Sea & Learn what all the noise is about!  Our 5th annual event was a great success.  We are now busy working on our 2008 calendar.

In the meantime, below you will find some highlights of our 2007 event.

Climate Project guest speaker Lise van Susteren was the Opening Night speaker with many more intriguing speakers, topics and field projects the entire month. 

The Saba Bank project (see the a few news stories on this page) deserves special mention.  The research project provided two captivating presentations to our audiences in the month of October, 2007.  However, the discoveries of new species certainly make it newsworthy both locally and globally.  

The weekend of October 12-14, 2007 was a special one.  The weekend marked the 20-year anniversary of the Saba Conservation Foundation.  In cooperation with Sea & Learn, the SCF provided a gala event for the community with special kids programs at the Fort Bay harbor, cleanup projects, a film night, awards, art contests and more.  A historical review was presented by Tom van t'Hof, one of instrumental players in the setup and first 10 years of the park.    

Of course, seahorses and whale sharks were expected to be great draws but neither less attended nor more intriguing than the presentations on bioluminescence, chemical ecology defenses on the reef, snakes, parrots, orchids and more.  Read them all!

Read about this year's guest lecturers and monitor this site for news about next year's program.  A sneak preview for 2008 includes manatees, social foraging of fish and more. 

Scroll down to see what's "in the news" regarding our program.  As well, you can still link to great stories from our prior year programs further down the page.  

2007 News

The Official Press Release

Saba Bank yields more treasures; new surprises on the Saba Bank
©Photos & press release used with permission of Saba Bank Project

Two new species of soft corals were discovered in a recent expedition to Saba Bank, Netherlands Antilles, which involved leading experts from the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC), the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) at the University of Miami. The scientists identified soft corals (aka sea fans, or gorgonians), and crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), collecting forty species of soft corals and nearly 100 different species of crustaceans in ten days of scuba diving and exploration on the Saba Bank. Saba Bank is the third largest atoll in the world, and the largest in the Caribbean. 

Many specimens were brought up from waters below diving depths using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) capable of deep-water dives to 200 m. The new species of gorgonians are further evidence of the rich treasure trove of biodiversity present on the Saba Bank. One of the new species was found in deep water (70 m), and the other, surprisingly, was found to be common in shallow water (20 m). Since the gorgonians of the Caribbean are a well known group of corals with only a limited number of species, the discovery of a new species in the shallowest parts of the Bank was unexpected.  

The team members were very excited about their find. “It is quite unusual to find a new shallow water gorgonian species that can be easily distinguished from other species based just on its outer appearance,” says Dr. Juan Sanchez, of the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, a leading expert on gorgonian corals from both the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.  

Peter Etnoyer, gorgonian expert from Harte Research Institute (HRI) at TAMU-CC adds, “Gorgonian species can be difficult to distinguish from each other. You have to look at microscopic features of their skeletons. However, this new species was fairly obvious. It differs in color and shape.”  His colleague, and third gorgonian expert on the team, Herman Wirshing from RSMAS, concludes “we will have to do more work to carefully verify and describe all of the diagnostic characteristics of this new gorgonian, but we can already conclude that it belongs to the genus Pterogorgia, in which so far only three species are known.” The second new species found is a deep-water gorgonian from the genus Lytreia which is currently comprised of only one species. 

The crustacean experts were also quite satisfied with their results. Dr. Thomas Shirley, Endowed Chair of Biodiversity and Conservation Science of HRI at TAMU-CC, says: “The collections from this expedition provide an important baseline on which to measure future changes. Tankers anchoring on the Bank introduce the risk of invasive species from fouling organisms on the hull of the ships, or from ballast water carried in their tanks. We now have a good impression of the present crustacean fauna.” Morgan Kilgour, also a crustacean expert at the HRI, was pleased by the diversity of crustaceans they are finding on the Saba Bank. “In only 6 days of diving and trapping in the deeper waters we have already found about 100 different species of crabs and shrimp, and we still have a few days to go.” The collecting work in deep water was greatly facilitated by the help and knowledge of local Saban fisherman Nicky Johnson who provided the team with effective traps and took them to the right places. 

The expedition to the Saba Bank is part of an ongoing effort from the Department of Environment (MINA) of the Netherlands Antilles to develop a good management plan for the Bank. With funding from USONA, the organization that distributes development funding coming from the Netherlands, a project was started in June of this year to collect as much knowledge as possible of the Bank, building on work that was done before, such as the first Rapid Assessment expedition by Conservation International in 2006 (who also contributed a representative to this expedition), the hydrographic survey of the Dutch Hydrographic Service also in 2006, and a year-long fishery survey by fishery officer Faisal Dilrosun in 2000.  

Project leader Paul Hoetjes of MINA says: “At the end of this year we will have a well informed draft management plan, as well as draft legislation where necessary, and a finalized proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to recognize the Saba Bank as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area or PSSA. We need this PSSA status in order to be able to regulate international shipping over the parts of the Saba Bank that lie outside the territorial waters of Saba but in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Netherlands Antilles.”  

According to Hoetjes, however, the results of this project will only be the start of the real work. “The biodiversity of the Bank exceeds all expectations. Twenty new species of sea weeds discovered last year establish the Bank as the richest area in the Caribbean for sea weeds. We may now find it the richest area in the Caribbean for gorgonian corals as well. But there is still a great deal of work to be done to further discover the full richness of biodiversity of the Bank. So far we have only lifted a tip of the veil. Scientific survey work must continue in the future. We also need to find the means to implement the management plan we are drafting and find ways to enforce existing and new regulations.”  

Hoetjes also warns that the approval by the IMO of the PSSA status will be a process that will take years to complete, but, he concludes, “The conservation of biodiversity and the wise use of it is always difficult to achieve. Saba Bank is no exception to this rule, but I know the people of Saba really support this, and that is a major factor for success.”

The story run by St. Maarten Daily Herald

New species found by Saba Bank scientists
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Scientists exploring the Saba Bank have discovered two new species of soft corals known as gorgonians or sea fans during the current 10-day study. 

The two species were found at different depths. A specimen at 70 meters was brought up by the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), which has a grasping arm controlled from the surface. The second specimen was discovered during a scuba dive at about 20 meters. The shallow water sample was unexpected since it is unusual to find a new shallow water gorgonian species that can be distinguished based only on its outer appearance. Further identification will verify and describe all characteristics of the new gorgonians. 

The gorgonian experts, who are from different international research centres in Texas, Florida, and Columbia, located more than 40 species--continued proof of the rich biodiversity of the Saba Bank, the world’s third largest submerged atoll. 

At the same time, other specialists were looking for crustaceans and were rewarded by finding about 100 different species of crabs and shrimp. The species were also sampled and all scientific equipment and specimens will be shipped back to the various institutes for further study.  

The scientists left Fort Bay on two boats to destinations about an hour away, due south of Saba. The Marine Park boat was used for shallow-water investigations on scuba gear and the “Jackie Jane,” owned and captained by Saba fisherman Nicky Johnson, was used for the deep-water investigations that used the ROV. This devise can go to depths of over 200 meters and was invaluable in finding the appropriate spots to look for the specific study objects. 

Paul Hoetjes, senior advisor to the Netherlands Antilles Department of Environment accompanied the scientists on this expedition and facilitated the procurement all necessary permits for them to travel internationally with the specimens. 

Hoetjes said that the new scientific information formed a crucial base to any requests that the Saba Bank be granted protected status by the International Maritime Organization.

Saba seahorses highlighted at Sea & Learn Lecture
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald  

SABA—Seahorse expert Sian Morgan enthralled a capacity Sea and Learn audience at the Brigadoon Friday night with her videos of seahorses mating and giving birth. 

What is unusual about this ritual is that the female deposits her eggs into a pouch that contains the male’s sperm. The male, who actually has placental fluid, continues the incubation and actually gives birth to the young. Moran said that the male could expel from 30 to 1,500 young, depending on the species. All babies, no matter from which species, are about the same size, so it is the larger seahorses who give birth to the large broods. The young resemble small adults, but a vast majority do not survive to reproductive age. Seahorses give the most advanced parental care of all fishes, and are monogamous, both socially and sexually. 

Morgan, who is just completing her doctorate work on the juvenile ecology and adult demography of seahorses, said that there are 34 species of seahorse, two of which have been seen on Saba. “Hippocampus” lives in a variety of habitats and can be as small as 2 cm with the largest species up to 35 cm. She showed pictures of how masterful the creatures disguise themselves to match their background to avoid predators. 

The main threat to seahorses is over fishing: man is in fact the major predators, since the seahorse is valued as medicine in certain parts of the world and dried, whole specimens are often used as decorations. Other threats include “blast” fishing and degradation of habitat. All species of seahorse are now listed as endangered o the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix II. 

Morgan said that only a few studies on seahorses have been done, so the scientific information gathered about them is crucial to help with sustainability and conservation of this unique animal. 

Morgan took Sea and Learn participants on several dives in the Saba Marine Park during which they enjoyed sightings of the slender or long nose seahorse. 

Sea and Learn came to an end for this season on Saturday evening at Tropics Cafe with a final program of recapitulation of the various speakers and an update on the Saba Bank biodiversity project.

Saba has world’s most complete online plant inventory
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Saba now has the most complete online plant inventory of any political entity in the world said Dr. Scott Mori, botanist with The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to a capacity audience at Wednesday’s Sea and Learn lecture at the Tropics Café. Mori and other scientists from the NYBG made two trips to Saba in the past year and created an online “Virtual Herbarium” that now has more than 1,000 plants found on the island. 

Mori used the example of the Saba National Flower, the Brown-Eyed Susan, to explain plant anatomy and the functions of various plant parts. He spoke about how plants are classified, whether by reproductive systems, by appearance, or by the new molecular analysis. “Science is not a simple as people like to think,” Mori pointed out. Technology has now superseded the knowledge of human beings. One benefit is that the work of the NYBG on Saba was quickly done with the computerized database available to the NYBG but have taken years to organize and present only a few years ago. 

Mori and his colleagues continue to add to the online Saba plant inventory (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/saba/index.html) with more extensive plant descriptions, other ways to search the database, additional pictures of the actual specimens, and more plant species. During his week on Saba for Sea and Learn, Mori and his wife, photographer Carol Gracie, have continued their fieldwork and have allowed Sea and Learn guests to accompany them. 

Mori shared his fieldwork with Saba’s Sea Scouts on Thursday afternoon when he took them up the Mt. Scenery staircase in Windwardside. Mori promised an ice-cream cone to anyone who found a flowering plant that he had not yet collected, and was soon shelling on dollar bills as the first scout pointed out a Carambola or star fruit. Another student won when she was able to use Mori’s pruning pole to take samples from a treetop. Mori showed the scouts what to look for when trying to identify plants and how to appreciate the natural environment they live in.

Saba sea fans under study 
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Marine biologist Peter Etnoyer enthralled a Sea and Learn audience on Monday evening with a deep-water video of sea fans, or gorgonians, seen from a depth of about 2,500 feet. This documentation was from a study done along a seamount chain in the Gulf of Alaska. Etnoyer is on Saba to carry out similar studies for the Saba Bank project. 

Etnoyer and a group of marine scientists will spend 10 days on the six-month project, which is sponsored by the Netherlands Antilles Department of the Environment and carried out under the auspices of the Saba Conservation Foundation.  

Etnoyer’s task is to survey the seabed to see what species and abundance of sea fans are located there. The team will use a remote controlled vehicle that can go to a depth of 200 meters to take photos and videos and to gather samples. Current studies have already increased the known diversity count from 10 to 26 gorgonian species.  

He will take samples back to Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi for further examination and analysis. Etnoyer said that sea fans produce age rings just like trees, but at every lunar cycle. Thus it is possible to determine their age as well as more precise information on annual climatic conditions that they have undergone. For example traces from the atomic bombs set off in Japan in 1945 have been registered on sea fan samples from Alaska. Since some species are thousands of years old, this data can help scientists in their studies regarding global warming and climate cycles.   

Etnoyer said that not much is known about the distribution and diversity of sea fans, but they provide important habitat and food for other species. Sea fans are threatened by anchor drag, fishing by-catch, and poaching for their use as precious jewellery. The scientific data will help determine if biodiversity is endangered enough to make zoning of the Saba Bank appropriate.

Parrots endangered in the Caribbean 
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Parrot expert Bertrand Baptiste told Sea and Learn participants Thursday evening at the Rain Forest Café that parrots are so endangered on Dominica that it is forbidden to import birds.

Dominica experienced a reduction in the parrot population since the fabulous birds are very desired in the pet market. Poachers can sell the rare, brightly coloured birds for as much as $20,000. Baptist said that Dominica has many education programs to raise awareness about this precious resource and its cultural relevance to the island. There are 19 parrot species in the Caribbean, with two of these on Dominica. 

The endangered Imperial Amazon Parrot or Sisserou is Dominica’s national bird and is found on many postage stamps, the island coat of arms, the flag, and the mace. The Sisserou has endangered status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is CITES Appendix I and II. There are only about 300 left on Dominica. The other famous Dominican parrot is the Jaco, which is also threatened, with a remaining population of approximately 2,500. 

The conservation program important since Dominica has parrots that can no longer be found on nearby St. Vincent and St. Lucia. Dominica has also tried to breed parrots in captivity, but so far egg production has been infertile. Baptiste said this might be because parrots need to choose their own mates since they mate for life. 

Parrots are not found on Saba, although there is a small population of escaped parakeets on the road to Well’s Bay. Baptiste said that this is because Saba does not have the extensive wooded areas that parrots need to nest successfully since their nests are often 150 feet apart. In addition, the Pearly-eyed thrasher, which is abundant on Saba, is a predator of bird nests. 

Baptiste spent time with school children earlier in the week and will lead a public bird hike on Saturday morning.

Saba orchids subject of lengthy study
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Orchid expert Stewart Chipka first came to Saba excited to do primary research on a Caribbean island that was lacking in comprehensive botanical information on its orchid population.  

It did not take long for Chipka to discover ten more species than noted in orchid literature about Saba, he told a Sea and Learn audience at Tropics Café Saturday evening. Chipka has since retired to Saba and has documented more than two dozen species. Chipka established the Saba Orchid Research Center in Windwardside, has delivered several academic papers to orchid societies and publications, and has participated in the Sea and Learn annual program for the last five years. 

Chipka focused on his Sea and Learn lecture on the Saba Ladies Lash orchid, Coilostylis ciliaris. Chipka traced the provenance of the orchids to wind-borne seed, which is as fine as dust, arriving from the St. Kitts Bank. About 90% of the Ladies Lash Orchids grow on rocks…either vertical cliff faces or on Saba’s many stonewalls. The orchids get their nutrients from neighbouring lichens and decaying plant materials in the rock crevices. 

Chipka said that the island has four distinct population forms of the same orchid, which has been determined by the different growing conditions on the island. The differences are found in colour, in size, in number of flowers and their angles, and the plant’s presentation to its pollinators. One of the main dangers to the orchid is man. Chipka said that he had put out about 2,000 new plants at one point, all with signs to protect them, but he found that at least one-half of them disappeared…along with the cautionary sign. 

Chipka has researched the Hawk moth that pollinates the orchid and found at least three different species. Pollination is affected by climate: too much rain can bring mould that restricts photosynthesis while drought gives a low bloom count. 

Can Bioluminescense Researh  Revolutionize the Future of Water Quality Testing?
A Week in the Life of a Sea & Learn Expert
by Lynn Costenaro

Dimitri Deheyn wasted little time on Saba.  As a Sea & Learn guest lecturer, he had an agenda.  His week started with a trip to Saba's dumpsite, accompanied by Susan Hurrell and 12 of her Sea Scouts. At the dump site, they laid a transect line and took an inventory of the components of the dump.  The transect area included abandoned appliances, batteries, construction material, vehicles, organic matter but an inordinate amount of drink receptacles both glass and plastic as well as cans, bottle caps, etc. The Sea Scouts assisted Dimitri in taking soil samples from various areas.  These samples will travel with Dimitri back to the USA where they will be analyzed at his laboratory for chemical content.

That evening, Deheyn delivered a compelling presentation to a packed audience at The Ecolodge.  Starting with the basics of bioluminescence, Dimitri described how different organisms emit bioluminescence, why the colors vary and what we can learn from these organisms.  Deheyn’s research has specifically focused on brittlestars which produce bioluminescence to startle predators or to lure them away from the main body of the brittlestar. Such brittlestars are able to brake off their arms and the lost piece will often produce light to attract interest of the predator, giving time to the remainder of the brittlestar to escape away and hide. Brittlestars then regenerate the lost arm.  Some sea anemones, as many other invertebrates, produce fluorescence when exposed to UV light; the reason behind remains a scientific curiosity. Hypotheses are that the fluorescence could serve as a visual signal for some animals, or could be used as a mechanism to absorb the UV light and avoid sunburn... the same way a sunscreen cream would work!  Bioluminescence is also being studied to understand if it could be used for some organisms as a signal of weakness or ill health following damages in the environment.

On Friday, October 11, over 30 people met at Lambee's Place in Windwardside for hands on learning about bioluminescence and fluorescence.  A cross section of participants from pre teen Girl Scouts, local school teachers, med students, tourists and residents met at The Tent for a pre-hike briefing.  Armed with both black and blue lights, they submerged in to the darkness and headed up the steps in Windwardside to the Ecolodge away from as much artificial light as possible.  With the combination of amber colored glasses and the special lights, they were able to see fluorescing colors and activity of spiders, crabs, frogs and even fungi. 

Dimitri spent the next few days scuba diving sites in the Saba Marine Park.  As Deheyn is specifically interested in geo thermal activity, local dive guides brought him to dive sites with obvious mineral deposits--the famed dijion- colored sand areas in Ladder Bay.  Deheyn was pleased to find a variance in water temperatures from 27C to 44C!  Water and sediment samples were taken and will be analyzed at the laboratories at Scripps.

In his search to find geothermal activity, Dimitri next joined local naturalist James "Crocodile" Johnson.  Together they hiked to the hot spring area found below the Sulpher Mine trail.  James had to dig only 30cm deep to discover the near boiling 86C water!  Not surprising, neither fish, corals nor even algae grow here--just clean rocks.  Yet, not far from the geo thermal vent, fish activity abounds.

An interested group joined Dimitri at The Brigadoon to understand the relative importance of his preliminary work on Saba and why others will find it intriguing.  Before leaving Saba, he will work with the children of the Sacred Heart School to provide a basic understanding of the bioluminescence and how it can be applied to scientific studies, and in particular marine pollution. 

Dr. Dimitri D. Deheyn is a researcher of marine biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California.  Dimitri awaits approval from the National Science Foundation for funding to study Saba's water quality at three different areas to compare the effects on marine life from natural trace elements (metals in our seawater emitted by volcanic activity) compared to anthropogenic, those created by man (runoff from dumpsites, oil pollutants, etc.).  It is hoped that this project can be conducted in cooperation with the Saba Marine Park.  The island of Saba is chosen as an ideal site for the research as it is rare to have such high geothermal activity in such shallow waters and in an area with a healthy marine environment. 

Saba school children participate in SCF 20^th anniversary
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

 SABA—Pupils at Sacred Heart Elementary School have submitted drawings to the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) to celebrate its 20^th anniversary. On hand for the judging contest were local artist Heleen Cornet and Commissioners Chris Johnson and Bruce Zagers 

The theme of the art contest is “What can we do to help preserve Saba above and below the Water.” All pupils were asked to submit themes and illustrations, and three winners will be chosen from each  the 3^rd to 6^th grade classes.  

The contest was organized by SCF Education Officer Sue Hurrell. All of the winners will receive snorkelling gear, donated by SCF and St. Maarten’s Water World. 

Hurrell said that the students’ efforts would be put on display during the gala celebration of the 20^th anniversary held yesterday, Sunday, evening at the Queen’s Garden Resort. Winners will be celebrated at a school assembly, and the artwork may then be viewed at various shops and businesses around the island.

Sharks ensure a healthy ecosystem
©Photo & story courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

 SABA—Shark expert Mathew Potenski stressed the importance of sharks for a healthy underwater ecosystem at his recent Sea and Learn lecture. 

Potenski said that shark research is crucially importan, because scientists still don’t know much about sharks although they have been around since before dinosaurs. It is clear that they are an apex predator, which means they are at the top of the food chain. He added that approximately 100 million sharks are slaughtered for their fins, which are considered an eating delicacy in some parts of the world. Potenski wants to focus conservation efforts in areas where sharks are at the greatest risk. A possible substitute for shark hunting is to build up an eco-tourism market, where the sharks are valued and viewed in their natural habitat and bring in the necessary revenues to the host countries. 

Potenski’s talk concentrated specifically on the whale shark, the largest fish in the world, which is the subject of his current academic work. The World Wild Life Fund sponsors his project off the coast of Tanzania, an area where whale sharks congregate.  

Potenski said that very little is actually known about the shark’s life--how long it lives, how it reproduces, etc. He said that scientists were surprised, for example, to find that tagged whale sharks, which feed on surface plankton, were diving to depths of over 800 meters. One current assumption is that the huge fish take advantage of deep underwater currents that they use as a type of conveyer belt in order to cover long distances. This highly migratory whale shark is found worldwide and scientists have found no DNA differentiation between individuals in its DNA sampling studies. 

Whale sharks have been spotted just off Saba, but it is not clear what brings them to the Lesser Antilles—another area worthy of study.

Sea and Learn presents Saba Bank Study
©Story and photo courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—An impressive video of anchor damage to the delicate underwater seabed of the Saba Bank provoked animated discussion at Wednesday evening’s 2007 Sea and Learn lecture. 

View this dramatic video of the damage caused to the reef after just 36-hours of a tanker on a calm day 

The situation of the huge underwater atoll, which is considered a biodiversity hotspot, concerned attendees who made suggestions about what could be done to prohibit tankers from anchoring on the Bank. Tanker anchors and anchor chains cause extensive damage to coral reefs that can take from decades to hundreds of years to recover.  

Saba Bank study scientists Wes Toller and Shelley Lundvall described the ongoing Saba Bank Study to a packed house at the Brigadoon Restaurant. They illustrated their presentation with still shots and video footage taken by a remote controlled vehicle, which can go to a depth of over 200 meters. 

Toller said that the study will be completed at the end of this year when funding by the government of the Netherlands Antilles and by USONA comes to an end. The study will have two major outputs. The first is a management plan that will address long-tem fisheries monitoring, the Red Hind spawning area, redfish management, enforcement of specific legislation, and the possibility of creating a Queen Conch reserve. The second output would use the information from the Management Plan to seek the creation of protected status for specific areas of the Bank or even the entire Bank. 

The Saba Bank study focuses on learning more about the actual habitats on the Bank to create base line information that will allow scientists to begin to monitor changes in the various underwater environments and gain information about their health. The researchers are also conducting port surveys to determine the heath and amount of fish and lobster that local fishermen bring in. The Saba Bank is a major contributor to the Saba economy and is considered of extreme value as a nursery for fish which are carried on currents to populate the entire Caribbean.

Video Magazine covers Sea & Learn
©Story and photo courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

 SABA—Parents and friends of Saba school children will soon be treated to a video magazine of educational topics, which will come directly to their home via Saba Cable Television. 

Innovations Bureau Task Manager Jet van Heijnsbergen said that professional videographers Adam and Sabine Watkins have been engaged to produce a series of five half-hour programs that will start October 8 and be concluded by the end of the year. The project is funded by USONA. 

Van Heijnsbergen said that the programs will be aired on Cable Channel 7 every Monday from 7:30-8:00pm, Wednesday from 7:00-7:30pm, and repeated at the same times every week until a new program is put on air. Edition two of the magazine is planned for November 5^th, edition three December 3^rd, and edition 4, the Christmas edition, is scheduled for December 26. A fifth program will document the October 29^th meeting during which the new Saba Educational Policy will be introduced and debated with community stakeholders. This will allow the community at large to participate in this important public discussion. 

The magazine format will allow for a variety of topics to be included such as workshops, PTA meetings, teacher training sessions, classroom situations, and general information. The first magazine, for example, will include information from the opening Sea and Learn lecture on former US Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Project, presented by Lise van Susteren. The lecture was held for elementary school children last Monday at the Innovations Bureau. 

Van Heijnsbergen said that the Innovations Bureau understands how difficult it is for working parents and those who are without transportation to get to school events and the television magazine should help them feel included. She reminded parents that they are welcome to attend the school’s Friday open house at St. John’s and should call ahead to let their child’s teacher know they are coming.

Saba Bank Project updates presented to Island Council
©Story and photo courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Paul Hoetjes, Senior Policy Advisor to the Netherlands Antilles Department of the Environment gave the Island Council an in depth PowerPoint presentation on the ongoing Saba Bank Project Friday afternoon at the Marine Park Office.

In very graphic detail, Hoetjes showed recent pictures of the seabed where just last week an anchored tanker had cut a trench at least three-four meters wide and over one meter deep. The team said that this impressive impact took place over 36 hours during a very calm period when the ship hardly moved at all. Disrupting the sandy bottom destroys foraging areas used by marine animals, and in rougher weather conditions, the anchor and its heavy chain can cause series damage to coral reefs.

In another illustration, Hoetjes compared a 2002 picture of a coral bed to a photo of the exact spot taken recently: the coral is completely dead and covered with algae. Hoetjes said that these types of information are necessary back up any request to the International Marine Organization (IMO) for parts of the Saba Bank to be set aside and protected as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). There is also discussion of declaring the area a Queen Conch Reserve. 

The USONA-funded study, which is at its mid point, is organized from the Saba Conservation Foundation by fisheries expert Wes Toller and study coordinator Shelley Lundvall. The aim of the study is to provide detailed information about the habitat, the fish population, and the health of the huge submerged atoll just off of Saba’s shores. In addition to investigating the Bank, studies are also made of the catches that arrive at Fort Bay harbour. 

The study is adding detail to the seabed profile provided by the scientific soundings done last year by the Dutch Navy Ship HNLMS Snellius. A newly acquired remote-controlled device, which relays instant views of the bottom back to a computer on board the Marine Park boat, allows the team to see exactly the kind of habitat and underwater population.  

Hoetjes said that when the project comes to an end in December, a detailed management report with recommendations would be issued to island government. Hoetjes said that it is already evident that if the bank is to be protected, legislation would need to be in place with an enforcement officer to assure compliance.

Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds supports Sea and Learn 
©Story and photo courtesy Suzanne Nielsen, St. Maarten Daily Herald

SABA—Lt. Governor Syndey Sorton presented a check for over NAf. 12,000 from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Netherland Antilles and Aruba (PBCNAA) to Lynn Costenaro, President of the Sea and Learn Foundation last Friday. 

Sorton, who represents the PBCNAA on Saba,  said that he had had the privilege to visit the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds in the Netherlands when her majesty Queen Beatrix was giving out awards to individuals. He said the Fonds’ objective is to promote culture, art, literature, history, nature, music, and science.  

Sea and Learn invites international natural scientists to Saba during the month of October to participate in public lectures and work with island school children in the classroom and on field trips. Many of these scientists are from internationally renowned museums, zoos, and scientific institutions and use their time on Saba to conduct research projects, which are then published. Sea and Learn has been sponsored by PBCNAA and other organizations since its beginning as a Foundation. 

Sorton asked that the Foundation do its utmost to inform the public of the various activities so that the community at large can take advantage of the opportunity to participate in the events.

Bush Book Now Available

SABA—“Folk Remedies on a Caribbean Island: the Story of Bush Medicine on Saba” by Suzanne Nielsen, with Field Plant Guide by Peter Schnabel.

 ISBN: 978-99904-0-759-0, soft cover, 7x9.5 inches, 123 pages, 180 color photos. 

In lively stories told by native islanders, this book explores the use of medicinal plants on Saba, Dutch West Indies. Electricity, automobiles, cable TV, and other modern technologies arrived within a single generation, and modern technologies and environmental pressures challenge local culture and nature management. The narrative section gives an overview of island geography, history, language, education, and modernization dilemmas.  

The book includes a Plant Field Guild of 85 species with description and medical notes. All were photographed in situ to enable the traveler to identify plants on Saba’s many hiking trails.

“Folk Remedies on a Caribbean Island, the Story of Bush Medicine on Saba” was published in Holland earlier this year and is now available on Saba for $30. 

The book can now be purchased on the Internet at eBay, with shipping possibilities within the USA ($4.60), to Canada ($9.00), and to Caribbean/Europe ($11.00.) The eBay sales price is $30, which includes all handling. Payment is via PayPal. 

The URL which takes you directly to the book on eBay is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120139618106.

The book can also be found by searching eBay on the item number, 120139618106 or by entering “Folk Remedies” in the search category.

Saba Bank Project Begins on Saba 

The “Saba Bank” is not a financial institution but actually the third largest atoll in the world.  The bank is located just 6 miles from the Caribbean island of Saba and covers an area of more than 850 square miles or 2,200 square kilometers. 

For centuries, islanders have depended on this prolific area for fishing for its high production of regionally important commercial species such as snapper, lobster and conch.  Equally as important, The Saba Bank is a source of fish and coral larvae, supporting the coral reefs of islands in the region.  Conservation International (“CI”) recognizes the Saba Bank as an environmental hot spot.  Last year’s preliminary research found new species of seaweed and even a new species of goby. 

As the atoll is as shallow as 50’ (16 meters), it has unfortunately also served as an anchorage area for fuel tankers that offload on a nearby island.  From July-December of 2007, CI, in cooperation with the Saba Conservation Foundation, is back on Saba doing a full 6-month study.  One goal of CI’s work is to protect this delicate area under international maritime law.  The Saba Bank Project is just one of the topics that will be covered at the annual Sea & Learn on Saba program throughout the month of October.  Project Manager, Ms. Shelley Lundvall, will conduct a presentation about the program during this year's event. 

Bug Research Wins School Contests and National Award

In October of 2006, Dr. David Bass of the University of Oklahoma returned to Saba as a Sea & Learn guest lecturer.  For this special trip, his wife Donna and his 16-year old daughter, Courtney, accompanied him. 

Courntey has exhibited a keen sense for science and nature since her early years when The Bass family lived on the island of Barbados where David finished his fellowship on fresh water invertebrates.   Now in high school, Courtney took advantage of the time on Saba to put together a research project of her own to augment a high school biology project. 

While hiking Saba's trails, Courtney collected samples from a total of 52 different Heliconia inflorescences from various areas of Saba.  Each sample requires about 20 hours to process so the work is still ongoing.  In the winter months, she completed 15 samples collected along the Mount Scenery Trail.  Her preliminary findings indicate an average of almost 450 individuals and as many as nine species may occur in a single Heliconia inflorescence.  Altogether, she has found 14 species in the Heliconia samples.

Courtney reported these results at the Oklahoma Junior Acade