ROTARY CLUB INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS VISIT UTILA!

The International Rotary Club San Miguel from Tegucigalpa arrived in Utila for their annual beach clean and tour of the local conservation organisations.  During their visit, the Rotary club took a trip to the Iguana Station and helped prepare food for the juvenile iguanas, they conducted a beach clean at Pumpkin Hill beach, and also came to visit the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) to learn about whale sharks.  They enjoyed a presentation about the biology of whale sharks, their habitats, the threats they face and their importance to the local economy here in Utila.  The day ended with a snorkel tour and fish ID session under the Utila Lodge dock led by WSORC’s volunteers to look at the natural aquarium and artificial reefs.

The majority of the members of the Rotary Club San Miguel who arrived on Friday 13^th September came from Tegucigalpa, were all young enthusiastic environmentalists between 20 and 30 years old.  The objective of their visit was to contribute their time to helping the conservation activities of the environmental organisations on the island, that are aimed towards conserving the natural environment and preserving the biodiversity.

Their first encounter was with the Swamper Iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri), endemic to the island of Utila and inhabits the mangrove swamps of Utila.  At the Iguana Station the Rotary club group were introduced to the conservation program that has been running for the last 20 years.  They learnt about the captive breeding program which is in place to help the wild populations of Swamper iguanas recover from overexploitation, and they helped prepare the feed for the juvenile iguanas that are kept in captivity until they are of a size where they are more likely to survive in the wild.

The day continued with a beach clean at Pumpkin Hill, an important site on the island of Utila as it is one of the more favoured beaches where turtles come to lay their nests during nesting season.  The Rotary club volunteers helped clear the area that was covered in a variety of marine debris; plastic bottles, old flip flops, tooth brushes, broken toys, and a whole host of mostly plastic pollution.  By clearing away all this pollution, when the baby turtles hatch they are able to reach the sea without having to clamber over all of these obstacles.

The afternoon was dedicated to learning about whale sharks and their conservation status.  To finish off the day WSORC volunteers organised a snorkel tour underneath the Utila Lodge dock.  With over 40 species of fish and 2 artificial reefs, it is like a natural aquarium and the WSORC volunteers lead groups of snorkelers through the array of interesting species whilst helping them to identify what they were seeing with underwater fish ID slates.  This snorkel tour was appreciated by all, and a successful way for the Rotary Club visitors to appreciate the underwater world and understand the importance of coral reefs to Utila’s natural ecosystems. 

Thank you Rotary Club San Miguel from Tegucigalpa for coming to visit Utila and helping conserve the beautiful natural environment we have here!

IN SPANISH

VOLUNTARIOS DEL ROTARY CLUB SAN MIGUEL DE TEGUCIGALPA VISITA UTILA!

El Rotary Club San Miguel de Tegucigalpa estuvo en la isla conociendo el trabajo que hacen las organizaciones ambientales. Durante su excursión, ayudaron a alimentar a las iguanas en Iguana Station, hicieron una limpieza en la playa Pumpkin Hill, aprendieron sobre el tiburón ballena, sus hábitos, amenazas e importancia como especie y para terminar el día disfrutaron de un tour de snorkel en el acuario natural del Utila Lodge, liderado por WSORC.

La mayoría de los miembros del Rotary club San Miguel que llegaron el viernes 13 de septiembre a Utila, provenientes de Tegucigalpa, eran jóvenes entre los 20 y 30 años. Su objetivo era dedicar parte de su tiempo a ayudar en las actividades que se realizan en la isla para conservar el medio ambiente y la biodiversidad, así como conocer los diferentes campos de acción de cada una de las organizaciones ambientales.

Su primer encuentro fue con la iguana negra de cola espinosa (Ctenosaura bakeri), endémica de la isla de Utila, que vive en un área de 82 kilómetros de bosques de manglar. En la Estación Iguana conocieron el programa de conservación que llevan a cabo con esta especie, tuvieron la oportunidad de alimentarlas e interactuar con su crías.

El día continúo con una limpieza de playa en Pumpkin Hill, la misma playa donde las tortugas llegan a anidar, y donde BICA esta realizando los patrullajes nocturnos. Los voluntarios del Rotary Club ayudaron a despejar el área, que estaba cubierta por plásticos y botellas, para que en el momento de nacer las pequeñas tortugas puedan llegar al mar sin obstáculos.

La tarde la dedicaron a aprender sobre las particularidades del tiburón ballena, y para terminar el día WSORC organizó un tour de snorkel debajo del muelle del Utila Lodge, donde se encuentra un arrecife artificial que reúne a varias especies de peces. De esta manera pudieron apreciar el mundo submarino y comprendieron la importancia que cumplen los corales como base de estos ecosistemas.

Muchas Gracias al Rotary Club San Miguel de Tegucigalpa por su visita y su dedicación!

INTERNATIONAL WHALE SHARK DAY CELEBRATIONS!

On August 30^th as a celebration of International Whale Shark Day, the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) played host to a lively afternoon dock party at the Utila Lodge Resort.  A highly energetic and animated slackline competition provided great entertainment as did DJ Cynia kicking off the afternoon party with great tunes blaring out!  Cheap beer & rum were enjoyed by many in a beautifully typical Utilian afternoon sunshine, surrounded by clear turquoise waters and people having fun on the slackline and in the water. Thank you to all Utila´s Whale Shark LOVERS out there who came to support us!

Photo credit to Simon Hilbourne

The day was pleasant and sunny, and much appreciated after a somewhat fretful night of high winds and heavy rainfall!  Miraculously, it was the perfect weather for having an outdoor afternoon party. During the morning WSORC volunteers, along with the kind help of two enthusiastic BICA volunteers as well as staff from the Bay Islands College of Diving (BICD) and the Utila Lodge set up everything on the dock; music, beer coolers, beers on ice, tables, posters and the slacklines.

People started arriving at the Utila Lodge dock past noon in blazing sunshine to the sounds of Caribbean rhythms being played across the bay. Beer was sold for just 25Lps with all proceeds going to WSORC, from a beer table with the advertising slogan “Save a whale shark, drink a beer!” and to get the competitors’ balance started those who bought tickets for the slackline competition received their 1^st beer free!  The Utila Lodge sold tasty BBQ food plates for 100Lps and soft drinks and mixers were available at the Lodge bar.

The motivation behind our fundraiser was to promote International Whale Shark Day and raise awareness about the importance of whale sharks to Utila, and build upon our conservation efforts for these majestic giants. 

There were 2 slacklines, one for practicing and the other one for the competition. Even visitors who were not competing tried their luck on the slacklines!  As the afternoon progressed so did the boldness of the attempts, providing great entertainment for all the spectators.   DJ Cynia continued to throw out a myriad of classic Caribbean tunes with her excellent music selection, which was clearly undeniable to all the dancing feet around the dock!

When everyone was ready and present the competition began. There were 11 participants in total, and a blind name draw from a bucket helped set up the contestants for round 1. Each competitor received two attempts on the slackline, and those who got furthest along the slackline progressed into the following rounds, culminating in a grand finale between Bradley Shellito (a PADI Dive Instructor who is no stranger to the island of Utila), Jamie Lamb (one of BICD’s current Dive Masters in training), and Emily Moore (coincidentally one of the BICA volunteers who helped out earlier in the day). 

After an entertaining battle to mark the end of the afternoon, Bradley was announced the winner of 1^st prize! He received 1000Lps for coming first and supporting the whale sharks! Second place was taken by Jamie, who received a crate of Salva Vida beer, and in third place was Emily who received 2 fun dives that had been generously donated by BICD.  Congratulations to our worthy winners!  And huge thanks to all the competitors who got involved, all of our friends who came out to support us, all of the staff and volunteers involved in making the day such a success, and massive thanks to UK based MAVERICK SLACKLINES for generously donating the brand new slackline gear to the center!  Happy International Whale Shark Day August 30^th 2013!!!

And our three worth winners from the afternoon!

BICAJAM - BICA is back in action! By Camila Peña

On 24^th August the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA) welcomed through its doors the island of Utila in celebration of the grand re-opening of its brand new visitor center, and of course the whole team at the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center (WSORC) was there in full regalia to support the celebrations. 

The grand re-opening, so aptly named “BICAJAM”, was attended by volunteers from both the Iguana Research and Breeding Station (IRBS) and from the WSORC.  A whole host of community members from the island, as well as dive center representatives, school children and parents, and local news station HQ TV’s reporter Shelby Mcnab were also there to participate in BICA’s festivities.  It was a truly united and enjoyable afternoon of fun and learning for all, in which each organization was able to display their respective projects to visitors, and promote the importance of conservation of the natural environment and wealth of wildlife that characterizes the Bay Islands.

In the central courtyard, recently remodelled by BICA staff and volunteers, the IRBS and WSORC presented their exhibits, providing information about the species and programs they are currently working with.  The IRBS had on offer handcrafted wine made from Jamaica flowers, and screened a most entertaining and expertly produced video about the work of their volunteers with the endemic iguana; Utila’s swamper (Ctenosaura Bakeri).  They also displayed information about their own environmentally informative visitor center, as well as the achievements they have accomplished to date.

WSORC’s exhibit stand shared information and interesting facts about this majestic and gentle giant of our seas. Proudly on show was the center’s new model whale shark, handcrafted by WSORC volunteer Simon Hilbourne.  As well as creatively illustrating the anatomy of a whale shark, it now serves the center as an exquisitely unique and much needed donations box!

Photo credit: Simon Hilbourne 

Amongst the information WSORC volunteers prepared for the day was a map depicting the island of Utila and whale shark sightings, including all recent encounters up to August 2013.  Graphs were displayed describing the average size of the whale sharks that have been observed in the coastal waters of Utila, as well as interesting information about the world’s largest fish and its behaviour.  Encounter guidelines and regulations were also on display, providing our audience with an up to date guide on how to behave appropriately should they be fortunate enough to encounter a whale shark.  WSORC’s most recent eco-products; bar coasters made from recycled wetsuit material and decorated with our logo were also sold during the afternoon in order to collect funds for the center.  Information promoting our free weekly whale shark presentation, given every Sunday evening at 7:30pm at the Utila Lodge bar was also on display.

Inside the visitor center, BICA’s displays of the work they have been doing and the projects they are involved with were excellently designed and very informative.  Details of their sea turtle conservation program, as well as their lionfish management efforts, monitoring of mangroves, and beach clean ups were displayed for all to see and enjoy.

The center was full of children throughout the day, who took full advantage of the kids activity room recently remodelled by Ella Sayer, and it was clear to see they were thoroughly enjoying the educational material.  Throughout the afternoon there was food on offer and a Raffle with fun prizes. The afternoon was played to a great end with notes of guitar and live music in Spanish from Dani Vargas.  Well done BICA what a great success!

En Español.....

La Asociación para la Conservación de Islas de la Bahía (BICA, por sus siglas en inglés) abrió oficialmente, el pasado 24 de agosto, las puertas de su nuevo centro de visitantes en Utila y WSORC hizo parte de la celebración.

Al BICA JAM asistieron voluntarios de las Estación Iguana y, por supuesto, del Centro de Tiburón Ballena e Investigaciones Oceánicas (WSORC). Fue una tarde de diversión y de aprendizaje para todos, en la que cada organización tuvo la posibilidad de mostrarle a los visitantes su trabajo por la conservación de los ecosistemas, la importancia de las especies que habitan en la isla y en sus aguas y la manera en la que cada quien puede aportar para reducir la contaminación y proteger la riqueza natural que caracteriza a las Islas de la Bahía.  

En el patio central, recientemente remodelado por el staff de BICA, la Estación Iguana y WSORC tuvieron su stand, en donde brindaron información sobre los programas en los que trabajan actualmente.  La Estación Iguana, además, vendió vino artesanal hecho de flores de Jamaica, para recoger fondos, y mostró videos sobre el trabajo de sus voluntarios con las iguanas, su centro de educación ambiental y los logros que han obtenido hasta el momento.

El Centro de Tiburón Ballena, por su parte, compartió información y datos curiosos sobre este gigante de los mares. En el stand sobresalía el tiburón ballena hecho por Simon, uno de los voluntarios, que además de ilustrar como se ve este pez, es ahora utilizado en el centro para recolectar las donaciones.

Entre la información que prepararon los voluntarios para ese día estaba un mapa con los avistamientos de tiburón ballena, actualizado a agosto de 2013; gráficas sobre el tamaño promedio de los tiburones que se han visto en la isla; datos curioso sobre este pez y su comportamiento y una guía de la manera adecuada de comportarse en el caso de tener la fortuna de ver el pez mas grande del mundo. Lindos porta vasos hechos de trajes de buceo reciclados y pintados con el logo de WSORC fueron vendidos durante la tarde para recoger fondos. Así mismo se promocionaron las presentaciones de tiburón ballena de los domingos, a las 7:30 p.m., en el bar de Utila Lodge.

En el interior del centro de visitantes, BICA hizo un despliegue del trabajo que han venido haciendo en sus diferentes frentes: conservación de tortugas, erradicación de pez león, monitoreo de manglares, limpieza de playas, etc.

El lugar estaba lleno de niños, que disfrutaron al máximo de la jornada educativa, en la que también hubo comida y rifas con increíbles premios. La tarde terminó con notas de guitarra y música en español de Dani Vargas.

BEACH Clean up! WSORC volunteer Bobby joined forces with Bay Islands Conservation Association to help them out during their beach cleaning efforts.

It's been a little quiet from us as staff and volunteers at the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center have been racing around this last week in a jam-packed ride of conservation efforts, big fundraising events, research projects and more!  In a bid to fill you in on some of the events WSORC has been involved with from the past week, below is Bobby's account of his participation at the Bay Islands Conservation Association's big beach clean on Pumpkin Hill beach.  We are at the start of sea turtle nesting season here in Utila, so in a bid to clear the beach of waste so the female hawksbill sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs are not faced with a barrage of trash, volunteers and the local community and schools went along to Pumpkin Hill beach to clear things up!

Photo credit to Simon Hilbourne

            It took a little while to find the Bay Islands Conservation Association building, but in the end, facing the hills and sun was worth it. Today BICA organized a clean-up on Pumpkin Hill beach, to which volunteers from the Iguana Station and Whale Shark Center (myself), backpackers, and local Utilians responded; first thing in the morning, we donned our new t-shirts, clambered into a couple of trucks, and shipped off to the other side of the island. Hanging onto the tailgate of the second truck, I watched the jungle pass by as we weaved through dirt roads and bounded tree roots and puddles to reach this remote beach. Eventually the scent of the sea caught the breeze and I could loosen my death-grip on the bedrail.

            Trash bags were passed out and we got to work—although volunteers had reached the beach before I stepped onto it, there was still an impressive amount of trash strewn across the sand. Nets, bottles, torn-up flip-flops, and plastic miscellany had become part of the landscape, and our mission was to remove it, clearing the beach for sea turtle nesting season. After an hour or so, I was very happy with our headway, seeing most the garbage was removed from this small piece of coast; my fellow volunteers had done well working around tidal marks, rock outcroppings, and sand patches. Satisfied, I moved down the beach where we had not begun working, and what I saw would have been beautiful had it not been so appalling.

            A broad spectrum of colors and shapes painted the palate of the shore; the relatively small amount of assorted plastic waste I’d seen up to this point was one hundred times multiplied. Greens, blues, reds, yellows, pinks, and purples created an intricate mosaic—a labyrinth of products dismissed by people long ago now finding a place on Utila’s shore. Diving into this mess, a new friend of mine looked back into the field of rubbish, perhaps overwhelmed, and said, “It looks like we’re barely making an impact.”

            Now I couldn’t help but recall an African folktale I had heard a while ago, in which a fire broke out in a forest. The animal inhabitants escaped to safety, but stopped to watch as their home burned. As they sat—defeated, overwhelmed—a tiny hummingbird went to work; he flew down to the stream, took a few drops of water in his beak, and flew back to the forest, dropping the moisture onto the flames. He continued, ignoring the larger animals’ taunts and jokes, animals that with their bigness could have had a much greater impact on the fire. Finally, after hearing “What are you doing hummingbird? You’re much too little to stop the fire” one too many times, he told his fellow animals, “I am doing what I can.”

            I turned to my friend, “But we are making an impact,” and we continued working, a veritable sea of waste before us. Altogether, the beach-clean volunteers collected about forty bags full of trash. Hopefully this will be enough to allow for the turtles to make their nests—we’ll see in the weeks to come—and hopefully the rest of the world will join the efforts of the brave hummingbirds working on Utila.

Thanks Bobby! What a solid effort!  Beach clean ups will be going on throughout the year here on Utila as conservation organisations and the local community stand together to try and tackle the garbage build up along Utila's coastline.  Come get involved & join us for the next big beach clean up on 27th June!

REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE!

These past couple weeks WSORC's team of dedicated volunteers have been recycling old redundant wetsuits that were destined for the trash and making fun creative bar coasters with them!

Here's a little insight into the efforts and reasoning behind this creative approach to recycling from Bobby:

Beneath the beautiful appearance of the Bay Islands, an important issue is developing: deciding how to deal with our garbage. On a quick snorkel or walk around Utila, one can find varying signs of irresponsible human activity—from plastic plates and Styrofoam cups to shopping bags and water bottles. This waste eventually ends up in the ocean and building up on our shores, damaging delicate organisms as it barrels through surrounding coral reefs. Besides affecting animals and plants, washed-up trash on Utila’s graceful coastline dims its natural beauty.  Utila attracts many tourists every year and the economy here on Utila relies heavily upon this industry.  It is therefore critical that we work together to protect and preserve the natural beauty of this island, that so many people come to see and which others rely on.

In response to the issue of waste and recycling, the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center, as well as other conservation organizations on the island are undertaking recycling projects and beach clean-ups. Currently, WSORC are collecting old redundant wetsuits being discarded by dive shops and reshaping them into coasters for local bars. This creative endeavor has several “green” benefits: first, the wetsuits avoid being dumped in the landfill site; second, the bars will stop using mountains of paper napkins to catch condensation, reducing trash; thirdly, as a non-profit conservation organization, these coasters are generating some much needed funding for the center. We also collect plastic bottles and bags in order to bring them to the recycling centers. Projects like these are essential to the preservation of Utila’s natural splendor, and we hope our endeavors will work towards a more sustainable island lifestyle and preserve the natural beauty of Utila for years to come.

If you would like to support WSORC in our latest recycling efforts, please feel free to come by and drop off your plastic bottles for recycling here at the center.  Also, if you are in need of any personalized coasters, come get your orders in here!  Check out the creativity below!

Meet Bobby!  WSORC's newest volunteer!  Bobby is joining the team here at WSORC from his home town Wichita in Kansas, and is dedicating 10 weeks of his summer holidays to volunteering at the center.  MASSIVE THANK YOU BOBBY!

Bobby is studying Biology at Kansas State University and has a specific interest in the research of marine ecosystems.  Already throwing himself into the volunteer life at the center,  in his first week here Bobby has helped finalize our first order of recycled wetsuit coasters for Traquila Bar, completed his PADI Advanced Open Water certification with the Bay Islands College of Diving in order to complete his first research dives with the center, and today went on a beach clean up organised by BICA - the Bay Islands Conservation Association, alongside their volunteers and others from the Iguana Station.  Look out for Bobby's updates on his experiences so far!  Welcome Bobby!

Welcome to the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center blog! We have been a little quite of late but things are set to change!  Conservation and research are on the move! We will be making a lot of great noise from now on so watch this space!  First off, WSORC would like to introduce Lucie, our new Director at the center.  Lucie is a conservation biologist from the UK with a great passion for conservation and the natural world, and she is no stranger to Utila either.  5 years ago Lucie was a volunteer at the Iguana Station, and since then has traveled around Latin America and the Caribbean, working for a whole host of conservation wildlife organisations and community development projects. Welcome Lucie!