word or phrase. Track a word or phrase to see how it is being used by others. This is a great way to learn the nuances of words and phrases.
  7. Check out the recent public updates. The recent public updates shows the most recent posts from all Twitter users. This is a great place to spot trends and see what others are talking about.
Twitter Tools
These tools can help your Twitter experience become easier and more dynamic.
  1. Twhirl. This powerful desktop client helps manage your Twitter experience through such helpful features as URL shortening, new message notifications, image posting, and much more.
  2. TwitterNotes. This tool lets you make private notes for yourself among your tweets.
  3. QuoteURL. A great tool for summarizing a Twitter project, this tool will put different Tweets together on one page.
  4. TwitPic. This tool lets you share photos on Twitter.
  5. bit.ly. Shorten URLs so that you use fewer characters when sharing web links on Twitter.
  6. Tweetree. Groups entire conversations together to help put tweets in context.
  7. TweetGrid. Create a customized search dashboard to enhance you Twitter searches with this tool.
  8. TweetScan. Have tweets emailed to you based on keywords you select with this tool.
  9. TweetDeck. This app allows you to create groups of Tweets to better manage all the information you receive.
  10. TwitterFone. When you are busy, use this tool to leave a voice message that will be turned into a tweet.
  11. Tweet Later. This tool lets you write tweets that you can schedule for posting in the future. Write reminders, then schedule them to post closer to when they need to be used.
Great Twitter Tools for Use in Academia

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Rapa Nui in the Nuwies: Tourism threatens to trigger another ecological collapse

Posted on October 11, 2009 by Bruce

http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displayStory.cfm?story_id…

Easter Island
Rapa Nui déjà vu
Oct 8th 2009 | EASTER ISLAND
From The Economist print edition

Tourism threatens to trigger another ecological collapse
Alamy

4109am2

Why doesn’t this exotic species leave me in peace?
STEPPING off the plane, tourists are welcomed to Easter Island with a garland of flowers. They find themselves on a tiny dot in the Pacific Ocean, 3,700km (2,300 miles) west of Chile, to which the island belongs, and 2,000km east of Pitcairn Island. All around are the white-flecked waves of the Pacific. “What perfect peace,” exclaimed Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian explorer and author when he arrived in the mid-1950s.

He might not say so today. Some 70,000 visitors now arrive each year, up from just 14,000 in the mid-1990s. Apart from the island’s utter remoteness, what attracts the tourists are the moai, the mysterious giant stone statues erected by the ancestors of the indigenous Rapa Nui people. They are testament to a complex society of up to 20,000 people which later shrank to a shadow as a result of calamitous environmental stress and deforestation, a cautionary tale narrated in “Collapse”, a book by Jared Diamond, a polymath at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Today Easter Island once again faces environmental threats. Food comes from Chile, either by ship or on the seven weekly flights from Santiago (there are also two from Tahiti). The visitors “all pull the chain,” Luz Zasso, the mayoress, notes acidly. The absence of a sewage system is threatening the cleanliness of the island’s underground water sources. But it would be hard to install one without damaging archaeological sites. Electricity comes from diesel-powered generators. Power cuts are frequent. Rubbish is piling up.

Many Easter Islanders are worried. Tourists should be limited to 50,000 a year and be preferably well-heeled, argues Marcelo Pont, the vice-president of the Council of Elders, an advisory body. Visitors from the Chilean mainland attract particular resentment. “They’re interested in sun, sand and swimming pools, not the island,” says Edgard Herevi of the local chamber of tourism. Tourism has brought migrants from the mainland, too. The population is now 5,000, up from 3,300 in 2002, of whom only half are now of Rapa Nui descent. Locals complain that the incomers are competing in the handicrafts trade, carving woodenmoai and selling shell necklaces.

There is almost no unemployment, and thanks to tourist revenues and government spending, living standards are similar to those on the mainland. But locals worry about the future. In response, Chile’s government is proposing laws that would beef up the island’s government, give the Rapa Nui more say in it and allow them to control immigration. It also plans to raise the entrance fee to the Rapa Nui National Park, where most of the main sights are, from $10 to $60 for foreigners.

The Rapa Nui Parliament, a radical group that split from the Council of Elders, is calling for independence. Its supporters blocked the airport’s runway for two days in August. It wants to expel Chileans, even those who have lived much of their life on the island, unless they have a longstanding relationship with a Rapa Nui or are the parent of a child with Rapa Nui blood. The group also dreams of ditching Chile’s peso and forming a Polynesian currency union, including Australia and New Zealand.

Such claims are merely a sign of economic frustration, argues Sergio Rapu, an archaeologist and former governor of the island. Perhaps. But the question they raise is whether greater autonomy to run their own affairs would help the Rapa Nui to avoid a repeat of the ecological collapse they failed to prevent centuries ago.

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IMPORTANT: from “nature”: A Safe Operating Space for Humanity

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Bruce

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v461/n7263/full/461472a.html

Figure1_a_safe_operating_space

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The Guys Who Did This now are Doing More. . .

Posted on October 7, 2009 by Bruce
The wonderful organization who brought you this disaster for near-coastal waters of Nail Bay, Virgin Gorda, in November, 2003, are now bringing new wonders to the island. . . . this time with help of an Indian transnational corporation — 

Dscf0054_nail_bay

The brown stuff is all disastrous heavy silt runoff from dirt roads that were improperly constructed in the first place and not properly maintained as traffic has increased.

Public road to Nail Bay paved and open to the public

VIRGIN GORDA, British Virgin Islands (October 4, 2009) – The Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, Premier of the Virgin Islands (U.K.) officially opened the newly paved public road to Nail Bay just before sunset on Friday, October 2, 2009.

This opening ceremony was also attended by numerous people including Michael D. Riegels, Q.C., (director of Virgin Gorda Investment Company Limited which developed Nail Bay Resort), Mr. Douglas Riegels, President of Nail Bay Community Association Limited and Mr. Binny Sebastian, General Manager of Nail Bay Resort. 

“The opening of this newly concreted 22 feet wide public road to Nail Bay, beginning at the intersection at Pond Bay and the existing main Valley to the North Sound road, marks the completion of a major infrastructure project. This will make access to all the various properties along the northwestern shore of Virgin Gorda such as Pond Bay, Mango Bay, Mahoe Bay and Nail Bay much more comfortable for both residents and tourists alike who no longer have to navigate on unpaved dirt roads that washed away after each rain,” said Mr. Ajit Mathew George, Managing Director of Nail Bay Resort. 

He has been eagerly looking forward to this day since he first came to Nail Bay almost twenty-seven years ago in December 1982. Mr. George thanked the Premier for taking active leadership to complete this paving project of 12,400 feet (over 2.3 miles) of public road, which was initially started at the end of Nail Bay on December 9, 2006. He also expressed his gratitude to Daniel “Pops” Cline for his role as project manager and all the Virgin Gorda contractors who worked hard to complete the final phase of the project on a timely basis. 
 
The developers of Nail Bay Resort recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with the Taj Hotel Resorts and Palaces to develop in Virgin Gorda the first Taj Exotica Resort, Spa & Luxury Residences in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Prior to the signing of this MOU, the Premier had publicly promised on July 15, 2009 at the VIP Reception for the 2009 Winemakers Dinners that the unpaved section of the public road to Nail Bay from Pond Bay would be paved before the end of this year. This VIP Reception was attended by Mr. Raymond Bickson, Managing Director and CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Limited and Uday Narain from the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. 

Mr. George said that by completing the paving of this road three months before the end of this year, the Government of the Virgin Islands has once again demonstrated its commitment to attract a world class five star brand with an outstanding reputation for extraordinary service around the world including the Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East, United States of America and India such as the Taj Hotel Resorts and Palaces to the BVI  

Established in 1903, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is one of Asia’s largest and finest group of hotels comprising 77 hotels, 7 authentic palaces, 6 private islands, 12 resorts and spas in over 52 destinations, 12 countries, 5 continents plus personal jets and luxury yachts. From world-renowned landmarks to modern business hotels, idyllic beach resorts to authentic Rajput palaces, each Taj hotel offers an unrivalled fusion of warm Indian hospitality, world-class service and modern luxury. 

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is part of the Tata Group, India’s premier business house that owns among other things Tata Motors, Corus Steel and Jaguar Land Rover. The Tata Group, with over 100 companies, has over 350,000 employees and operates in more than 80 countries. For more information on Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, visit www.tajhotels.com 
 
Pursuant to the terms of the Development Agreement for Nail Bay Property that was executed by the Government of the Virgin Islands and the Developers of Nail Bay on December 16, 2006, the Government of the Virgin Islands approved, among other things, the construction and operation of a new five (5) star hotel of approximately one hundred (100) hotel units, plus additional hotel spa suites, hotel villas, townhouses and residential villas for sale with a luxury spa and related facilities including restaurants, bars, swimming pools, gift shops and boutiques at Nail Bay plus a private jetty and ten moorings.  

This historic 148 acre former sugar plantation below Gorda Peak with almost a mile of waterfront overlooking Sir Francis Drake Channel on the north western shore of Virgin Gorda has been in the process of being developed into a luxury villa resort with over 50 million dollars invested to date. Over the past three years, most of the secondary roads within Nail Bay have been paved in concrete after all the utilities were placed underground. Generators were installed to automatically provide stand-by electricity to all lots together with a state-of-the art internal water distribution system served by a desalination plant at Nail Bay. 

Rated #1 hotel in Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda by TripAdvisor.com and recommended by Frommers and The Best of the British Virgin Islands and named the best value in Virgin Gorda by Travel+Leisure Magazine, Nail Bay offers numerous distinctive villas, apartments and rooms with magical sunset views and three sun bleached, deserted, sandy beaches with great snorkeling. Nail Bay also offers modern conveniences such as ADSL internet service, satellite television and radio as well as DVD players and iPod stations and dining at the SUGARCANE restaurant.  For more information on Nail Bay, visit www.nailbay.com.  

Nail Bay was also the Founding Sponsor of the highly successful 2008 and 2009 Winemakers Dinners, which was organized by the BVI Charitable Fund.  

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Anticipating global warming, scientists measure the long-term effect of extra carbon dioxide on marsh

Posted on September 29, 2009 by Bruce

Great story from September 29th Baltimore Sun about CO2 research on marsh grasses being carried out
— for the past 23 years!!! — by researchers at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Mayo. . . .

[See research by Bert Drake of SERC at Scientific Commons: <http://en.scientificcommons.org/bert_g_drake>]

Waist-deep in fieldwork

Anticipating global warming, scientists are measuring the long-term effect of extra carbon dioxide on marsh plants
By Timothy B. Wheeler

Baltimore Sun reporter

September 29, 2009

This lush marsh south of Annapolis seems like an alien landscape – clear plastic bubbles dot the watery plain, with curved white pipes poking, periscope-like, out of the tall, green grass.

The odd-looking structures spread across Kirkpatrick Marsh are providing researchers with a peek into Earth’s future, helping them understand how climate change could alter the world we live in.

For the past 23 years, Bert Drake and other scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Shady Side have been monitoring the growth of marsh grasses and plants encased in the clear plastic bubbles on the fringe of the Rhode River. Those patches have been fed a steady diet of air enriched with carbon dioxide – the gas scientists say is driving our climate toward irrevocable change as human activity spews more of it into the atmosphere.

What Drake and colleagues have found is good news, of a sort. These wetlands, which help protect the Chesapeake Bay from water pollution, might also offer some protection from the climate upheaval that experts expect to come with rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Three-square, or scirpus olneyi, a sedge blanketing this salt marsh and commonly found throughout much of North America, grows thicker and faster as it’s fed more carbon dioxide, Drake says.

Scientists have known for quite a while that plants generally grow better when exposed to air with higher-than-normal concentrations of carbon dioxide. But some shorter studies suggested that the plants’ growth spurt would tail off after a few years. With funding at first from the Department of Energy and more recently from the U.S. Geological Survey, Drake and colleagues tested the long-term effects by piping carbon dioxide into chambers enclosing the marsh plants. The clear plastic allowed sunlight to penetrate, so plants’ photosynthesis was not affected. The researchers enriched the air inside to double the level of CO2 in the open air outside – about how concentrated the gas might be in the Earth’s atmosphere by the end of the century, Drake notes, given current increases from burning fossil fuels.

They compared the number and size of plants inside the chambers with patches of vegetation outside in the open air, and they checked the carbon-dioxide effect on another marsh plant, Spartina patens, or saltmeadow cordgrass, which is known not to respond to elevated levels of the gas.

Now, after more than two decades of tracking in the longest-running field study of its kind, Drake can say, “The bottom line is these plants have taken up a lot more carbon over the course of the study.” And they don’t become saturated.

Scientists have found similar responses in other plant communities. Drake and others have monitored a tract of scrub oak forest near Kennedy Space Center in Florida for more than a decade, and found the bushy trees also took off with a boost in carbon dioxide. Drake has been working recently with researchers setting up a parallel experiment in Norway on the edge of the Arctic.

But the Smithsonian scientist cautions that plants likely won’t save the planet from gorging on greenhouse gases. That’s because his research also has found that the marsh plants’ growth really is controlled by several factors – the most important being how much water they get.

“It depends very much on rainfall. If there’s no water, it can’t work,” he says of the marsh sedge’s tendency to act like a carbon sponge.

That could be a problem, because scientists predict that climate shifts could disrupt precipitation patterns in this region. Rain and snow might fall more heavily in winter and spring, climate models indicate, but less frequently, coming in big storms followed by dry spells. Moisture in soil and plants also is likely to evaporate more readily as temperatures gradually climb.

“It’s good news and bad news,” concludes Drake. “It’s great if the plants can take up CO2, but they may not be able to do that.”

Patrick Megonigal, one of Drake’s Smithsonian colleagues, has found similarly mixed news about the ability of marshes like this to cope with another climate-change impact – rising sea level.

Scientists have worried that as polar ice melts and the oceans warm, sea level will rise by several feet over the next century and could essentially drown wetlands, which serve as nature’s kidneys. They filter nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment out of water draining off the land before they can foul rivers and bays like the Chesapeake.

But Megonigal and colleagues have learned that the same carbon dioxide believed to be fueling rising sea levels might also help salt marshes outgrow rising waters – for a time, anyway. The extra greenhouse gas stimulates root growth, building up the surface of the marsh. Kirkpatrick Marsh apparently has managed to survive in this spot for thousands of years even though sea level has been slowly rising.

“It’s one of those silver lining stories,” says Megonigal, 50, a senior scientist. He notes that probes sunk into the muck beneath the marsh have found evidence it has risen in elevation by about 15 feet in the last 10,000 years, since the end of the last Ice Age.

“As sea level rose, this marsh, millimeter by millimeter, built its own soil out of dead plant material and rose 15 feet,” he says. He and his research team set up their own village of clear plastic chambers on the marsh to pipe carbon dioxide in to patches of vegetation, then carefully monitored the level of the mucky soil in which the plants were growing to see if, and how fast, it rose.

Four years on, they’ve found, as Drake’s longer study did, that giving the plants more carbon dioxide boosts the elevation of the marsh above sea level.

He cautions, however, that all types of wetlands may not respond the same way to increased carbon dioxide, and that even salt marshes such as this one might not survive if sea level rises at an increasing rate, as many project it will. A faster rise in the seas could outstrip the ability of the marsh to stay above water.

“This won’t eliminate the dangers of rising sea level for marshes,” he says. “It will only mitigate it.” He figures there’s a “window of opportunity” to curb the increase in sea level over the next several decades before it overwhelms the marsh’s natural buildup.

Should marshes like this go under, that could spell more trouble for the beleaguered Chesapeake Bay, since all the nitrogen locked up in the wetland soil and vegetation would be released into waters already choking on too much of the nutrient. That’s just one of the reasons why scientists have warned that climate change could complicate the effort to restore the bay.

“It’s a very complex picture,” concludes Drake, who at 73 is approaching retirement. He’s working now to get all the data archived from his 23-year experiment – archived so it can be carried on by other scientists. And he’s using the insights he’s gained from decades of studying climate-change questions to speak in public more about what’s known – and still uncertain – about how humans are changing the Earth.

Of one thing he’s certain – change is happening now. In the time since he began his study more than two decades ago, carbon dioxide levels in the air over the marsh have increased by more than 12 percent, and sea level there has risen by about 4 inches.

“We still don’t know what to say about how the effects of climate change are going to affect ecosystems,” he says, “but we’re starting to really worry.”

Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun

S45086029185913

 

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Annapolis Sustainability Stewardship Project

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Bruce

Check the city’s web site at http://www.annapolis.gov//sustainability.asp?page=13703 for additional program details, but there is a current announcement of workshops for “Environmental Stewardship Training,” quoting:

Annapolis Environmental Stewardship Workshop
On Tuesday, September 29, 2009, Annapolis’ Department of Neighborhood & Environmental Programs, Sustainable Annapolis Program will be offering a unique workshop to residents who are interested in becoming certified Environmental Stewards. In addition to the stewardship program, the training will also discuss how residents can use the City’s Carbon Calculator to reduce their carbon footprint.  By using these tools, residents can save money by improving their energy efficiency, lower their impact on the Bay, and support the local economy.  City residents who attend the training will qualify to receive an Eco-Kit at no charge, which is an energy efficiency and environmental tool kit that can help them save $100’s a year in utilities and shave 2 tons of carbon off their annual footprint. 
The stewardship program awards a certificate to households that are able to achieve a certain number of points on the stewardship checklist.  There are a total of nine sections to the checklist: home/office study, food, indoor & cleaning, outdoor & yard, waste management, water conservation, energy, transportation, and miscellaneous. These nine sections will be explored in detail at the training, which will help residents to achieve the household certification. 
As more residents use these tools, the community will get closer to meeting the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal set in the Sustainable Annapolis Community Action Plan: 25% reduction of 2006 levels by 2012 (50% for the government), 100% by 2050.
The workshop will be held on September 29th, 2009, in the City Council Chambers (160 Duke of Gloucester St), from 7-8:30pm. If you have any questions about the workshop or the stewardship program, you can go to www.SustainableAnnapolis.com or contact the Department of Neighborhood & Environmental Programs at 410-263-7946. 

Please notify your fellow residents/members about this opportunity.

[Not sure of the number system being used to support the claim that there will be a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.]
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Agenda for Aaron Williams, new Peace Corp Director, RPCV in the Dominican Republic

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Bruce

Agenda for Aaron Williams
 
As a former PCV, and specifically as Peace Corps Desk Officer for the DR when Director Williams was there, I congratulate him and wish him well.
 
There are a lot of priorities and pressures to leap into large-scale expansion of the Peace Corps.
 
These are well meaning impulses, but I urge Director Williams to concentrate first on extricating the Peace Corps from its current, UNHEALTHY intimate integration with the US foreign assistance establishment (which itself is in danger of being subsumed within the US foreign policy apparatus).
 
The Peace Corps, in its best and most effective incarnation, is different from USAID, and the Peace Corps is even MORE different from the US State Department. All three arms of US overseas relations will be stronger if they are independent and free to pursue the unique benefits that flow from their different programs and constituencies.
 
I offer this advice based on my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in pre-intervention Chile, as a headquarters staff member in the LA region, including 2 years as Program and Training Chief for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, and my last forty years of working in several dimensions of US foreign operations — governmental, quasi-governmental, and private.
 
Bruce Potter
 
President
Island Resources Foundation
35 Years of Environmental Planning for Small Island Development
 
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
———Web Site————- Web Site
— — — — — — Island Resources Foundation — — — — —
Road Town, Tortola
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
Phone: 284/494-2723; E-mail:
In St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
call: 340/775-6225
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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New Seamounts and Arctic Ocean Shipping. . . .

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Bruce

from a blog about the voyage of the US Coast Guard Icebreaker Healey —

   http://arctic-healy-baker-2008.blogspot.com/2009/09/new-seamount.html

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2009
A New Seamount
On the midnight watch we passed again by the seamount discovered last week:

Sea_mount_238

Polar stereographic image (75deg N), 6X vertical exaggeration, measured in meters. For other images visit LDEO
 
To chart our course we combine information from a variety of maps and data sources. Very little of the historical information we rely on was produced with GPS or the kind of multibeam echosounder equipment we are mapping with on HEALY, which provides very detailed images of the areas being mapped. Thus, last week we had only a previous contour line to indicate that a small rise might protrude from the seafloor in that spot. The earlier maps gave no indication that the feature would rise more than 1,000 meters or .6 miles from the seafloor, which is required for a seamount. Christine Hedge, the NOAA Teacher at Sea (from Carmel Middle School, Indiana), was standing watch when she noticed a feature emerging somewhat starboard of the planned ship track, and contacted the scientists in charge who redirected the ship so we could map the feature more completely.
 
While the seamount rises almost 1,100 meters from the seafloor, its peak is still over one and a half miles below the surface of the ocean (rising from 3710 meters to 2622 meters; the 3791 mark shown in the image above refers to the surrounding seafloor, not to the base of the seamount itself). It is located at 81 degrees 31.57N 134 degrees 28.80W, is approximately 14 nautical miles long, 4 nautical miles wide, and oriented N-S. Other images of the seamount may be found at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.
 
 
Larry A. Mayer and Andy Armstrong, of the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping/NOAA Joint Hydrographic Center, co-chief scientists for HLY0905, were also leading a mapping cruise on board USCG HEALY in 2003 when the feature now named Healy Seamount (after the vessel and its namesake, Captain Michael Healy) was discovered at 78º40’N, 158º 00’W.
 
Of the new seamount, Mayer says, in Andrew Revkin’s DotEarth report:
 
“The new seamount is small but unusual in its isolation (at least we think it’s isolated — remember we didn’t know it was there – and I suspect there are many others that we don’t know about) — but this one is sitting in the middle of nowhere in the abyssal plain and will only add to the mysteries of the origin of this part of the Arctic.”
 
Source: NYT DotEarth, September 10, 2009
 
 
 
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ICEBREAKING INTO THE ARCTIC
The USCGC HEALY embarked Barrow, Alaska, in August 2008 to map the US extended continental shelf (ECS) in the Arctic Ocean (Healy 08-05). It will do so again from7 August to 16 September, 2009 (Healy 09-05). As the only law professor on the science crew, I am along to better understand the science behind the legal process that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea establishes for states making ECS submissions. As to why the US is mapping now, even though it has not yet ratified the Convention, read on both here, and in the Law of the Sea notes below. Thanks to Vermont Law School and especially to Larry Mayer, Director of the University of New Hampshire’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, for making my part in the trip possible.Thanks, as well, to Adriane Colburn, for opening new windows on and for the deep.

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