On 24th 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.
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