Turtle Hatching begins on Little Cayman

Caymanian Compass

July 11, 2014

Little Cayman volunteers captured a rare moment on Saturday when they watched the first turtle nest hatching of the season. 

Volunteers with the Department of Environment’s Marine Turtle Research Conservation Program had been monitoring the nest as one of 30 on Little Cayman, and witnessed the last four turtles struggle out and make their way to the ocean.  

Volunteer and Southern Cross Club manager Jennifer Mills said although she has been a volunteer for 11 years, it was a rare opportunity to catch a hatching. 

“It was incredibly exciting because we watched the baby turtles take their first steps to the sea. To watch them go into the water - it’s a huge relief because you know they have at least made it that far and they have a long way to go,” Ms. Mills said. 

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'Stingray City' comes to London!

Caymanian Compass

July 8, 2014

Cayman tourism marketing gurus brought a splash of color to gray London streets last week through a unique piece of 3-D artwork. The image of Stingray City was designed to give the illusion to passersby that the street beneath them had opened up, creating a window to the Caribbean Sea. The artwork shows snorkelers and scuba divers frolicking with gentle rays in clear turquoise waters. Painted on canvas, it was shuffled from one London landmark to another in a direct marketing campaign aimed at boosting travel to Cayman from the U.K. 

Bystanders were encouraged to kiss the rays and get seven years good luck.  

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Under the Mistletoe: The Hunt for Dendropemon caymanensis

Cayman Islands Government
Department of Environment
July 9, 2014

The Cayman Islands Department of Environment (DOE) recently collaborated on a project with longtime partner Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RGB Kew), UK, to locate a mysterious Mistletoe species Dendropemon caymanensis known to be located only on Little Cayman. There is very little known about this parasitic plant but records from botanist George Proctor, author of the “Flora of the Cayman Islands”, indicate that it is possibly located within the North Eastern interior of Little Cayman and is a parasite of the Headache Bush (Capparis cynophallophora) and the Black Candlewood (Erithalis fruticosa). No one has seen this plant since 1991 and there is no photographic record – just a single herbarium collection as proof of its existence.

In order to find this plant, the DOE and RGB Kew used a mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The UAV is a small flying machine with a camera; it weighs less than a kilogram (2 lbs) and is controlled by a sophisticated remote computer system. It takes aerial photographs on a pre-programmed course mapped out using a GPS coordinates. Read the whole story here.

Plan for Cayman to go green

Cayman 27
13 January 2014

Could the days of fossil fuels be over in Cayman? Billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is looking to wean ten islands off those sources of energy.

“I am having people come to me and say we cannot afford to pay our mortgage and electrical bill this month. We have to decide – do we pay our light bill or our mortgage,” said Nicholas Robson of Cayman Institute.

Environment Minister Hon. Wayne Panton tells Cayman 27 he and Finance Minister Hon. Marco Archer will attend next month’s summit in the BVI.

Read the whole story here.

New day dawns for nature

Cayman News Service

16 October 2013

As a genuine conservation enthusiast, the new environment minister is set to be a true champion in the Cabinet for Cayman’s precious and dwindling natural resources. Wayne Panton has given a commitment to pass the much anticipated National Conservation Law before the end of the year, to continue the work on enhancing marine parks, adopt the Department of Environment's climate change policy and to review and implement the CITES law. The new minister has also found money for the DoE to replace critical conservation staff and to double the National Trust’s budget. Panton has made it clear that from now on the environment will be considered before development decisions instead of being an afterthought.

He told the Legislative Assembly on Friday afternoon that preserving the local natural environment was not just about the responsibility; government has to protect the resources for future generations but it was also critically important to the tourism industry.  Read the whole story here.

Governor backs environment

Cayman News Service

12 September 2013

After more than a decade of waiting, 2013 could be the year that Cayman’s natural land environment finally receives lawful protection. Minister Wayne Panton, who has responsibility for the environment, has already made a commitment to steer the National Conservation Law through before the year is out. Now the new governor has added her voice to calls for responsible management of the local environment. During her acceptance speech in the Legislative Assembly last Friday, the natural world was one of the issues singled out by Helen Kilpatrick. Although it is not part of her office’s direct responsibility, the UK’s latest representative said she was committed to the management of the islands’ natural resources.

Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie and her team have lived in hope that the National Conservation Law (NCL) will make it onto the statute books before it is too late, and they have persistently warned that the ecological clock has been ticking down for many of the islands' unique species, which are in serious danger of disappearing without proper protection.

Ebanks-Petrie has also warned that Cayman cannot continue to develop without giving the same consideration to environmental issues as it does socio and economic ones, and argued against continuing to allow major projects to begin without carrying out environmental impact assessments. Read the whole story here.