Old and new, heritage comes in layers. Is it conflict or coexistence, vandalism or expression? It’s probably too simplistic to even ask the question in a way that implies only one answer is right. In Grand Case, old and new are side by side and stacked upon each other.
(Submission by contest organizer for display only.)
The Market Place in Marigot is always full of colors and sounds, also full of People looking for fresh fish, vegetables, fruits and also clothing and spices. I remember a time where vendors were on the ground, with just a tablecloth as a “table”. I miss those times too.
In Grand Case, the sun only sets over the water in the summer. It’s a time of year I love because the town gets so quiet. Hosting tourists from around the world makes Grand Case vibrant and interesting, but there’s also something special about the off-season when everyone gets the chance to take a deep breath and relax.
(Submission by contest organizer for display only.)
Continuing our look at regionally-endemic birds of the island, the Bird Watch SXM column in today’s Weekender features the Green-throated Carib, one of our hummingbirds.
The Tuesday night Mardis de Grand Case street fairs capture the essence of Grand Case. Equally full of locals and tourists, these fairs showcase a town that managed to open itself to the world while retaining its essential character. This couldn’t happen anywhere but the narrow Boulevard de Grand Case, still lined with traditional architecture and alive with local color.
Work continues on the Statian wildlife book, with a productive visit in late-March further documenting local wildlife. Here, in the 10th Wild Statia column, we look at the island’s regional endemics.
(Pour la traduction française, cliquez sur “Read more…” et faire défiler vers le bas.)
CONTEST EXTENSION: PHOTOS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL JUNE 30TH
The Heritage Photo Contest and Exhibition is an opportunity to showcase St. Martin/St. Maarten’s unique natural, cultural and historic heritage. The theme of this year’s contest and exhibition is Neighborhoods. We invite photographers to take a closer look at the smaller communities that make up St. Martin/St. Maarten to highlight the extraordinary heritage of this island.
Entries for this year’s theme will include a photo, the name of the neighborhood represented and a statement by the photographer explaining the how the photo represents the natural, cultural and/or historic heritage of that neighborhood. Entries must be submitted from May 1st to June 15th, although they can be taken at any time. The photos and statement must be the work of the entrant. Qualifying entries will be displayed online in the Heritage Gallery, and an exhibition will be held in summer 2015 featuring selected entries. There will be awards for the winning entries in three categories: Adult, Under 18 and People’s Choice. Prizes will be announced during the entry period.
This contest and exhibition initiative is created and managed by the Les Fruits de Mer Association.
Is there a better time to keep an eye on endemics than the month Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival? In this week’s Bird Watch SXM column we take a look at a sweet-singing Caribbean endemic, the Caribbean Elaenia. Also, don’t forget to download the Eye on Endemics ebook.
Once again we were blessed with fantastic support from local and regional media for the Endemic Animal Festival. We had exceptional coverage which helped bring record crowds to the event. Below are some press clippings and links to online coverage of the event.
Le Pélican, April 2015
The Daily Herald, April 2015
St. Martin’s Week, April 2015
St. Martin’s Week, April 2015
SXM Fax Info, April 2015
Le Pélican, April 2015
Today Newspaper, April 2015
The Daily Herald, April 2015
Le Pélican, April 2015
St. Martin’s Week, April 2015
The Daily Herald, April 2015
Today Newspaper, April 2015
Anguilla News— Eye on Endemics eBook
SXM Info— Eye on Endemics eBook
Soualiga Newsday— Eye on Endemics eBook
721 News— Eye on Endemics eBook
SXM Island Time— Eye on Endemics eBook
SXM Info— Celebrate Wildlife
Soualiga Newsday— Celebrate Wildlife
SXM Island Time— Celebrate Wildlife
721 News— Celebrate Wildlife
Le Pélican— Celebrate Wildlife
Soualiga Newsday— Habitat Restoration
721 News— Habitat Restoration
SXM Info— Habitat Restoration
St. Martin News Network— Habitat Restoration
SXM Island Time— Record Crowds
Soualiga Newsday— Record Crowds
Anguilla News— Record Crowds
Carib Direct— Record Crowds
SXM Island Time— Record Crowds
Pearl FM Radio – Record Crowds
St. Martin News Network – Record Crowds
The Endemic Animal Festival was a huge success this year and we will be sharing more about the event in the coming days as we recover and unpack, but first some wonderful images from Marc Petrelluzzi. Also, a huge thank you to all the volunteers, the event couldn’t have happened without you, and it wouldn’t have been amazing if you weren’t amazing!
Endemic Animal Festival 2015 Photos:
“Restore Habitats, Restore Birds” is the theme for this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). At dozens of events throughout the region, participants of all ages will learn how restoring local habitats can benefit the unique birds found only in the Caribbean. Events on many islands will include habitat restoration activities like clean ups and distribution of native tree seedlings for planting.
The festival, now in its 14th year, is led by BirdsCaribbean, the largest organization devoted to wildlife conservation in the Caribbean. The month-long festival includes Caribbean-wide activities beginning today – Earth Day (April 22), through to International Biodiversity Day (May 22), in more than twenty countries. The event celebrates the 150 bird species that are found only in the Caribbean, known as endemics. The highly successful program attracts over 80,000 participants and volunteers each year.
CEBF on St. Martin kicks off with the Endemic Animal Festival on Saturday, April 25th from 9am to noon. This festival was created by the association Les Fruits de Mer to celebrate all of St. Martin’s endemic animals, from birds and lizards to insects and spiders. The free event will take place at the Discovery Farm and Garden at Seaside Nature Park in Cay Bay. At the event, Les Fruits de Mer will launch Club Gaïac, a habitat and heritage restoration project centered around one of the most iconic native trees in the Caribbean.
“Over the last several hundred years, natural habitats in the Caribbean have been degraded and destroyed in every way imaginable,” explained Leo Douglas, President of BirdsCaribbean. “Many unique Caribbean birds are now extinct, and many others are threatened. Restoring habitat helps endemic birds and also restores the natural heritage of Caribbean people.”
Habitat restoration is a boon to birds, but benefits abound for people, too. Mangrove wetlands, for example, prevent erosion, serve as nurseries for fish, and reduce the impact of major storms on our coastlines. Restored habitats and their restored bird populations may also open the door to a growing industry: birdwatching tourism.
“Birding and wildlife tourism is a huge market that is just starting to make a real impact in the Caribbean,” commented Lisa Sorenson, who is leading BirdsCaribbean’s regional bird tourism project called the Caribbean Birding Trail. The United States Fish & Wildlife Service estimated that birding travel spending was US$15 billion for 2011 in the United States alone, over half of which was spent on food and lodging. “Our endemic birds are a unique asset because they can’t be seen anywhere else. Restoring their habitat can bring revenue and jobs to the region, while also protecting nature.”
The goal of the month-long Festival is to increase public awareness of the region’s exceptionally rich and threatened bird life, using the Caribbean’s celebrated endemic birds as flagships of conservation. Festival activities include a diverse array of public events. In addition to the annual Endemic Animal Festival on April 25th, this year a “Mystery Birding Tour” is being organized for May 16th by birding guide Binkie Van Es with help from Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean and Les Fruits de Mer. The free tour will include presentations about local birds and guided bird watching at multiple sites on the island. Sign-ups for the tour will be available at University of St. Martin and on Facebook. To find out more about the Endemic Animal Festival, visit https://www.lesfruitsdemer.com/events/endemic-animal-festival/.
Here are Les Fruits de Mer we are excited about the upcoming launch of Club Gaïac, a multifaceted heritage tree project. The project is centered on the Gaïac tree, also known as Lignum Vitae or Tree of Life. It is a magnificent native tree that is endangered because it was overharvested for its wood—the hardest in the world. The project includes an interactive map of local Gaïac trees (please help us add any that you know about), a crowdsourced experiment to develop and document the most effective growing practices, a repository of information about the biology, heritage and local use of the tree, and ongoing plantings of the tree to restore habit on St. Martin.
Come to the Endemic Animal Festival on Saturday from 9am-noon to participate and take home a seedling.
Learn more at the project page for Club Gaïac!
At Club Gaïac, we’ve been busy preparing seedlings for our launch at the 2015 Endemic Animal Festival. As we do so, we’re learning a thing or two about getting seedlings started. (You can also take a look at our previous post, Experimenting with the Tree of Life to see how we learned some of these things.)
You can typically find seeds beneath any tree that is producing seeds. So far, we’ve found that most seeds will germinate, whether obviously fresh and covered in their bright red coating or seemingly old and weathered. Seeds that have obviously been eaten or crushed are the only ones I wouldn’t bother to use.
If any seeds are still attached to the orange fruit, take them out. I have found that soaking seeds for a day or so in water will make it easy to remove any fleshy coating, and this process may also help the seeds absorb water to promote germination.
In a small glass jar with water, the seed coating will ferment, giving off a funky odor, and shaking the jar will help remove the coating from the seeds. You can rinse with water until it is all gone.
The cleaned seeds will be free of fleshy material that is prone to molding.
In order to promote germination, use a pocketknife or other implement (carefully!!!) to expose the radicle, which is the beginning of the root. It is at the rounder end of the seed.
Early on, we did some germination in damp paper towels, which did promote germination, but also resulted in mold and rotting of the radicle. Here are examples of a few problems we had.
Currently we have a number of trays of sprouted seedlings in moist vermiculite. Our trays have ample drainage, so excess water is not retained. We are keeping the vermiculite moist so the seedlings don’t dry out. Next Saturday we will be transplanting these seeds into individual starter pots containing different soil mixtures, so we will have an update soon on how this part of the process is working! We also have a handful of wild-germinated seedlings transplanted from beneath trees that are currently potted in different soils to see how they do and what percentage survive the transplantation.
Things are looking good for the upcoming Endemic Animal Festival! On Saturday we got together with a few of the volunteers to work out some of the planning and activities and enjoy the beautiful coastal scrub at Seaside Nature Park. Our “preview event” with volunteers is a fun tradition that helps us make sure we’re organized for the actual event and also gives volunteers a chance to experience some of the activities, because they are often too busy to do so at the event. Without our amazing volunteers, none of what we do would be possible!
We’ll be releasing more info soon about the activities at this year’s festival, including a great new project related to the “Restore Habitats, Restore Birds” theme of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, which includes dozens of events in the region, including ours. For now, enjoy some photos from Saturday and don’t forget to share the event info and invite friends on Facebook.
We’re getting ready for the Endemic Animal Festival by releasing a free eBook about some of our regionally-endemic birds: Eye on Endemics. You can download the PDF from the Resources page on our site. Be sure to mark your calendars for the festival itself, which is coming up on Saturday, April 25th!
All of the EAF 2015 details are available here.
The Lignum Vitae, also known as Gaïac, is a beautiful tree native to the Caribbean that is now endangered due to overharvesting, primarily for its extremely hard wood. This slow-growing tree has beautiful blue flowers and intricately-packed branches in its wide crown. It is sometimes described as a small tree, but this may be primarily because so few old, large trees are left.
In order to promote this wonderful heritage tree, I have been experimenting in order to develop best practices for germinating seeds, growing seedlings and transplanting them into permanent locations. Here are some images and notes about the germination process.
Small, orange fruits contain two seeds each. The seeds themselves are covered in a red, fleshy coating called a sarcotesta.
I started by separating seeds by the presumed age, based on how much of the sarcotesta remained.
I attempted germination by keeping them in damp paper towels.
After a week or so, the seeds retaining a sarcotesta began to mold and none germinated, even after several weeks.
Seeds without a sarcotesta (because it had worn off before I collected them, or because I had removed it) did not mold, but they didn’t germinate, either.
It turns out, the key is to remove the black casing around the seed. This time-consuming, but not too difficult to do with a pocketknife. To make the process easier, it seems that exposing the radicle, the embryonic first root, is all that is necessary, so one can scrape off just the casing around the rounder end.
Prepared this way, the seeds germinate surprisingly quickly, usually in just a couple days. So far, the best process I have found is to soak the seeds in water for a day or so: this helps remove any fleshy sarcotesta so the seeds won’t mold. It may also help kickstart the germination process. Once the seeds are clean, I scrape the round end to expose the radicle and leave them in moist paper towels in a warm room. So far, the majority of seeds prepared this way seem to be germinating.
(I got some very useful info from this 1966 article: Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Guaiacum sanctum)
This morning we went on a nature walk to see the birds and other animals that live on the island. We were able to see many species that are endemic to the region or have a regional sub-species, like the Zenaida Dove, Carib Grackle, Black-faced Grassquit and Caribbean Elaenia. It was also just a lot of fun to take a walk and see how the local critters are doing in the scrub and around a couple ponds. Thanks to everyone who came!
In the Caribbean, seasons don’t really run hot and cold, but they do go between wet and dry. What’s a bird to do during the dry season? Find out in this week’s Bird Watch SXM column, out today in The Daily Herald’s Weekender section.
After Hurricane Gonzalo delayed what would have been a fall workshop, we had the pleasure of doing a workshop with students from French Quarter during their spring break instead. This year, the activities included creating a portable pond to study the freshwater animals—insects, fish and shrimp—that live on St. Martin, and decorating bird feeders made from local calabash while learning about the different foods eaten by different birds.
Our workshops are part of a larger program of activities offered to select students by the Foyer socio-educatif du collège de Quartier d’Orléans.
Here are a few photos:
Here’s the latest Wild Statia column, taking a closer look at the insects eating Coralita, an invasive vine that has come to cover a significant portion of the island.
A banner day for Les Fruits de Mer was mired in controversy when naysayers claimed the association’s newly redesigned logo appeared to share similarities with the French flag. The special launch promotion, featuring the new logo on flags throughout the island, was hailed with enthusiasm by most, but besmirched by accusations from a vocal minority.
“After working on this unique new design for months, it is shocking that some people would focus on any superficial ‘similarities’ between the strikingly different designs,” complained designer Stephen Winkel, “It really makes you wonder about their motivation.”
Les Fruits de Mer stand by their groundbreaking logo redesign with pride. “We’re ready to compare our new logo and the flag of France side by side in front of Parliament if that’s what it takes,” declared association President Jennifer Yerkes. “If anyone truly feels the flag of France is too similar to our logo, perhaps it is time to change the flag of France.”
For now, the new logo and the flag promotion continue to fly. Local businesses and individuals continue to feature the new Les Fruits de Mer logo atop their flagpoles with pride. French Président François Hollande declined to comment on the controversy, but has appeared in photographs with a flag featuring the association’s new logo.
Creating a brand new logo for a globally-recognized brand is no small undertaking. Team Les Fruits de Mer knew this from the start and committed to spending months in search of an original design that would be both instantly recognizable and inextricably linked to their mission and their attitude.
The process took months of long days and late nights. The team developed countless original designs—many of which were worthy in their own right—before finally developing the perfect visual metaphor for the association.
In this rare, behind-the-scenes photo essay we see the collaborative efforts of the team, and a bit of the heat that was used to forge this unique design. Photographer and association member Olivia Roudon was given unprecedented access to the team and their work space, and the amazing chance to capture the difficult birth of this astounding new logo.
Three new colors are brightening skies—and flagpoles—all over the island for the launch of the new logo of the Les Fruits de Mer association. The updated icon is being celebrated with an exciting large-scale publicity campaign: flags showcasing the redesigned logo are flying all over St. Martin and even around the world.
The non-profit association Les Fruits de Mer, dedicated to wildlife and heritage education, spent the last few months developing the new look. Countless creative designs were considered before the team decided on the new logo, chosen for its visual appeal, originality and symbolic meaning. The logo features a unique “trilogy” of equal-sized color blocks: red representing the red hat worn by Commandant Jacques-Yves Cousteau, white symbolizing the blank page upon which the future is written, and blue for the boundless depths of the sea, the cradle of all life.
“Creating the final design, I felt an electricity coursing through me,” explained designer Stephen Winkel. “The logo was so unique, but also so simple, as if a mystical force had revealed to me a design that had existed since the dawn of time, waiting to be discovered.”
Rather than simply unveil the new logo online, the association decided to promote the launch with flags featuring the novel design. “We felt the flag concept was a great way to introduce the new logo, but we had no idea how popular it would be,” said association President Jenn Yerkes. “It seems like overnight the Les Fruits de Mer flag is everywhere, from businesses and schools to public buildings. You really can’t miss it!”
With the success of the new logo, Les Fruits de Mer is considering updating other aspects of the association. According to co-founder Mark Yokoyama, “We may rework the official motto of the association to focus more on our core values of freedom, equal rights and the spirit of brotherhood.”
Traditional Ecological Knowledge is a term used to describe information about nature that comes from local populations. It is typically different from scientific research in many ways, but also complementary to it. Should TEK be an important part of how we understand and document birds on St. Martin?
What happens inside a bird brain? Perhaps more than we would guess. Does it matter? In many ways, yes.
Les Fruits de Mer had a great season with our booth at the Mardis de Grand Case street fair. We presented on seven different topics this year, connecting with locals and visitors of all ages. Here are links to all the presentations we gave:
What’s up with all these butterflies? iCloud – PDF with notes
Wild Statia! iCloud – PDF with notes
Exploring St. Martin’s Wetlands (World Wetlands Day) iCloud – PDF with notes
Amazing Anoles! iCloud – PDF with notes
Iguana Tales iCloud – PDF with notes
Crazy Critters! iCloud – PDF with notes
Our Endemic Animals iCloud – PDF with notes
Big thanks to everyone who came by to learn a little bit about island wildlife and we look forward to next year!
Last week was the final Tuesday street fair of the season for Mardis de Grand Case, and Les Fruits de Mer wrapped up the season with a presentation about Our Endemic Animals. You can get it from iCloud or download a PDF with presenter’s notes. It was another great year for us and we look forward to next year!
For our second to last presentation during the Mardis de Grand Case this year, we take a look at some of the islands smaller residents—mostly insects—with Crazy Critters! You can view the presentation in iCloud or download a PDF with presenter’s notes.
On Tuesday we were presenting about iguanas at Mardi de Grand Case, both the Green Iguana that has colonized the island so extensively in the last 20 years and the Lesser Antillean Iguana that was lost so many years ago. If you missed, it, you can check out the presentation in iCloud and download a PDF with presenter’s notes.
Last week at Mardi de Grand Case we presented about the amazing anoles of St. Martin. These lizards are some of our most distinctive residents, including one species that is found nowhere else in the world. If you missed it, you can view the presentation in iCloud and download a PDF with presenter’s notes.
Here’s the new Bird Watch SXM about the travels of the Eurasian Collared Dove.
Les Fruits de Mer participated in a couple very nice events so far this week. On Sunday, we were at the opening of the Discovery Farm and Garden where we had free nature journals for kids to decorate and then take home so they could draw and document their nature sightings.
We also has a wetland-themed presentation at the Mardis de Grand Case street fair this week: Exploring St. Martin’s Wetlands. Lots of people stopped by to learn about local wetlands, why they are important to people and wildlife and three great places to visit and enjoy wetlands on the island. If you missed it, the presentation is on iCloud here and a PDF with presenters notes can be downloaded.
Learn about the Red-billed Tropicbird and the important nesting colony on Statia in this week’s Wild Statia article.
At our booth at Mardis de Grand Case this week we did a short presentation about the wildlife of Statia and our work researching and writing a book about it. If you missed the presentation, it is shared here on iCloud and you can download it with presenters notes in a PDF here.
Don’t forget to visit Statia Wildlife to learn more about Statia’s wildlife and the book project.
Bird Watch SXM is back in The Daily Herald’s Weekender today. It will alternate with Wild Statia. This week, we take a look at one of the minor miracles that happen all over the island when birds transform the spaces we neglect.
Les Fruits de Mer kicked off the Mardis de Grand Case season with a presentation about the explosion of butterflies we are experiencing right now. If you didn’t make it to our booth, you can check out the presentation here*. We also have a few photos of the booth, which is looking awesome this year. Seven weeks to go, so we’d better see you there one of these Tuesdays!
* Maybe. iCloud is in beta. Right now, I can see the presentation, but I don’t know how to show the slide notes, which is where the text is.
Find out what strange things we found on the beach in Statia!
Enjoy this great video footage of the 2014 Migratory Bird Festival from Mikael Bastide of Guadeloupe 1ère!
The weather in the Caribbean may seem like summer year-round, but the tropical heat doesn’t mean there are no seasons. Like most tropical areas, rainfall is a primary differentiator for Caribbean seasons, and rainfall drives changes in vegetation as well as wildlife populations. While many animals can, and do, breed year-round in this area, reproductive rates can increase dramatically when rainy weather boosts the amount of food available. Clouds of butterflies in the winter are a noticeable example, but many other species are going through a population boom more quietly right now.
The new column Wild Statia launched in The Daily Herald’s Weekender section this morning. It will document the wildlife of Statia, the island itself, and the process of making a book about the island’s wildlife. Being on Statia is amazing, hopefully reading about it will be at least a bit interesting!
