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 .

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.

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 →

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.

With hundreds of ripe red fruits decorating the jujube trees and the orchard floor below, the Permaculture team has embarked on a mission to produce a year’s supply of jujube jam for The Island School kitchen. Making the jam in such large quantities involves a daylong invasion of the kitchen, which Tiff, Mooch, Sheryl and Rebecca just love! They do seem amused by the vast quantities of jujubes we haul in throughout the week, and offer helpful tips to perfect our jam-making skills.

So as we are sure is the case with most of you, you likely have jujubes lying around your house that you just don’t have a clue what to do with. Well, worry no more! Here you can find a recipe with pictures breaking down just how to make your very own jujube jam, also known as Jujube Butter. With the autumnal flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, the jam closely resembles apple butter and acts as a wonderful addition to breakfast in the morning. Continue reading →

Since the beginning of the year, the Educational Programs team at Cape Eleuthera Institute has had the pleasure of hosting several fantastic college groups, including Carlton University, Williams College and Monmoth University. They focused  on various research areas including marine surveys, flats ecology and farming practices on Eleuthera.

We have also had three high school groups visit.

The Maine School of Science and Mathematics from chilly northern Maine had a two week stay, focused intensely on lionfish and lemon shark research, with some forays into marine ecology, the mangroves and filleting and cooking delicious tilapia. The students and chaperones had a blast, and got to brush up on their research, analysis and presentation skills.  We eventually managed to exhaust the group with a celebratory trip to Lighthouse beach on the last day of their visit, after two weeks of intense physical and mental activity. Continue reading →

By: Marie Tarnowski

The aquaculture team at CEI has been trying to successfully breed sharknose gobies for over a year.  On January 31st, we had our first clutch of eggs hatch!  After adjusting their diet the broodstock pair have begun to spawn every 2 weeks.  After the eggs are laid on the inside of a piece of PVC tubing, the male sharknose goby protects the nest for about a week.  The eggs then hatch and are larvae for 45 days.  Each clutch of eggs contains around 200 eggs and we hope to successfully rear 30 per clutch. Continue reading →

With six new kids in the goat pen, ducklings on their way, and new seeds planted in the shade house, the CEI farm has been bustling with activity since the start of the New Year. On Sunday, January 9^th Sunday and Eli were born (see picture below), followed a week later by Bonnie and Flapjack. This past Monday, January 17^th Sonny became a mother as well, welcoming Moon and Shadow into the CEI goat family. With the increase in herd size from four to ten in a matter of eight days, there has been a lot of hype about the goats at the farm. They are now happily nursing and even the youngest and smallest of the kids has begun nibbling on the green leafy stuff their mothers prefer. How fast they grow!

The female ducks are sending a steady supply of eggs to the kitchen, and two are expecting ducklings in the coming weeks. Having scavenged through theshade house gardens, the male ducks are now contained in a pen of their own to protect future string bean plants. With the help of students from visiting programs, two new vertical gardens have been installed and are now lined with lettuce, grown in preparation for the upcoming Island School spring semester.

Papaya, passion fruit and noni fruits are all ripening in the orchard, and the jujubes are dropping from their tree’s thorny branches at an astonishing rate. Daily harvests last week yielded over 15 gallons of these little red fruits, which were then turned into a delicious Juju jam- a wonderful addition to breakfast each morning. Plans are now in the works to make a Jujube pie…

As we roll out of January and into February, new crops will be planted and old ones transplanted to refurbish and redesign the farm. Within a few weeks we should expect to see tomato, sorrel greens, basil, stevia, romaine lettuce, marigolds, dill and more all happily planted and growing strong.