Local Bonefish Guide Supports CEI Shark Research and Flats Ecology Programs

Sharpnose shark in tonic immobility

Early in the morning on Monday February 22nd the shark team in collaboration with the flats program packed up a van full of gear for a days worth of research and traveled North to Savannah Sound. Program managers and interns set creek modified survey lines in the sound, for the first time as a part of an ongoing lemon shark study conducted by the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the Cape Eleuthera Institute. This study has been underway for just over a year and focuses primarily on the abundance and distribution of juvenile lemon sharks in tidal creeks around South Eleuthera. In effort to expand the scope of the study, the team is venturing to new areas, like Savannah Sound. Continue reading

Snorkeling with REEF!

On Sunday, we had the opportunity to train new REEF.org surveyors! REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) is a marine conservation organization which motivates SCUBA divers and snorkelers to record the marine life they see while in the water. That’s just what we did! After a fish ID review on land, we visited patch reef sites and practiced our identification skills in the field. After we were sure we surveyed the entire site, we came back to Island School and entered our data  on REEF’s website. The information we submit goes into a public database for anyone to view; from scientists and law makers to SCUBA divers and beachcombers, our observations impact their decisions about the marine environment!

REEF surveys can be conducted anywhere, and with a little training, by anyone. If you are interested in joining the volunteer survey program, or learning about REEF log onto www.reef.org .

Reef Cleanup

Our first ever Lionfish Reef Cleanup was quite a success resulting in over 40 lionfish captured. Prizes went out to the team with the most caught, the largest caught, and the smallest caught. Team “Harlequin Leather” won the most caught award with a total of 20 lionfish. The largest caught award went to both Matthew Koehorst and Avery Goelz with a team effort that resulted in a 40 cm lionfish. Finally, the smallest caught award went to sharp shooter Sam Kenworthy who brought up a 12 cm lionfish.

The Island School Parents Network

We recently received a suggestion from a parent of an alum to create a way for alumni parents and parents of current and prospective students to be able to share information and advice.  What a great idea!

So we’ve created The Island School Parents Network page on Facebook.  If you are a parent of an Island School alum or a current student, use this page to collaborate and share advice.  Go ahead and log on to Facebook and like this page…and while you’re on there; you should friend Cacique Maxey too!

Lionfish Cook-off

With the 15 pounds of fillets that were a result of the first ever Lionfish Reef Cleanup, the Lionfish Team hosted a Lionfish Cook-off at the DCMS 10 Year Anniversary Celebration. With three different dishes cooked up by local chefs we exposed many new people to the deliciously sweet meat of lionfish. Continue reading

The Miracle of Goby Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxsgSN3nakU

The aquaculture team isolated this egg from our third brood of the month from the same pair of sharknose gobies.  The two black lumps are the eyes, and the dark spot is the yolk sac.  With a little agitation, we watched a goby hatch under a microscope in the CEI lab for the first time.

Shark research

In the new year of 2011 the Shark Research and Conservation program at the Cape Eleuthera Institute has observed changes in juvenile lemon shark capture rates during tidal creek sampling surveys.  Since the month of November, there has been a marked decrease in the number of sharks caught in creeks around South Eleuthera. We hypothesize that due to cooler water temperatures during the winter months, the shark’s metabolic rates have decreased requiring them to feed less frequently and therefore, take the bait on our survey line less.  The lemon sharks may also be using a smaller amount of habitat and traveling in and out of creek mouths less, where survey lines are set, in effort to conserve energy. This additionally would cause them to be less prone to come into contact with the baited survey line, and be caught. Continue reading

Bahamas Waste Makes Promise to BESS Program and DCMS

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In 2002, Island School students pioneered a program for their research project creating biodiesel out of waste cooking oil.  Since then, our on campus plant has grown to not only feed our campus vehicles with biodiesel, but has become a model for The Bahamas.  On Monday, Bahamas Waste opened up its own biodiesel facility, which will convert up to one million gallon of waste cooking oil to biodiesel each year.  Geoff Walton, Jack Kenworthy, and Graham Siener of Cape Systems, a for-profit subsidiary of the Cape Eleuthera Island School, served as consultants during the planning and implementation of the plant.  At the ribbon cutting ceremony Peter Andrews, chairman of Bahamas Waste, handed over a check for $0.25 to Chris Maxey, Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholar Garneisha Pinder and Deep Creek Middle School student Moesha Leary.  This check serves as a promise that for every gallon of biodiesel produced, Bahamas Waste will donate 25 cents toward the BESS program and scholarships at DCMS.

Congratulations and THANK YOU to Bahamas Waste!

Geoffrey Canada Visits The Bahamas

CEF board member Stephen Holowesko and CEI’s Kalin Griffin meet Geoffrey Canada at a US embassy event in Nassau

This past weekend Kalin Griffin, Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Human Resources Manager, and Cape Eleuthera Foundation board member Stephen Holowesko had the pleasure of greeting education reformer Geoffrey Canada at a US Embassy event in Nassau.  Canada, who has been recognized by President Obama for his work in education reform, met with Bahamian leaders to shared insights from his work on closing the achievement gap in Harlem, New York through his organization Harlem Children’s Zone.   The Island School and CEI have a strong relationship with Harlem Children Zone’s Promise Academy; for the past several summers, students from HCZ Promise Academy have visited our campus for educational programming.  We are looking forward to continuing this relationship and hope that Mr. Canada will be able to make it to Cape Eleuthera to visit soon.

To read more about Geoffrey Canada’s visit to Nassau, you can find the US Embassy’s press release here.