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Hens and Chicks

Posted on 3 Jan 2017 by Christian

Hens and Chicks is an Atlantic dive site that has a reputation as being very sharkey. It lies in 60 feet of water.

tiger shark — Tiger shark

Dive depth: 60 ft (20 m)

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Nature Foundation conducts island Pelican count!

Today was the time for the annual island count of the pelicans for the Dutch side. In total we found around 150 pelicans on the Dutch Side of St Maarten.

We visited the island´s most important pelicans spots to get an overview of the population on St Maarten. Important pelican locations are found at Little Bay Pond, Fort Amsterdam, Fresh Pond and Great Salt Pond. Most of St Maarten´s Pelicans will stay at one of these locations during the daytime.To make sure we are not double counting pelicans, we visited all locations in the same morning and counted from a spot where we could see the entire location and have a good overview of the population.

On St Maarten we can find the Brown Pelicans, which is the smallest Pelican worldwide. By only eating fish, the bird is always tied to the sea and thus also a key component.

Through long-term studies it is possible to document population fluctuations and to identify possible local hazards as well. In the next months the official breeding season is starting on St Maarten and hopefully the colony will be able to to nest successfully.

#brownpelican #nestingseason #naturefoundation #natureisourfuture #saveouroceans

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Today we had the honour to take the US Ambassador to the kingdom of the Netherlands his excellency Ambassador Hoekstra and his wife on a lagoon tour. We visited the mangroves in Mullet Pond and discussed the environmental challenges St Maarten is facing. We spoke about the activities and projects of the nature foundation and what people can do to protect the environment.
The Ambassador and his wife enjoyed the lagoon tour and the beauty of St Maarten.

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Today our ranger intern Ray and reduce and reuse intern Grace, cleaned our coral nursery on the dive site 'Coralita'. At the moment we only have a few coral fragments growing in the nursery, as most were being out planted before the peak of hurricane season.

Part of cleaning the coral nursery, includes having a perfect buoyancy in scuba diving and be careful to not touch any corals while cleaning the structure.
We are growing staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) and elkhorn (Acropora palmata) coral fragments in our inwater nursery, every two weeks we carry out check ups and cleaning activities, to make sure the corals can grow in optimum conditions.
#saveourcorals #naturefoundation #natureisourfuture #saveourocean #coralgardening #ilovecoral #coralrestoration #naturefoundationsxm #savecorals

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Styrofoam is beginning to be phased out by businesses, but do you know why?

Styrofoam is often created in the form of to-go containers, cups for hot liquids, plates, and even coolers. It is made out of a form of single use plastic, Polystyrene. Styrofoam leads to massive amounts of pollution, but its’ health risks to humans is ultimately the most terrifying part.

Styrene leaches from Styrofoam when exposed to heat; coffee, tea, food, etc. This toxin can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, the upper respiratory tract, and the gastrointestinal tract when exposed to short term. Repeated exposure, however, can lead to hearing loss, and disrupted kidney function in addition to increasing the risk of leukemia and lymphoma and is a neurotoxin. Children are especially at risk of these health risks because of their weaker immune system and tendencies to crawl and put items in their mouths. These innocent children should not suffer because of something they cannot even understand.

We often forget to include the middle man; those that work in these factories that produce such harmful toxins. 50 chemical byproducts are produced during the creation of Styrofoam. Workers in these plants have demonstrated increased cancer rates.

In addition to direct human impacts, waste disposal also poses a major threat to environments. Without proper disposal Styrofoam enters the environment. Birds and fish often mistaken these containers for food, resulting in ingestion leading to death.
Chemical components are leached into our drinking supply, and the water we swim in. A study performed in the United States discovered styrene residue in 100% of all fat samples taken from humans.

Next time you decide to get coffee, bring your own cup! Let businesses know the harms of Styrofoam and encourage them to make the transition to reusable and biodegradable materials including bamboo, glass, or corn/potato based products. You can check if it is made of Styrofoam by the look/feel of it, or if it has a triangle labeled ‘6’ in the middle.

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We are at the migratory bird festival at the Amuseum Naturalis at @lesfruitstagram to tell about our pelican monitoring project and the inpacts of plastics on birds, wildlife and marine life!
Make sure to not miss this amazing event today till noon.

#migratorybirdfestival #lesfruitsdemer #naturefoundationsxm #natureisourfuture #reducesxm #reusesxm #reducereusesxm #oceandefenders

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Risk for sea turtle hatchlings
This week we found a few big sand holes and old camp fires on Mullet Bay Beach. These holes probably originate from sand castles or other structures in the sand.
There is no problem with digging and building, but such holes can be dangerous for humans and animals. Especially when it gets dark and these holes are hard to see, you can step in and hurt yourself.
It also can endanger little sea turtle hatchlings on their way in the ocean. Many dangers lurk on the beach, such as birds and crabs, which catch and eat the small sea turtle.
If the hatchlings will get stuck in such a hole, becauses it is to deep to set oneself free, they will be very easy prey for other animals.
Camp fires also endanger sea turtle nests and little hatchlings. You never know if your campfire is above a nest, which might kill the eggs or if hatchlings get confused because of the light and walk in the wrong direction.
Only 1 of 1000 sea turtle hatchlings reach adulthood, so we should do our best to provide a safe start in their life, that at least one of 1000 will reach adulthood.
Please close your sand holes after a sunny day at the beach, it is important for the safety of sea turtles as well for your own safety and do not have campfires at the beach.
#seaturtles #seaturtlenesting #naturefoundation #natureisourfuture #saveourseaturtles #savetheocean #seaturtlessxm #saveseaturtles

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We had a great cleanup this morning at Guana Bay Beach, together with @sxmaction! We collected a lot of trash including debris from hurricane Irma. Thanks to SXM action for initiating and thanks to all the volunteers who came out to assist!

#beachcleanup #naturefoundation #natureisourfuture #saveourocean #cleanuo #reducereusesxm #nosingleuseplastics

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The Sea turtle nesting season on St Maarten is from April to November each year.
This means, at the moment it is getting calmer during our weekly beach patrols and we are approaching the end of the season. We are still continuing our patrols until the end of November to make sure we are not missing any nests and some of the laid nests will probably hatch in December this year! Therefore, even outside sea turtle nesting season we need to be careful on our beach as nesting activity cans still occur.
After the nesting season female sea turtles will return to their feeding grounds to come back in three to four years to lay eggs at the same beach again. In the last few months, every sea turtle, which went ashore for several times, could have built a nest containing around 150 eggs per nest. Hopefully, about two months after nesting, little sea turtles will hatch and starts their life in the open ocean.
In order to protect hatchlings, please stop driving and littering on the beaches. These are additional risks for hatchlings and decreases likelihood of survival.
#seaturtles #nestingbeaches #seaturtlenesting #saveourturtles #saveseaturtle #naturefoundation #natureisourfuture #iloveturtles #hatching #seaturtlehatch

Picture by @ocean explorers

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Attention! Volunteer Opportunity ahead!
This Saturday, November 2nd 2019 we are teaming up with SXM A.C.T.I.O.N @sxmaction for their monthly beach cleanup! This weekend the cleanup is being held at Guana Beach from 8:00-10:00AM. We will be meeting at the small dirt parking area at the end of Guy’s Estate Road to organize before we enter the beach. Bags and gloves will be provided! Everyone is invited to participate! Bring some snacks, a full reusable water bottle, and a great attitude and let’s make St. Maarten beautiful! We look forward to seeing you and your friends on Saturday at the lot on Guy’s Estate Road 8:00 AM sharp!
#SXMAction #naturefoundation #teamwork #noplastic #saynotoplastic #reduceSXM #reuseSXM #reducereuseSXM #gogreen #cleanup #beachcleanup #guanabeach #stmaarten #natureisourfuture #aspiringchangetoimpactournation

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Palapa Village B.V. located in Simpson Bay has been making tremendous strides in the fight against single use plastics. They have a strict policy that supports eco-friendly alternatives, only using reusable and biodegradable materials at their business. For every biodegradable 'take away box' the Nature Foundation will receive a 1$ donation. Each box is stamped and customers are asked that when they use a box to donate 1$ towards the Nature Foundation. Additionally, they no longer allow balloons for birthdays. Balloons are extremely harmful to terrestrial and marine life when ingested…we hope more businesses follow in Palapa’s footsteps!
We can’t thank Palapa enough for their continued support of the Nature Foundation, and joining us to make a better, cleaner, St. Maarten!! #gogreen #noplastic #saynotoplastic #bansingleuseplastics #oceandefender #reducesxm #reusesxm #reducereusesxm #natureisourfuture #supportlocalbusinesses #Palapavillage #noballoons

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Yesterday evening the Caribbean Association of Banks presented a cheque to the Nature Foundation Chairman Jan Beaujon, under the presence of Ildiko Gilders from the VROMI department, to support tree planting on the island.
We are very grateful of their support and their green initiative!

#treeplanting #natureisourfuture #naturefoundation

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Reduce and Reuse Intern, Grace Hansen, presented to 2 classes at the Leonald Connor School today! Spreading the message to reduce the consumption of single use plastics to the younger generation is very important. Students learned about the current impacts globally and locally and the health risks of ecosystems, marine life, and humans associated with single use plastics. They walked away with 5 steps to reduce their amount of single use plastic pollution; say no to single use plastic products, carry a reusable shopping bag, use and choose biodegradable alternatives, buy and ask for unpackaged fruits and veggies, lobby businesses to use less plastic and spread the word. It is their future that will be directly impacted by the amount of plastic we consume today.
#reducesxm #reusesxm #natureisourfuture #saynotoplastic #noplastic #reducereusesxm #nosingleuseplastics #oceandefender

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