After a very quiet start to the nesting season, we are excited to report the first signs of sea turtle activity on Dawn Beach.

🐢 Based on the tracks observed, the turtle was likely a hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) — a critically endangered species known to nest in the area. Even more encouraging, the discovery was made by one of our dedicated volunteers during a routine patrol.

❌ Unfortunately, the sea turtle tracks were erased shortly after being found by maintenance personnel. Despite our volunteer’s clear objection, the sargassum cleaning crew cleared the area with heavy machinery before our team could conduct a detailed analysis.

⚠️ There were no visible signs of nesting, so the incident remains minor. However, this could have ended much more tragically, as sea turtle eggs can easily be smashed beneath the weight of heavy machinery. We are actively working to ensure better communication and coordination to prevent such occurrences in the future.

🙏 We would like to warmly thank all of our volunteers for their motivation and commitment. Thanks to their regular patrols, we are able to monitor the beach more frequently throughout the week, greatly reducing the risk of missing important nesting events like this one.

And as always, we extend our sincere thanks to our generous donors, including Elizabeth Scarlett (@elizabethscarlett) and the Blue Marine Foundation (@bluemarinefoundation), whose support allows us to continue our efforts to protect this species.

Today, we are beginning our Mangrove Memoir series! Local experts and community members will shed light on the history of mangroves in Saint Martin and the important roles they play in community health and everyday life.

⚒️ Our first interview is with Jay Haviser, director of the St. Maarten Archaeological Center. He discusses how ancient, historic physical evidence shows that the earliest humans on the island of Saint Martin -- hunters and gatherers -- relied on our extensive mangrove forests for food and structure. Many, but not all, of these mangrove forests have now been lost to time, human development, and natural disasters.

🦀 “Mangroves are like a smorgasbord of food -- you get fish, you get crabs, you get water, you get birds, you get all kinds of food, concentrated all in this one little spot. So, for a hunter-gatherer, that was the [best] spot to be... [We believe that] hunter gatherer groups would exploit an area of mangrove for a while, and then move to another, and then to another, and then move to another one, and then come back. So [the mangroves] could rejuvenate, so there was a very conscious environmental synchronization of the earliest people on the island. These were very adapted, very intelligent people who knew how to deal with their environment."

🕵️ Jay also breaks down why some residents don’t believe that mangroves are native to Sint Maarten, and why he doesn’t perceive mangroves as a block to water.

Check out Jay’s interview at: https://naturefoundationsxm.org/mangrove-memoirs/

Learn more about this #SXMMangroves series at https://naturefoundationsxm.org/nfprojects/mangroves/

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The Mangrove Protection Policy Project (MP3) is funded by a Spaw-Rac small grant and seeks to advance mangrove conservation on Sint Maarten through policy work, public advocacy, and scientific monitoring.

Are mangroves the only trees that grow around Sint Maarten’s ponds? Today, we’re busting this myth!

🌱 Many coastal species live at the edge of mangrove wetlands and are somewhat resistant to salt. However, unlike mangroves, many of them do not grow in or even very close to the water!

❌ These species do not have specialized roots like those of mangroves, nor do they play the essential role of nurseries for marine life.

You’ll find a multitude of coastal species around our salty wetlands, including:

🍇 Sea grape - native
🥜 Sea almond - introduced (non-native)
💚 Portia - introduced (non-native)
🏖️ Beach morning glory - native
🌵 Sea purslane - native
🧂 Saltwort - native

They might contribute to the important roles of mangroves and look a little bit like them. However, they cannot replace what incredible functions mangroves provide, particularly for marine life.

🧠 Fun fact – sea grape fruit can used to make jelly and wine, while wood is preferred for charcoal. Sea grape leaves were once used as picnic plates at the beach! And Spanish colonists would use the leaves as a substitute for paper, scratching messages into thick, fresh leaves.

Next time you spot what you think are mangroves, take a closer look, and see what other species you can find. 🌊🍀🌼

Learn more about this #SXMMangroves series at https://naturefoundationsxm.org/nfprojects/mangroves/

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The Mangrove Protection Policy Project (MP3) is funded by a Spaw-Rac small grant and seeks to advance mangrove conservation on Sint Maarten through policy work, public advocacy, and scientific monitoring.

📰 PRESS RELEASE 📰

After years of working in parallel, we are truly elated to announce that the two main environmental management NGOs on Saint Martin — Nature Foundation Sint Maarten and the Réserve Naturelle Nationale de Saint-Martin (AGRNSM) — have officially signed a long-awaited cross-border partnership.

We know it’s long overdue. Red tape, national guidelines, and internal capacity challenges made a long-lasting, integrated partnership difficult. And we’re not interested in - nor do we have time for! - collaborations that never leave the newspaper.

But we’ve done the work to bridge this gap. Since signing our MoU in March, we’ve seen up to a 60% increase in staffing for ecosystem monitoring, educational programming, and wildlife emergency response.

That means cross-boundary cooperation in minutes or hours, not days. On an island as small and integrated as Saint Martin, for NGOs with severely limited resources, that level of coordination makes a huge difference.

This agreement marks a critical beginning toward sustainable collaboration — and more importantly, towards one Saint Martin where the protection of natural ecosystems and heritage is prioritized over political borders.

🔗 Read the full press release here: https://naturefoundationsxm.org/saint-martin-environmental-ngos-sign-cross-border-conservation-partnership/