What if the Sea Level Rose?

Hannah Reid
Caymanian Compass

Every native of Cayman Brac knows where to go when their island is threatened with rising waters. Even to this day, Brackers will retreat to the bluff during hurricanes.

But what if the sea level rose, not temporarily due to a hurricane, but permanently as a result of climate change?

While the 150 foot bluff gives Cayman Brac an average height above sea level of 56 feet, Little Cayman only has an average height above sea level of approximately nine feet and Grand Cayman is barely out of the water with an average elevation of only six feet.

According to a report released in 2010 by the National Climate Change Committee, titled The Green Paper: Towards a Climate Change Policy, even a moderate increase in sea level could have a considerable impact on these low-lying islands.

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Save Cayman out in force

Cayman News Service
May 28, 2011

Campaigners aiming to protect the North Sound from proposed dredging projects and other major developments that could threaten the local environment were out in force Saturday at Grand Cayman’s local supermarkets collecting more signatures for the petition and recruiting people to assist with what is growing into a major green movement. Captain Bryan Ebanks, who is spearheading the campaign, said that the support for Save Cayman is growing and more and more people are pledging their support. Following a week of radio appearances and meetings to help promote this weekend’s push, Ebanks said he was really pleased that more and more people were willing to step up to the plate and say enough is enough.

Hotline to protect nesting turtles

Cayman News Service

May 11, 2011

While sea turtle remains a popular national dish in the Cayman Islands, the public is being asked to join a world wide effort to halt the decline of these endangered species. The Department of Environment (DoE) is appealing to the public to aid in the recovery of Cayman Islands sea turtle nesting populations by reporting turtle nests to a new DoE Turtle Hotline 938-NEST (938-6378) whenever sea turtle tracks or nests are found. The goal is to find all turtle nests and protect them from the time they are laid until they hatch two months later.

DoE Research Officer Dr Janice Blumenthal explained that during the turtle nesting season DoE staff and volunteers patrol beaches four days per week finding and protecting nests but they are not able to visit every beach every day so rely on the public to assist them.

She added, “While sea turtles spend the majority of their lives in the ocean, from May to November females make their way on shore to lay their eggs. On the beach, nesting turtles, turtle nests, and baby turtles are extremely vulnerable. We hope that with the new and easy to remember Turtle Hotline number, members of the public will be better able to assist in sea turtle conservation efforts.”

Data collected by DoE over the past decade show that Cayman Islands sea turtle nesting has begun to increase but many nests are in highly developed areas such as Seven Mile Beach. This makes nests susceptible to threats such as lights near the beach, beach driving, heavy equipment operation, bonfires, and poaching. The Turtle Hotline makes it possible for members of the public to help by alerting DoE when they spot turtle nests or see a nesting turtle or baby turtles in danger.

In addition to reporting nests, beachfront property owners and residents can assist by following the DoE’s guidelines for making beaches safe for turtles:

• Reduce beach lighting: turn off, redirect, or shield any lights that can be seen from the beach during the turtle nesting season (contact DoE for more information). Lights near the beach can lead baby turtles away from the sea and result in their death. Lighting may also deter nesting females from coming ashore.
• Remain quiet and stay at a distance if you see a nesting turtle. Flashlights, loud noises, or getting too close might cause the turtle to abandon her nesting attempt.
• Remove obstacles such as beach chairs and recreational equipment from the beach at night.
• Do not drive on the beach—this can crush turtle nests. Contact DoE before using beach cleaning machines or heavy equipment.
• Protect beach vegetation. Vegetation blocks light from buildings, stabilizes the beach, and encourages turtles to nest.
• Do not have bonfires on the beach in the summer—use a designated BBQ pit.
• Do not rake or cover turtle tracks. Department of Environment staff and volunteers use the tracks to find and protect nests.
• Call DoE’s Turtle Hotline if you find a turtle track, nest, or baby turtle.
• Remember that sea turtles are protected under Cayman Islands Law and turtle poachers face steep fines and imprisonment. If you see persons harming or taking sea turtles or their eggs call DoE Enforcement or the police (911).

Contact Janice Blumenthal at DoE for more information or to volunteer for the Marine Turtle Beach Monitoring Programme. DoE Turtle Hotline: 938-NEST. General: 949-8469. Emergencies: 916-4271 or 911. Email: DoE@gov.ky.

Earth Day celebrated in style

Caymanian Compass

May 5, 2011

Earth Day was celebrated in style this year at an event at Camana Bay that brought together the traditional evening market and green businesses.

Participants included more than 40 exhibitors, ranging from those offering green products and services to not-for-profit organisations working to raise awareness of Cayman’s environment.

The pairing of the event with the quarterly evening market, which took place on Market Street, was a great fit, as locally grown produce has a much reduced carbon footprint compared to food transported to Cayman.

The main festivities took place on The Crescent, where exhibitors displayed everything from solar panels and information on environmentally friendly homes to environmental tours, art and photography. There were also vendors with natural products and even fashion labels with clothes made from environmentally conscious fabrics. The youngsters were not forgotten, with activities to keep them occupied while parents spent some time educating themselves on how to make a difference to the environment. Read the whole story here.

Longer grouper ban needed

March 24, 2011

Cayman News Service

(CNS): Fishermen on Cayman Brac are finding it hard to believe that the nine year ban on catching Nassau grouper at the spawning holes during spawning season has not resulted in a significant increase in groupers, but as Department of Environment staff explained to them at a meeting Monday night, replenishment of grouper populations is a slow process and an extended ban is necessary to ensure that the last viable spawning aggregation (SPAG) site in the Cayman Islands – in the West End of Little Cayman – does not collapse. The fishermen, on the other hand, say they have done their part to preserve the grouper population by observing the ban for nine years and are asking the decision makers to remove it and reintroduce catch limits.

Research at the Little Cayman grouper hole has shown that the groupers which gather together in great numbers to spawn live around that island – there are no great migrations of grouper from elsewhere for spawning. Scientists have also found that the larvae released are brought back by the current, and so repopulates the same island. We cannot, therefore, rely on SPAGs in other countries on the region to restock our grouper population, and they don’t have much stock left in any case, DoE's Research Manager Phil Bush noted.

The grouper holes were first closed in 2003 in what was planned to be alternate years of being open for fishing. However, Bush told people packed into the conference room at the District Administration Building, it was determined that it was “mathematically impossible for the population to replenish itself if the large numbers of fish, especially the big spawners, were taken out.”

Read the whole story here.

1 November 2010
Cayman Islands Yellow Pages Press Release
George Town, Grand Cayman

'Yellow2Green' programme aims to keep 60 tons of old phonebooks out of Cayman’s landfill in 2010

The next twenty days will see one of the most important recent environmental initiatives as the Cayman Islands Yellow Pages (CIYP) launches “Yellow2Green”, a programme designed to recycle old phone books into insulation for homes. The launch coincides with the release of the 2011 Cayman Islands telephone directory and will run from November 1^st – 20^th.

“Our intent is to keep 60 tons of phone books from ending up in the landfill and to elevate everyone’s awareness about the importance of recycling and conservation,” explains CIYP Marketing Manager Eileen Keens. “This is the pilot programme and we’re very hopeful that everyone in Grand Cayman will participate – businesses and individuals alike. If we’re successful, this will become an annual event to include Cayman Brac and eventually Little Cayman.”

“There’s absolutely no down-side to this,” adds Ms. Keens, “it’s easy for people to take their old phone books to any one of 11 drop-off points island-wide but, more importantly, it’s a benefit to our country and our environment – it’s the right, responsible thing to do.”

The programme includes the “Yellow2Green School Challenge”, where all primary schools can compete to win a pizza party and up to $1500. The school that collects the most books, per student body, wins. “This is a great way to get kids excited about recycling – this is about their future, so it’s critical that they value preservation and grasp the concept of personal responsibility,” explains Ms. Keens.

CIYP will accept any dry phone book, even if it’s not one of theirs. All books will be shipped via Thompson Shipping Line to Tampa where they’ll be 100% recycled into GreenFiber insulation, an all-natural, high quality fiber insulation product used for homes. GreenFiber is North America’s leading natural fiber manufacturer and they have been working with communities across the US, and now in the Caribbean, to help keep over one million tons of paper out of landfills.

“This really is a big deal. We’re pretty sure everyone agrees that our landfill doesn’t need any more unnecessary waste, each one of those recycled directories is one step closer to a greener community” adds Ms. Keens. “And we’re thankful to all our sponsors for making it happen.”

All businesses and individuals are encouraged to deliver as many old phone books as they can to any drop-off location by November 20^th. For businesses with large amounts of books, the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce has been designated as the primary corporate collection site at their new Governor’s Square office.

Drop-off Locations

All Foster’s Food Fair locations island-wide
Chamber of Commerce, Governor’s Square
Camana Bay
LIME Galleria Plaza
LIME Anderson Square
Hurley’s Grand Harbour
Kirk Supermarket

Sponsors

BB&P
Camana Bay
Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce
Foster’s Food Fair
GreenFiber
Hurley’s
Kirk Supermarket
Lemmie’s Trucking Services
LIME
NCI Services
Thompson Line
Vision Marketing

For more information please visit caymanislandsyp.com/recycling or email Eileen Keens at ekeens@globaldirectories.com.