Times of the Islands Summer 2019

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
Did you know . . . ?
Wheeland Pond information signs
• Whale “poop” primes the
food chain in all oceans?
• Humpback whales are increasing in numbers
throughout the North Atlantic?
• Whales that die and fall to the bottom of the
ocean create an entirely isolated mini ecosystem?
• Only male humpback whales sing, but we still do
not understand why?
• The Turks & Caicos Islands are a “highway” to
the rest of the Caribbean, and back to the northern
areas?
If you want to learn about these topics and more,
join the Citizen Scientists and the MCERC Senior
Scientists on our FaceBook page and let’s chat! a
of reading about this research project that includes the
people who know the country best. The membership to
the group is steadily growing.
Become a citizen scientist
With your help, the marine biologists at MCERC will continue
to build a better understanding of humpback whales
in the TCI, the Caribbean, and the North Atlantic. If you
have been lucky enough to go whale watching in the TCI,
we would love to include your data to the MCERC TCI
Humpback Whale Catalog. The FaceBook group has all
the information explaining how to submit your video and
still images and notes that even a seemingly poor photo
can provide important information. Cathy Bacon and the
rest of the science team can answer your questions.
In fact, the more questions you post in the group,
the more people will learn about TCI humpback whales,
dolphins, turtles, and all topics related to marine biology.
Summer is here and the humpback whales have traveled
north to feed. You can become a citizen scientist while
you organize all those photos you captured this winter.
Join the FaceBook group and submit your video and photos
from any year in the TCI and let’s discover if your
photos match a humpback whale observed in the North
Atlantic! a
DECR officials and members of the Clement Howell High School’s
Tourism Club stand by the new signs at Wheeland Pond.
The Department of Environment & Coastal Resources
(DECR) collaborated with the Clement Howell High
School’s Tourism Club to install information signs at
Wheeland Pond in Wheeland, Providenciales.
The signs, one describing the mangrove ecosystem
and the other encouraging the community to
keep the ponds clean, were installed by the Tourism
Club after the students banded together to create
awareness about the importance of the wetland ecosystem
following the annual World Wetlands Day
clean-up, hosted by the DECR, earlier this year.
DECR Environmental Outreach Coordinator Amy
Avenant said, “We are encouraged to see young people
concerned about the state of our environment
and motivated enough to educate others about it
too!” TCI Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage
and Culture Hon. Ralph Higgs added, “I am pleased
to see the collaborative effort between the DECR
and Clement Howell High. This is a worthy initiative
and one that we would like to see happen in schools
across the Turks & Caicos through club memberships
and other means.”
The DECR and Clement Howell High’s Tourism
Club would like to thank Ms. Tanya Parnell, Mr.
Trevor Lewis of Graceway IGA and the Turks & Caicos
Tourist Board for their support of this initiative. The
DECR would also like to acknowledge the initiative
taken by the students and thanks them for giving
back to their local community and environment. a
Times of the Islands Summer 2019 35