Newsletter of the CARMABI foundation

6th, Year number 1 & 2, January-June 2008
Biná
Newsletter of the CARMABI foundation
30 years
Christoffelpark
Page 3
Savonet Museum
Page 10
Mangrove eco
kayak tours!
Page 11
Table of contents
Editor’s note...
2
Christoffelpark corner...
3
Editors note
Dear nature lovers,
It’s August already and much has happened in the first six months
of 2008. This is the first newsletter of this year. Due to unexpected
circumstances we were unable to publish the first newsletter in March
of this year. Therefore we decided to publish the first and second
newsletter together, which you now have in front of you.
Many things have happened over the last months 6 months. The
Marine Park Visitor Center was officially opened in May, the
first activities have started such as Mangrove Eco Kayak Tours.
Christoffelpark celebrated its 30 year anniversary with an open house
which turned out to be a huge success. We researched the 30-year
10
anniversary of the park thoroughly and want to share this information
10 with you.
The first part of this story can be found in this newsletter.
11
11 Carmabi has a new staff member, Dr. Mark Vermeij, who will continue
12 developing the academic program and research programs of our
12 institute. We will introduce him to you in this edition.
- The history of the Christoffelpark... 3
- 30-year anniversary- Open house... 7
- New land cruiser sponsored by
Percy Henriquez fund and Garage
Cordia...
8
- Stichting Doen visits Carmabi...
8
- New promo film launched...
8
- New activity maps & hiking
brochure...
9
- Things to do in the coming
months...
9
Savonet Museum...
- The sounds of restoration are in
the air!...
Marine Park Visitor Center...
-
Mangrove Eco Kayak Tours...11
Presentations...
Official opening Visitor Center...
Reef clean ups...
Carmabi news...
13 And of course you can read about the restoration progress of the
Savonet plantation complex, upcoming activities in the park,
- Director Debrot receives
prestigious Cola Debrot award...13 educational news and much more.
- Introducing Dr. Mark Vermeij...
13
- The genesis of “Clear Water”... 14
- Job advertisement...
14 We hope you will enjoy this edition . Do not hesitate to contact us
Education...
- New book for schools by FMS &
Carmabi...
- News in a flash...
Advertisements...
if you have any questions or remarks. You can send these by mail to
15 info@carmabi.org.
15
15
16 The editors.
GLOSSARY
Photography:
Mrs. M. da Costa Gomez
Mr. L. Pors
Miss. M. Ligthart
Mr. Dr. M. Vermeij
Mr. S. Lema
Design:
Mrs. M. da Costa Gomez
Editors:
Ing. M. da Costa Gomez
Drs. L. Pors
Dr. A. Debrot
Cover Photo:
Odocoilus virginianus curassavicus (Curaçao White-tailed Deer)
during Deer Spotting Sunset Tour in Christoffelpark.
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
2
Christoffel corner
The history of the Christoffelpark!
It’s party time. We are celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the
Christoffelpark this year. 30 years of nature protection and careful
management to provide a unique addition to Curacao’s tourism
economy, local education and research. We are very proud of this
milestone. We have achieved and learned many things in these past
30 years. Christoffelpark’s history deserves to be told, so it can be
preserved for future generations. This is a story about how we managed
to maintain a natural reserve for the last 30 years.
We’d like to take you on a journey through its history, which we
have researched thoroughly and invite you to read this and coming
newsletters for the ins and outs.
An official opening with
several funny moments
The management of the
Christoffelpark was officially
handed over to STINAPA
(Stichting Nationale Parken/
National Parks Foundation) by
commissioner of Agriculture Mr.
Augustin Diaz on the 30th of June
1978. This was celebrated with
a great number of festivities. Mr.
René Römer, then chairman of
STINAPA, received this honor on
behalf of the organization after
which the Governor of Curaçao
(Gezaghebber) Ornelio Martina
officially opened the park by
revealing a newly painted sign at
the main entrance.
The festivities themselves were
very adventurous and stories of all
the things that went wrong during
the celebration are numerous.
But these festivities were not
only the beginning of the official
management of the park, they
were also the culmination of years
of extensive preparations.
The time before June 30th
1978
The story of Christoffelpark
starts far before that festive day
in 1978. Records show that the
island’s government focused on
this natural area during the early
1960’s. In the first half of 1969
the island’s government purchased
the former plantations of Savonet,
Zorgvliet and Zevenbergen, which
totaled 1270 hectares and included
the Christoffel Mountain. Most of
this area was to be made a nature
reserve. But there were not only
happy sounds after this purchase.
People critiziced the decision of
the government to start building
inter insular and international
communication antennae on the
top of Seroe Gracia, a hilltop next
to the Christoffel mountain. The
government however assured that
the damage to nature would be
small.
In 1972 Carmabi foundation
was approached by the local
government to write a general
plan of how the Christoffelpark
should be made nature reserve.
Mr. J.J.M. Voskens, a landscape
architectural student at the
university in Wageningen, the
Netherlands, was on the island
from November 1971 up till May
1972 to work on this plan and he
finished it when back in Holland.
His excellent piece of work was
presented to the government by
the management commission of
Christoffelpark. This commission
was installed by the government a
few years earlier to help with the
preparations for this future nature
3
“A look at mount Christoffel from Savonet
plantation around 1900.
Picture from the collection Mrs. Helma
Maduro”
“Mount Christoffel from North coast platform in Christoffelpark 2008.
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez”
“Ruins of the zorgvlied plantation house in
Christoffelpark 2008.
Picture by: Martine Ligthart”
Christoffelpark corner
park.
In this year, 1972, these first
ideas for the Christoffelpark only
included the former Savonet
plantation. The commission also
wanted to include the Christoffel
Mountain and other terrains to the
west of this mountain but had not
achieved that yet at that time.
“Entrance and ticket office of the Christoffelpark in 1978. Scan from the publication:
Jaarverslagen Carmabi en Stinapa 1978.
Picture by: Dick Hoogerwerf”
“Entrance and ticket office of the Christoffelpark in 2008.
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez”
“Scientists are shocked by the destruction
of the ‘orchid woods’ at Seroe Gracia” Scan
from: Stinapa no. 26 1972 .
Picture by: Wouter Bokma”
The Voskens-plan was executed
a few years later and appears in
the records of 1976. In this year
a total of 175 workers started
building the roads and trails in the
park, freeing ruins from excessive
vegetation on several locations
and other necessary work
according to prepare the park to
become an official nature reserve.
The work was executed by the
department of Agriculture (LVV)
under guidance of a group formed
by the heads of the departments of
agriculture, Public Works and the
secretary of STINAPA.
At the same time an orchid project
started in which orchid plants that
had fallen from the trees in the
park were given to the department
of Labour (Arbeidszorg) at Groot
Santa Martha where they would
be cultured in order to reintroduce
them to their natural surroundings
in the park. The idea was to focus
especially on the areas in which
poaching had severely diminished
their population. A small part
of the orchids would be sold to
visitors of the park.
Many additions to the Voskens
plan were made by the
departments of Public Service of
Curaçao and Welvaartszorg of the
Netherlands Antilles, of which
the construction of a fence around
the entire plantation would be one
of the largest. The Netherlands
agreed to finance the first phase
of the plan in 1976 through the
so called Multiple Year Plan or
4
“meerjarenplan”.
In August 1976, 175 people
started working on this first phase.
In 1977 the last sections of the
new road network were completed
and steep parts were covered
with asphalt. The fence was not
completed. Small sections of
the new park were opened to the
public at the beginning of 1978.
The decision to open only small
sections of the park to the general
public was taken to control
the number of visitors more
efficiently. The different parts and
attractions of the park would each
bring their own sets of logistical
problems, like traffic blocks,
parking problems, and vadalism,
which would be difficult to
control.
The commission in charge
of the coordination of the
Christoffelpark ceased to exist
when the project was finished
and the management of the area
was officially transferred to
Stinapa. Mr. Dick Hoogerwerf
was appointed as the first manager
of the park together with several
rangers who would help him
patrolling the park.
Management
To prepare Mr. Hoogerwerf for
the job as manager of the park,
Stinapa sent him to Dominica to
follow a three-week workshop
organized by the Caribbean
Conservation Association
There were other things to
consider as well. The plantation
house of Savonet was still
going to be inhabited by the
family Koppers- van der Linde
Schotborgh, who sold the
plantation to the government with
the condition that they would be
allowed to live in the house. The
grounds around the plantation
house were now part of the
Christoffelpark, but the house was
excluded.
The roads that were developed
in the park led to all kinds of
attractions, of which the caves
and the mountain were the most
attractive. Visitor rules were
formulated. One of these was the
prohibition to take flora or fauna
out of the park. To control this,
all cars were inspected before and
after entering the park.
Plans were made to produce
a Christoffelpark guide, and a
simple car route map was made
including the rules for entering the
park.
Celebrations….and then!
Finally the festive 30th of June
1978 arrived when the park was
officially opened at the plantation
house of Savonet. It must have
been a stressful day for the
organizers since there are many
stories about the things that went
wrong during the festivities.
A television crew arrived at
the scene without a camera. A
basket of orchids, which was to
be presented to Stinapa by the
Islands government, disappeared.
Nevertheless the festivities
marked a triumph in the efforts
to protect the special area in
which Christoffelpark was now
established.
Of course the first difficulties
soon appeared. Because the fence
was still not complete, there
were several problems with bulls
from neighboring plantations,
which were attracted by the lush
vegetation in the park. These bulls
regularly destroyed the pond were
White tailed deer and birds came
to drink. A continuing grievance
for the management and rangers
who had to clean up the mess and
dredge the pond time and time
again.
Another problem the management
Christoffelpark corner
had to deal with with was the
legacy of the workers who worked
on the infrastructure in the park,
consisting of thousands of bottles.
These workers had also poached
hundreds of iguanas during the
construction period.
Destruction of infrastructure was
also a big problem. Fences and
signs were destroyed, fires started,
time and time again.
Despite al this, visitors were very
enthusiastic about the attractions
in the park. 3562 adults and 250
children visited during the first
year. Not bad, taking into account
that no marketing was done.
Hiking trails to the top of the
Christoffel Mountain and to Seroe
Bientu became very popular.
The management needed an office
near the main entrance of the
park at Savonet, and the decision
was made to transform the old
carbon shed for this purpose. The
shed next to the office was also
renovated, and the old rain tank
at the side of the mangasina or
storehouse.
Preliminary ideas were developed
to renovate the mangasina and
use its two parts as an audiovisual presentation room and a
exposition room annex gift-shop.
Renovation of the building would
be a major project, much larger
than the renovation of the other
structures in the park.
In 1979 the number of visitors
had increased to 12.514 adults
and 3.147 children between 6 and
15 years old. These numbers do
not include approximately 2000
schoolchildren who visited the
park for free.
The reactions were overwhelming,
many visitors provided very
positive feedback in the guest
book at the entrance of the park.
5
“Mangasina at Savonet before its
restoration.”
Scan from: Jaarverslagen Carmabi en
Stinapa 1980 .
Picture by: Dick Hoogerwerf
“Mangasina at Savonet and watertank in
2003.”
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
“Mangasina at Savonet and watertank in
1978.”
Scan from: Jaarverslagen Carmabi en Stinapa 1978.
Picture by: Dick Hoogerwerf
Christoffelpark corner
Several other special happenings
happened that year. Video
recordings were made in the
park for the production of the
movie “mijn zuster de negerin”, a
popular book written by Mr. Cola
Debrot .
“Sabal palm at Seroe Gracia.”
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
“The observation tower is still used in several tours including the Deer Spotting Sunset
Tour.”
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
“Many people use the hiking trails leading to
beautiful vista’s and other attractions.”
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
To compensate for the negative
effects of poaching on the iguana
population in the park, hundreds
of iguanas were reintroduced in
the park by Dr. Dolf Debrot to
revive the population.
The great number of wild
domestic cats and dogs, caused
major fatalities especially
under the cottontail and bird
populations.
The office in the old carbon shed
was repainted and covered with
drawings of the local flora and
fauna.
The idea for the renovation of the
mangasina and the installation
of audiovisual and interactive
attractions for visitors was
further worked on. Although
the local government was very
enthusiastic about the idea, the
Netherlands did not agree with
the project because the terrain on
which the mangasina was settled
was not owned by the Stinapa
organization.
The plans, however, were
nevertheless growing. The
concept of an open-air museum,
that would include the entire
Savonet complex, was formulated.
Savonet was one of the most
complete remaining plantation
structures. The basic idea was
to renovate everything and give
some of the structures their old
function back. The bakery would
have to start baking fresh bread,
which could be sold; the milk
house would be producing milk
and other products etc. Fruit trees,
including species of trees, which
were used in the past, would have
6
to be planted in the former fruit
tree garden, locally known as a
“hofje”.
Pater Brenneker and mr. Ellis
Juliana made an inventory of
the old data available. They
discovered an old name for one of
the “rooi’s” (dry river beds) in the
area which was called the Rooi
Bakie. The name referred to the so
called “Bakie blous”, which were
basins used to extract indigo-blue
color from the Indigo plant.
Several scientists started found
their way to the park. In 1979 Mr.
Peter Paalvast did an extensive
quantitative study on the effects
of goats on the vegetation in the
park.
Miss Joke Winkelman studied the
dispersion of the “Palu di Lechi”
or Rubber Vine (Cryptostegia
grandiflora), the effects of the
goats on the vegetation, and the
dispersion and population density
of the Sabal Palm.
The park increased in popularity
over the following years. 11.330
persons visited in 1980, 11.663 in
1981, 12.397 in 1982, 20.235 in
1989 and 6000 school children,
33.019 in 1991, 41.688 in 1996
including 18.780 school children.
Daily work continued over
the years on the roads, fences
and structures around the main
entrance. In 1980 the financial
aspect of the renovation of the
mangasina was finally completed.
The Dutch government agreed to
pay 73% of the costs and for the
remaining 27% several sponsors
were found. The renovation was
concluded in 1982 after which
communication was started with
the archaeological section of the
department of Culture to design a
permanent expo in this building.
The plans for the entire open-
air museum project were so far
developed in the early 1980’s
that a new foundation, solely
to support this initiative was
considered desirable to ensure the
sustainability of the museum in
the future. This idea would never
crystallize.
Christoffelpark corner
happened causing the growing
visitor numbers to decrease by
almost 80% because of the rain
itself and the worn down roads it
caused.
Various infrastructural
improvements were added to the
park, like a deer observation tower
Heavy rains have been responsible next to the experimental deer
for small disasters in the park
sanctuary, an observation platform
during its entire history. In 1981
to overlook the Northern coast,
200 mm of rain in 30 hours
signs with information, a cactus
destroyed parts of the roads in
garden, and much more.
the park and the fence. 1999
was another year in which this
To be continued...
More of the history of Christoffelpark will be included in the next
newsletter.
“All car routes are paved since 2006.”
Picture by: M. da Costa Gomez
30-year anniversary celebrated with successful OPEN HOUSE on July 6!
To celebrate the 30-year
anniversary of the park with the
entire community we organized
an OPEN HOUSE on July 6. The
attendance was superb, more than
500 people visited the park on this
day to participate in the various
activities we organized. Especially
the 1-hour pickup safari was a
huge success, about 81 people
joined us on this tour. We had
to disappoint almost the same
amount of people because all the
tours were full.
Of course there was time for
cake and champagne after brief
speeches by the manager of the
park Mrs. Michelle da Costa
Gomez, the chairman of Carmabi
Mr. Norbert Chaclin and the
commissioner of Economic
affairs and tourism Mr., Eugene
Rhuggenaath. To reflect the
tradition of celebrations 30
years ago, we unveiled the
new Christoffelpark sign at the
entrance of the park informing
visitors about the several activities
offered in the park.
The positive reactions were
overwhelming. We are therefore
planning to make the open house
a yearly event.
7
Christoffelpark corner
New land cruiser sponsored by Percy Henriquez Fund and Garage Cordia- Toyota
Pickup safari’s infrastructure
has improved considerably this
May. Finally, after the hard work
of our personnel, we were able
to fund the purchase of a new
Toyota Land cruiser Pickup
for the activities department in
Christoffelpark. Thanks to the
friendly and cooperative personnel
of Garage Cordia- Toyota who
arranged the sponsoring of part of
the amount and the considerable
funding by the Percy Henriquez
Fund, we bought the pickup in
May. On the 22nd of May we
proudly received the keys of the
car.
Of course we baptized the car
immediately by organizing
a pickup safari for the
representatives of Stichting
Doen on Saturday the 24th of
May. (Read more in the article
“Stichting Doen visits Carmabi”).
The actual baptizing with
champagne and the park personnel
was done on Monday the 26th of
June.
With this new car we can now
provide pickup safaris and Deer
Spotting Sunset Tours for larger
groups in greater comfort. Our
first clients were indeed very
enthusiastic.
We like to thank the Percy
Henriquez Fund and Garage
Cordia-Toyota again for their
generous help in acquiring this
vehicle..
Stichting DOEN visits Carmabi
In the week of May 19th,
representatives of Stichting Doen
from Holland visited the Island of
Curaçao to see the several projects
Stichting DOEN has sponsored on
the island over the past years.
In the 1990’s, Stichting DOEN
together with a special action
organized by cabaretiere Freek
de Jonge assisted Carmabi/
Stinapa financially to expand the
Christoffelpark with the purchase
of the Jeremi plantation house and
ajoining grounds, that represent a
great ecological value.
During their visit at Carmabi they
enjoyed a kayak trip together
with Mr. Dolfi Debrot and Mr.
Leon Pors. A few days later they
joined us on a Pickup Safari in
the Christoffelpark in which they
were able to see the Jeremi area.
New promotion film and new park introduction movie launched!
“Martine while filming Boka Grandi.”
We were very proud to launch
two new promotional products for
Christoffelpark during the Open
house on July 6th.
Martine Ligthart, intern at
Carmabi from February to June
2008 worked very hard to produce
a new Christoffelpark promo film
which will be used for marketing
purposes in hotels and on local
television. Martine wrote the
8
script, filmed almost all the
necessary footage, edited the film
and made a beautiful 1.5 minute
promo film which gives a splendid
impression of the attractions the
park has to offer.
At the same time in February
Danielle Henriquez worked on a
new introductory slide show for
the front desk of the park. In the
past, a slide presentation about the
flora, fauna and other attractions
in the park gave visitors an idea
of the many things they could
expect and do in the park. This
presentation however stopped
showing in the park a couple of
years ago.
Many visitors asked for more
explanations in recent years and
we decided to produce a new slide
show/film with information about
the attractions, activities, flora,
fauna and geological formations
in the park. Danielle was on the
Christoffelpark corner
island, and wanted to do volunteer
work for exactly this kind of
project.
The slide show/ film is finished
in English and gives visitors
the information as described
above, but also states some basic
regulations for visiting the park.
We showed the presentation to
a pilot-group, after which some
improvements were made by
Danielle. At the end of July the
presentation will officially be
launched and showed daily at the
front desk in the park.
“Danielle and Amrita in Christoffelpark.”
New activity maps and hiking brochure!
Everyone looking for clear
information about the several
activities which can be done in
Christoffelpark can now do so
by looking at the new colorful
activity maps at the main entrance
of the park (soon on our website
www.carmabi.org too).
Our intern Martine, besides
making a promo film, together
with interns Amrita de Vries and
Esther Stuij designed the activity
map consisting of activities for
both individuals and companies
looking for team building
activities or just simple personnel
outings.
Ask for it at the front desk!
Esther and Martine also worked
on a new hiking brochure for
one of our longer hiking trails
called the Long Deer Trail or
Red trail. This full color brochure
is available at the front desk on
request and costs Nafl.5.
Things to do in Christoffelpark in the coming months!
Date
Activity description
July 27th, August 3rd, SPECIAL: 1-hour pickup safari for Nafl.10 at
August 10th 2008
9.00 & 11.00 AM and 13.00 PM
Every Saturday
Guided hike to Zorgvlied & Rooi Beroe
starting at 08.00 AM $15 pp, special prices for
locals and students
Only on request
Orchid trail hike with guide
Sundays
Starting at 07.00 AM for small groups.
Entrance fee and Nafl.75 for guide
August/ September/
Special activities will be announced later
October, November
December 12th 2008
International day of mountains: Full Moon
Christoffel Mountain Climb
Reservations?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Reservations can be made by calling Mr. Cyrill Kooistra at 540-3604 or 864-0363 or by mailing info@
carmabi.org.
9
Savonet Museum
Savonet Museum The sounds of restoration are in the air!
“Signing the restoration agreement in April
2008.”
“The roof on the “Kas di Vitó” from the inside on July 15 2008. The new window panes
can be seen on the side.”
Picture by: Michelle da Costa Gomez
“The roof on the “Kas di Vitó” on July 15
2008.”
Picture by: Michelle da Costa Gomez
We are happy to report, that the
restoration is in full swing. Henk
Langenfeld, a skilled restoration
specialist, has claimed a parking
lot for his beloved Citroën
Mahari, a one of a kind collectors
item. As the representative of
Willemstad N.V. he oversees all
building en restoration activities.
He is easy to spot on the premises,
because his spectacular moustache
can not be overlooked.
Already the roof of the “kas di
Vitó” has been restored to its
former glory. This roof now looks
wonderfully authentic, because
still intact former roof tiles of the
landhouse could be re-used.
A project like this always raises
difficult authenticity issues. On
one hand one would, for example,
like to maintain most original wall
plastering. On the other hand, the
structure of these walls is such,
that continuous maintenance used
to be, by necessity, a way of life
in old times. Actually, what is
being done now is condensing
all maintenance tasks that should
have been performed in the last
decades, but weren’t, into one
year. Rest assured, this restoration
project is one with utmost
care to maintain the building’s
authenticity. Gerda Gehlen
of the “monumentenbureau”
and Michael Newton of the
“monumentenfonds” have
declared it their holy mission to be
vigilant like sharks. This results
sometimes in funny arguments
between them and Henk (mostly
funny for bystanders, they
themselves are without a doubt
dead serious).
Rose Mary Allen and Helma
Maduro finished their analysis of
a study regarding the oral history
10
of life on and around Savonet.
On the basis of several interviews
with (former) inhabitants of the
Savonet region, all of the blessed
age of 80+, a comprehensive
document was produced to
assist in the implementation of
the museum. The amount of
valid scientific information is
increasing, so now transforming
this information into an interesting
and enlightening museum
implementation comes into play.
Additionally, the new inhouse video studio is installed.
This studio will play a vital
role in producing all the short
documentaries that will help
visualizing the ways of life in
the past, as well as the natural
environment on the Island.
One room at Carmabi at Piscadera
is transformed into, what looks
like an ossuary - a bone storage.
A freezer inside this room holds a
multitude of deceased animals. All
road kill, by the way. The reason
for this macabre situation is the
fact, that a decision was made to
display reconstructed skeletons
of representative animal species
in the museum. Why? Because
skeletons show beautifully that all
vertebrates must be related to each
other. If one compares a skeleton
of a deer with one of a bird, or an
iguana, or even a human, the basic
design clearly looks the same.
This observation is directly in line
with what will be the underlying
theme of the Savonet museum:
inter-dependency; every living
element on the Island, including
the human species, depends on the
others for it’s survival, in the past,
right now and in the future.
Marine Park Visitor Center
Mangrove Eco Kayak Tours
After careful planning and testing
sessions we proudly launched a
new activity of the Marine Park
Visitor Center on Wednesday
July 9: the Mangrove Eco Kayak
Tour. Ryan de Jongh, of course
the most well known kayakker
on the island since his November
2007 Challenge during which
he kayaked around the island in
less than 34 hours, together with
Leon Pors of Carmabi organize
this activity from the Carmabi
headquarters at Piscadera.
We offered the trip during the
entire summer vacation at an
introductory discount price of
Nafl.25 a person. The kayak
tours will be offered every
Wednesday at 16.30 PM at
Carmabi. Participants get a short
presentation before the actual
kayaking, in which attention is
given to mangrove ecosystems
and what participants should look
for to have an exiting wildlife
observation trip. Instructions
are given about how to handle
a kayak after which it is paddle
time.
The entire tour, including
presentation, takes about 3 hours
and participants get reusable water
bottles during the trip and fruit.
Reservations are necessary and
can be made by mailing a message
to info@carmabi.org of by calling
Ryan at (5999-561-0813) or Leon
at (5999-569-8811).
After the summer vacation,
starting August 13, Prices for the
kayak tours will be as follows:
-
Adults: US$35 pp
-
Kids (12-17 years) US$25
pp
-
Reduced prices apply for
citizens of Curaçao
Presentations
We are now prepared for marine
related presentations for a wide
scale of groups.
We gave a presentation for
the OTC (Opleiding Toerisme
Curaçao) during which we talked
about sustainable tourism. This
presentation was a preparation for
a project which was executed last
May that included a Beach Clean
up, and the definition of golden
rules which will be presented to
the Curaçao Tourism Board.
Also presentations were given
to other organisations like
Vespucci College and Diveshop
Ocean Encounters. In the last
presentation we really focused on
reef ecology.
As of now the presentation themes
we provide include the following
themes:
-
the role of the Marine park
and its Visitor Center.
-
General reef ecology
(introduction to the
tropical coral reefs of
Curacao and their
inhabitants)
This list is growing every day and
at the moment we are working on
the following themes:
-
The secrets of corals
and sponges (coral and
sponge biology)
-
More reef invertebrates
(mollusks, echinoderms,
crustaceans, segmented
worms)
-
Life-style of fish (fish
behavior and survival
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“Brain coral and brittlestar.”
Pictures by: Mark Vermeij
Marine Park Visitor Center
-
strategies)
Mangroves (the green
coast guards)
Official opening Visitor Center
On Saturday the 17th of May
we officially opened the Marine
Park Visitor Center. The products
have arrived and the shop is open.
The small but cozy shop now
offers products such as postcards,
several books on nature above and
below the water surface, T-shirts,
caps, necklaces for children,
posters and much more.
The official opening was attended
by the commissioners Eugene
Ruggenaath of Economical
Affairs and Mrs. Alcala-Walle
of Education together with the
deputy Governor of Curaçao Mrs.
Magali Jacoba and the chairman
of Carmabi mr. Norbert Chaclin.
After the opening it was time
for Ryan de Jongh to baptize the
new kayaks that were purchased
to start offering ecological
kayak tours. With this action we
closed the Carmabi Clear Water
Challenge 2007 and launched the
Challenge of 2008.
The pictures give an idea of all the
activities that were organized on
this day, such as boat trips, kayak
tours, snorkel trips, and of course
the Center itself.
We are still looking for volunteers
who would like to work in the
Visitor Center a couple of hours a
week (selling products and giving
information). Please contact us
for more information. Of course
volunteers will receive a free
training about the marine life of
the island.
Reef clean ups
CARMABI and the Curacao
Marine Park joined forces with the
U.S. FOL, 429th Expeditionary
Operations Squadron, and
DiveVersity dive shop to end
2007 with a successful Christmas
reef clean up at Piscadera Bay.
85 volunteers spent a combined
510 hours underwater, to remove
almost one ton of debris including
a large number of tires from
the reef in front of the Hilton
Hotel. 2008 was welcomed
with a second reef clean up, this
time joined by students from
the University of Illinois, who
collected a significant 400lbs
of debris. The students were so
inspired by this clean up, that
they returned to Illinois and set up
their university’s first Reef Clean
Up club. The most recent reef
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clean up, March 8th 2008, was
again a great success with over 35
volunteers helping out.
For information on upcoming
events and volunteering for future
reef clean ups, please contact us
at: info@carmabi.org.
Don’t worry if you are not a diver,
there is enough work we need
help with on shore as well..
CARMABI and the U.S FOL
would like to thank Floris Suites
Hotel, Amstel, DiveVersity shop
and Selikor for sponsoring these
events and Telecuraçao for t.v.
coverage.
CARMABI news
Introducing Dr. Mark Vermeij
Last June we welcomed Dr. Mark Vermeij as a new member of the
Carmabi staff.
Mark took over the scientific department of Carmabi and will be
working on the development of academic programs and courses as
well as on improving the scientific laboratory of the institute, and the
interaction with foreign scientists who come to the island for a wide
variety of projects.
Take a look at his Biosketch to get an impression of him.
BIOSKETCH: Dr. Mark
Vermeij
Vermeij was born in the
Netherlands in 1973 and studied
marine biology. For his studies he
did two internships on Curaçao
in 1995-1997. After these he got
his doctorate at the University of
Amsterdam on the thesis
“Evolutionary Ecology of the
Coral Genus Madracis”, in
which is described how coral
species came to exist. This
research (1998-2002) was also
conducted on Curaçao. In 2002
Vermeij started working at the
Rosenstiel School for Marine
and Atmospheric Science at the
University of Miami (USA).
During this period he principally
worked on the factors that
determine the survival of coral
larvae on the reef and for them
to subsequently grow in larger
colonies.
Similar studies were also done in
Indonesia, Haiti, Bahamas,
Japan and again the Netherlands
Antilles.
After Miami, Vermeij traveled to
Maui in 2005. Here he managed
a marine biology laboratory for
the University of Hawai’i on the
island of Maui. He studied the
effects of algae on corals and
the influence of microbes on the
health of Hawaiian coral reefs. A
close cooperation with the local
government and fishermen was
started to work on the protection
of Hawaiian reefs.
And now Vermeij is back on
Curaçao to support the scientific
program of Carmabi.
Plans are to make Curaçao a
center for high quality research
focussing on several marine
ecosystems that are found on
Curaçao.
Director Mr. Adolphe (Dolfi) Debrot receives prestigious Cola Debrot Prize!
Carmabi director Dr. Adolphe
(Dolfi) Debrot received the
prestigious Cola Debrot Prize
last May 4th. This year the Cola
Debrot prize was destined for
scientific endeavors. The entire
scientific oeuvre of Dr. Debrot
resulted in an unanimous decision
by the committee who decided
to hand the prize to Dr. Debrot.
He received the prize consisting
of a special pin, certificate and a
financial amount during festivities
at the house of the Governor of
Curaçao.
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CARMABI news!
The genesis of the “Clear Water”
Some time ago, we were officially
appointed as caretakers of a 14meter long “peñero”, a wooden
vessel originally used for drug
trafficking. This vessel was
captured and confiscated by the
coast guard, after which the public
prosecutors office honored our
request to give this piece of art a
new home. The coast guard code
name for this vessel was “Fred”,
but this boy name did not really
strike our fancy. Therefore we
now work to rename the “Fred”
the “Clear Water”. It should be
obvious where the inspiration for
this name came from!
The hull is still in great shape, as
the vessel has been constructed
like a tank: thick hardwood
frames are bolted together
with huge stainless and dynel
bolts, in other words: virtually
indestructible. It is unfortunate
that this display of workmanship
was used for illegal activities.
Originally it carried 4 outboard
engines, 2 of 200 Hp and 2 of
115! The top speed must have
been impressive. We will only
retain the 2 200 Hp’s,
We already patched some minor
dents, painted the hull, and are
now in the process of building a
new console and a sunroof.
If all goes well, the “Clear
Water” will start its new life in
a month or so, and will then be
used for sunset coastal trips, dive
excursions and other fun activities
we can think of. It is so big, it
can easily carry 25 people, so
using the “Clear Water” we hope
to introduce groups of all ages
and interest to the wonders of the
marine and coastal environment.
Stay tuned for more info on the
official baptizing event, and the
future trip schedule.
JOB advertisement!
Carmabi is a foundation on the island of Curacao and is active in nature management, scientific research and environmental education. The foundation is currently in a process of growing financial independence. The director and his
management team is assisted by a new, involved and resourceful board.
Carmabi is searching for candidates for the post of
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Candidates need to have the following requisites:
- Higher administrative education (SPD1 and 2)
- Several years of experience in the management of a financial department in a commercial environment or a
managing administrative post in an accountants office.
- Strong analytical, communicative en management capacities
- Critical, independent and pro-active hands-on personality
- Speaks Dutch and English fluently, Papiamentu and Spanish are desired.
- Affinity with the objectives of the Foundation
We offer beneficials in accordance with the importance of the post.
For more information about the job description you can contact the treasurer Mr. Peter Bongers by phone in the evenings between 19.00 and 21.00 hrs. on 747 3978. Please send your application letter to Carmabi, to the attention of
Dr. A.O. Debrot, director. Address: Piscaderabaai z/n, P.O.Box 2090, Curacao (Dutch Antilles) or e-mail:
adebrot@cura.net.
Your application will be handled with the highest confidentiality!
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Education
Joint efforts FMS and Carmabi produce a second book for schools
In 2007 the joint efforts of
Fundashon Material pa Skol
(FMS) and the educational
department of Carmabi produced
the book “Bestia ku ta duna
rel”, written by Michelle da
Costa Gomez en Leon Pors and
photographed by Leon Pors and
Peter van der Wolf. This book
provided insight information on
several animals on the island,
which normally give people “the
creeps”. We focussed on animals
like lizards, snakes, wasps and
other creatures, that are all
perceived as nasty on the island.
Professionals at FMS corrected
the Papiamentu language and
directed the design and layout of
the books.
In May 2008 the second book in
the series was finished titled ”Kas
den Mondi: Kon e bestianan ta
biba?” also written by Michelle da
Costa Gomez and Leon Pors and
photographed by Peter van der
Wolf and Leon Pors. This book
gives insight information on the
“houses” animals live in, in the
wild. We focused on animals like
the white tailed deer, the yellow
oriole, bats, wasps and hermit
crabs. All animal descriptions are
accompanied by pictures, which
focus on the “housing” features.
Both books are specially made
for the 5th and 6th grade of the
Foundation Based Education and
provide teachers colorful and
informative materials to work
with. We are currently working
on the background information
collections and activity guides for
teachers to expand the stories in
the books and provide them with
tools to design complete lesson
plans on the themes.
“Bestia ku ta duna rel.”
We would like to thank the
positive, talented and very helpful
team of FMS from the bottom
of our hearts. Thanks to your
efforts it was possible to make this
project happen.
We especially send our thanks to
Mrs. Irene Dick, director of FMS,
Mrs. Eva James-Warrington and
Mrs. Lisette Sambo.
Together we can make wonderful
things happen. And there is more
to come!
“The new book front and back.’”
News in a flash!
- Our educational team was present at the 2008 edition of the Kids City Festival in Rustenburgh. Of course
the ever present white tailed deer skeleton was the “star” of our stand, closely followed by the whipsnake,
which the children could touch under supervision of one of our guides. A quiz about local nature provided
children with an opportunity to win a pickup safari in the Christoffelpark.
- Preparations are being made by our educational department to start the school year 2008-2009. We are
working on several educational materials and lesson plans. Our team will start visiting schools in the
third week of August and register all groups for our educational programs in Christoffelpark, Daaibooi and
Kabouterbos, and of course the school visit programs.
- We are looking for semi-volunteers to assist us whit the variety of educational programs we offer to
schools and the preparation of new programs and educational materials. It is important that interested persons speak good Papiamentu and it would be nice if Dutch is also well spoken. Mail to info@carmabi.org.
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We are looking for pictures!
We are looking for underwater pictures to include in our presentations,
newsletters and brochures. Do you have a beautiful picture and you want
to see it published, please mail us at info@carmabi.com
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