Robinson ONeal Memorial Primary Schools International Coral Reef Project 2005

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Robinson ONeal Memorial Primary Schools
International Coral Reef Project 2005

• Repairing The Savannah Beach
• Snorkeling Trail Other Environmental Projects

www.robinsononeil.com/coral.htm
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In early 2005 ROMPS started to seek out
International Partners to study coral reefs
around the world

• Currently we are working with two main
  International Partners
• The Eshkilot Pais Primary School in
• Eilat Israel
• The Mayaro Government Primary
• School, Pierreville, Trinidad

Photo of Vigin Gorda Anegada taken from the
International Space Station
We are also working closely with Jean Michel
Cousteaus Ocean Futures Society UNESCOs
Sandwatch Project
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We also decided to repair the Savannah Beach
Snorkeling Trail on Virgin Gorda

• The Trail was built in the mid 1990s and is
  composed of 10 concrete markers with plastic
  informational plaques depicting creatures
  commonly found on the Reef

• The Trail was originally
• designed to guide educate users on the reef

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Unfortunately the Trail is now almost invisible
under years of marine growth

• With the permission of The BVI Ministry of
  Fisheries Conservation, ROMPS students decided
  to try and clean the plaque markers of their
  accumulated accretions

The Snorkeling Trail Map, currently weathered
illegible
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Sunday May 8th, 2005

• ROMPS Students meet at Savannah Beach to
  begin exploring and repairing the snorkel trail

Some Members of ROMPS Explorers Club
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Our Special Project Tools
We used specially designed PMDs (Plaque
Maintenance Devices) to gently remove thick
marine growth from the trail markers.
As a bonus the PMDs can also be used as BBQ
spatulas!
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Searching for Trail Markers

• The Search Begins!

Look a marker! --
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First Marker is Found!

• The Trail markers are
• Scattered widely all over the reef
• They are also almost invisible under their coat
  of sand, coral and other growths

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Students Begin Cleaning

• Our Trusty PMDs are used to clean markers

dirty-
- cleaned
Students cleaning Marker
Marker Half Cleaned (notice growth on left side
of Plaque)
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The Markers Are Cleaned!

• With some scrubbing you can read the plaques!

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Students Working Underwater

• Students loved working underwater

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Some Creatures Encountered

• We are pleased to report we found
• A small Loggerhead Turtle
• A Southern stingray
• Lots of yellowtail snapper
• Sargeant Major fish
• A big school of Blue Tangs (left)
• Purple Sea Fans
• Queen Angel Fish
• Squirrel Fish
• And lots, lots more!

All photos actually taken on Savannah Beach Reef
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Mission Accomplished!
Plaques can now be read!
Taking a well deserved Ice Lolly Break
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Still To Be Done

• Of the 10 Trail Markers we found cleaned six
  (6)
• Plus the Trail Map has to be repainted

So we still have some work to do!
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Some of our other Environmental Projects
International Partners

• ROMPS Explorers Club is working with schools,
  scientists and environmental organizations all
  over the world!

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Cousteaus Ocean Future Society

• Dr. Richard Murphy, Director of the Ocean Future
  Society has been a great help to our projects

Jean-Michel Cousteaus Sustainable Reefs
educational package has also been an invaluable
tool
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Cousteau Scientist Visits

• Dr. Richard Murphy, Director of Cousteaus Ocean
  Futures Society visits ROMPS to meet students
  who have learned so much in working on reef
  projects globally

• Grade 6 student, Saskieya Buckley presents Dr.
  Murphy with a copy of our Science Fair Reef
  Project Presentation

See www.robinsononeil.com/cousteau.htm for visit
details
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Field Trip to Anegada

• On March 2nd, we had a field trip to Anegada to
  find out about the unique plants animals that
  are found no where else in the world.
• To find out more go our dedicated Anegada
  website
• www.robinsononeil.com/anegada.htm

British Botanist Dr. Colin Clubbe starts our
Anegada walking tour
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Kew Gardens botanist gives tour

• Dr. Colin Clubbe of the Royal Botanical Gardens,
  Kew gave us a walking tour of Anegada and many of
  the unique plants found only on the island.

Dr. Clubbe shows students how to use a GPS
Dr. Clubbe demonstrates survey techniques
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UK Marine Biologist Visits

• Dr. Andy McGowan from the University of Exeter
  (UK) recently dropped by ROMPS to tell us about
  his sea turtle project on Anegada

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Radio ROMPS is on the Net

• ROMPS students interview marine biologist Dr.
  Andy McGowan about his sea turtle research for an
  on-line radio broadcast!

You can listen to the interview by going to
www.radiowaves.co.uk/default.asp?lngStoryIDlngSi
teID488
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UNESCOs Sandwatch Project

• This is a project that encourages students all
  over the Caribbean to monitor and observe a local
  beach over the course of a year.
• We are working with schools in 16 countries on
  this project!

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Our Trinidad Partner

• We are currently working with Mayaro primary
  school in Trinidad on observing measuring
  environmental changes of local beaches, over the
  course of a year.
• We post our finding on our schools website
• www.robinsononeil.com

The staff students of Mayaro Government Primary
School, Pierresville, Trinidad.
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Our Israeli Partner

• We are working with Eshkilot Pais Primary in
  Eilat, Israel.
• Their local coral reef in the Red Sea has been
  damaged by pollution so we are comparing our BVI
  reefs with theirs to detect any early warning
  signs of trouble

Teacher Dan Ofris Proyekt Metsyanim students
pose by the shores of the Red Sea in Israel
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Our Partner on Zanzibar

• Our latest partner school is the Chukwani School
  on the island of Zanzibar off the coast of East
  Africa (Tanzania).
• They are working with their coral reefs and want
  to work with us on Sandwatch too.

Teacher Khalfan Hassan and his Chukwani Coral
Environmental Club, on Zanzibar
See www.robinsononeil.com for details
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Remember
Studying the Environment is FUN!
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• Robinson ONeal Memorial
• Primary School
• Science Fair Project, 2005

Restoring The Savannah Bay Snorkeling
Trail Other International Environmental Projects
With Special Thanks to VISAR, The Ocean Futures
Society, UNESCOSs Sandwatch Project, The Royal
Botanical Gardens Kew and The Darwin Project,
Anegada