CEI is now on Google Street View!

The Cape Eleuthera Insitute is excited to announce the launch of CEI Street View!  You can now take virtual tours of The Island School, Cape Eleuthera Insitute, and Center for Sustainable Design campuses, as well as iconic locations around the Cape as if you were there!   To move througout the tours, pan around the “photosphere” and click on the hovering arrows or circles located on the screen.

IS Street view

The Island School Campus Tour has six locations throughout the tour: The Flag Circle, Entrance, Boathouse, Dining Hall, Boy’s Dorm, & Boy’s Dorm Beach.
Cape Eleuthera Institute has four locations: CEI Entrance, The Wetlab, CEI Walkway, & Hallig House.
The rest (DCSM, The Sand Bar, The Offshore Aquculture Cage, Cathedral Rock, Scuba Class on the Cobia, and Weirda Bridge) can be found on main Island School profile page on Google Maps.
Click to see what it's like to dive The Cage!
Click to see what it’s like to dive The Cage!
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Final weeks, final research with the Gap Year students

Gap Year students after completing their annual triathalon
Gap Year students after completing their annual triathalon

The Spring 2014 Gap Year students are nearing the end of their program here at CEI. The last portion of the course is a three week internship with one of our research programs at the Institute. Below are accounts from both students on how their experience has been since joining the Sustainable Fisheries and Shark Research and Conservation Program, respectively.

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Exploring the Depths with DCMS & CEI Shark Team

The importance of scientific outreach is empirical to the goals and objectives of the Cape Eleuthera Foundation, aiming to educate and inspire the next generation of young scientists.

Friday 14th February saw the arrival of the Deep Creek Middle School’s seventh grade to the Cape Eleuthera Institute, as part of their current ‘Schools Without Walls Program’. The program allows students to experience education outside the 4 walls of an ordinary classroom, and throws them head first into aiding and studying current scientific research practices. The goal of the project is to offer an alternate learning experience in which students have the opportunity to ‘learn-by-doing’.

Fridays class lead by shark team's Mackellar Violich and Oliver Shipley
Fridays class lead by shark team’s Mackellar Violich and Oliver Shipley

Friday’s class was led by the Shark Research and Conservation Program’s Mackellar Violich and Oliver Shipley who tackled the topic of deep ocean exploration using the MEDUSA BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) Unit. The MEDUSA Unit was kindly donated by CEI collaborator and senior board member Dr Edith Widder, from the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA – www.teamorca.org) in fall 2013 for her second spell here at CEI. This specific study aims to assess the abundance and diversity of organisms occupying the great depths of the north-east Exuma Sound ocean trench, using a relatively non-invasive video technique.

Retrieving the MEDUSA alongside the Cobia.
Retrieving the MEDUSA alongside the Cobia.

The session exposed students to the different oceanic depths zones, and their associated biological characteristics, as well as an informative breakdown of MEDUSA’s components and mechanical operation. Students then travelled out on the Cobia to aid and witness the first Medusa deployment and recovery since October 2013, as well as having the opportunity to snorkel the deep-blue of the Exuma Sound.

The Shark Team plan to continue their seasonal deep-water surveys in the coming weeks, allowing for a comparative analysis with the 9 successful deployments last semester.

 

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CEI Gets a Twitter and Instagram!

The Cape Eleuthera Institute recently launched a Twitter and Instagram account!  The new Twitter account, ceibahamas, will give updates from the institute, information on research findings & publications, and serve as a news hub for marine sciences, research, and conservation in the Caribbean, Bahamas, and beyond!

https://twitter.com/ceibahamas

Check out CEI’s Instagram account, ceibahamas, for a regularly updated feed of photos and videos from our research programs and events.  You’ll find videos of sharks, pictures of juvenile lionfish & bonefish, sea turtles being caught and tagged, sustainable fisheries, and more marine life from around the Cape!

http://instagram.com/ceibahamas

Make sure to follow both to stay updated!

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A Look at Animals and Habitats with Tarpum Bay Primary

Tarpum Bay Primary Grade 1 Students arrive at The Island School
Tarpum Bay Primary Grade 1 Students arrive at The Island School

Fourteen students from Ms. Carey’s first grade class came to CEI to study animals & their different habitats.  During their field trip they explored the farm and investigated some of the plants and animals they found.  Discussion was had about how plants and animals all need basic things to survive.

The kids explored the farm and got to feed the pigs
The kids explor with Center for Sustainable Design (CSD) permaculturist, Adam Dusen

At the Wege Center for Sustainable Fisheries, they learned about the differences in marine animals by observing lionfish, conch, lobster, and tilapia.

Educational Programs Lead Teacher Tiffany Gray demonstrates how the tilapia aquaculture system works
Educational Programs Lead Teacher Tiffany Gray demonstrates how the tilapia aquaculture system works

The children took note that plants and animals live in different places and have different needs, according to their different traits.

Investigating traits of the queen conch
Investigating traits of the queen conch

For more information about the Cape Eleuthera Institute’s Educational Programs, please visit www.ceibahamas.org

 

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Sunscreen and Handling Experiments

An estimated 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen washes off swimmers annually. This can affect the ocean in many different ways. This semester the Flats Research Program at CEI is looking at how different types of sunscreen affect bonefish. Bonefish are a very important fish commercially in the Bahamas. There is a common theory in the angling world that certain chemicals, including sunscreen, can discourage fish from biting flies. The flats team would like to test if sunscreen affects bite choice of bonefish.

Seining for bonefish in Plum Creek
Seining for bonefish in Plum Creek

We are capturing bonefish from the local tidal creeks in seines. These fish will then be fed shrimp to satiation. The next day we will come back with the shrimp coated in different types of sunscreen. We will record their behavior and the amount they eat again to see if sunscreen changes their feeding behavior.

To further look at the effects sunscreen has on the bonefish catch and release industry, we are going to perform an experiment where we will exercise the bonefish for 3 minutes to simulate the exhaustion from angling, and then we will have sunscreen on our hands when handling bonefish, as anglers possibly would. We will keep the fish in holding tanks in the lab for at least two weeks to observe any lasting effects. We are hoping to share these results with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust and other journals, and encourage better catch and release practices.

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Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean (MTIASIC) Project video competition

Check out this video that Island School communications assistant and IS alumnus Will Strathmann (F’07) created on lionfish for the Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean (MTIASIC) Project video competition. The 5 minute video aims to raise awareness throughout the Caribbean and Bahamas about lionfish and what can be done to help mitigate their impact.  Please enjoy the video and eat more lionfish as we await results from the competition!

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Cape Eleuthera Institute Welcomes Eleuthera Principals

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Eleuthera principals and educators meet at CEI

In December 2013, the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI) and Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) launched The Local Schools Program which has several education programs that reach young Bahamians.  Our Local School Programs connect CEI and CSD to schools throughout Eleuthera and share information about current research projects. Through this program, young Bahamians get to understand principles of marine conservation and environmental stewardship participate in research themselves and get hands-on experience with topics covered in the national curriculum.  Students gain a deeper appreciation for their natural resources and the need to protect them.  Local School Programs support and supplement students’ experiences in school and engage a future generation of scientists, guides, and policy makers.

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Taking measurements for a queen conch midden survey

Principals from schools throughout Eleuthera and senior members of the District Education Office spent a day on campus to experience the program first-hand. The morning session was dedicated to understanding the program design and how the curriculum is built around the Bahamas National Science Curriculum which will be delivered to students as an experiential addition to lessons learned in the classroom. In the afternoon, Principals got down and dirty participating in research projects involving farming, aquaculture, aquaponics, conch and lionfish. A brief taste of some of the exciting projects researchers are involved in.

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Dissecting a lionfish

Courses are designed to reach students in Pre-K to Ph.D. and can be customized to various curricular objectives. Teachers and groups can learn more about these programs by contacting the Outreach or Educational Programs Department at CEI at 1-242-334-8552 (Danielle Gibson/Tiffany Gray/Karen Knight). Educational Programs are delivered year round on space available basis. In addition, see our website for information on Summer Camps, Summer Apprenticeships, and BESS Applications at www.ceibahamas.org

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Eating edible flowers from the aquaponics garden.

 

 

 

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CEI Researchers present at the 2nd Bahamas National Natural History Conference in Nassau

CEI presenters at the conference.
CEI presenters at the conference.

CEI researchers were busy in Nassau over the past week.  On March 4th, Aaron Shultz and Kate Kincaid attended an IUCN Red List Workshop, held at The Bahamas National Trust. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization (www.iucn.org).  As an expert commission member for several IUCN groups, Kate is regularly involved in IUCN work.  This workshop was open to scientists to come together and discuss plans for a National Red List for The Bahamas.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.iucnredlist.org) promotes conservation and is an assessment of the conservation status of species to highlight taxa that are threatened with extinction.   Species are evaluated using set criteria; this catalogue of threatened species is an internationally recognized inventory and important for conservation, decision making and highlighting biodiversity loss.

Many species have not yet been assessed and many countries are conducting national Red Lists.  A national Red List for The Bahamas can be used for conservation planning and to assess their progress towards the 2020 Conventional on Biological Diversity Aichi targets.   At this workshop, Kate and Aaron expressed CEI’s interest to be involved in the planning process and in species focus groups for sharks, corals and turtles.

Aaron Shultz presenting.
Aaron Shultz presenting.

Following this workshop, CEI researchers Aaron Shultz, Kate Kincaid and Kristal Ambrose attended the 2nd Bahamas National Natural History Conference.  This was a 3 day conference from 5th-8th March led by the Bahamas National Trust (www.bnt.bs) that highlighted the importance of research, conservation, and environmental stewardship in The Bahamas.  The conference began with an opening ceremony at Atlantis followed by 3 days of talks.  Continue reading

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First Earthwatch team assists in Sea turtle research at CEI

Team members chasing a turtle.

The first of 8 teams for 2014 were at CEI last week assisting with sea turtle research. 9 volunteers, from across America and Canada, spent 9 days collecting data from boats, on foot and by snorkeling in 11 sites across South Eleuthera. They collected vast amounts of data that would otherwise have taken much longer without their support. Using baited remote underwater video surveys for predators, they surveyed 9 sites and ‘captured’ 7 individuals from 3 different species: nurse, lemon and tiger sharks! They also caught and tagged 9 turtles, setting the record for catching 6 using the rodeo method in one day!

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Earthwatch team members with a captured turtle.

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