5th Year number 1 January-March 2007

5th Year number 1 January-March 2007
Biná
newsletter of the CARMABI foundation
CARMABI news
Page 3
Christoffel corner
Page 6
Education
Page 10
NEW! SUMMER COURSES on page 12
Table of contents
Editors note...
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CARMABI news...
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- Educational program reduced...
- Adopt a tree!...
- Open air museum Savonet
an update...
- ING BANK sponsors
Christoffelpark...
- Academic program...
- Sponsoring opportunities...
- New books in the planning...
- MCB BANK sponsors camera
equipment...
- OFELGO di CARIBE sponsors
production of picknick tables...
- Plan for an Underwater Park
visitors center...
- CARMABI annual report 2006...
Christoffel corner
- Activities during the entire
year...
- Opening hours...
- Autumn colors in the park...
- Special activities in protected
natural areas March-June
2007...
Education
- New volunteers in the
educational department...
- Oranje Casino sponsors
educational project...
- New lessonbox about sea
turtles to be completed...
- Frater Arnoldo’s photographic
art came home...
- News in a flash!...
New:
Summer course 2007: CARMABI
and the University of the
Netherlands Antilles...
Cover Photo:
Anolis lineatus
Photo by: L.P.J.J. Pors
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Editors note
It took some time, but here we are with the newest newsletter. As all
the faithful readers can see, quite a lot has changed in the appearance
of the newsletter.
In an effort to reach more institutions and organisations all over the
world we decided to start writing the newsletter in English instead
of Dutch. A huge change. It took a while to get accustomed to it to
be honest. But we think that it will indeed improve our ability to
get international funding for different important nature projects on
the island. Even the more so, considering the subsidy cuts by our
government.
Of course, the appearance of the newsletter will be the biggest change.
We wanted to introduce a more colorful layout with nature pictures
that can really give you an impression of the beauty of the flora and
fauna of the island.
Take a look at the colorful Anolis lineata or Kaku (in Papiamentu) on
our front page and see it up close and personal. You’ll see details, that
will leave even those that have these animal on their front porches and
see tem daily, amazed.
Of course the basic information will be as informative as usual, with
the only difference that we will not focus only on the educational
section, but will put a spotlight on all the interesting and new projects
that are developed and executed at Carmabi.
That is why we have divided this newsletter in 4 parts:
1. CARMABI news; with all the information about new projects in the
research section, sponsoring, and special projects like the adopt a tree
project.
2. Christoffel corner; with all the information about the new
developments in the park, special activities and of course information
about flora and fauna to be seen when you are there
3. Education; with all the new developments
4. Academic program; which will give you details about our plans in
this field.
11 We really hope that this “new” newsletter will give you all the
11 interesting details of everything you want to know about our work. We
want to make this as much your newsletter as it is ours. So if you have
any suggestions or questions, do not hesitate to send us an email at
[email protected]. We appreciate your feedback.
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Rests us to say that although we passed through some serious
moments, we vowed to survive and that is exactly what we are
working on!
Enjoy the reading and we will meet you again in
our next newsletter!
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The editors.
CARMABI news
Educational Program reduced!
Like we mentioned before, in our
last newsletter, a huge subsidy cut
by the local government caused
CARMABI serious financial
trouble. It is clear now that this
situation will not be reversed any
time soon.
We are in the process of receiving
a one-time-only bridge- subsidy,
which should make it possible
for us to fill the largest financial
“holes” and to start fundgenerating projects.
Although
the subsidy
for the
educational
department
is still intact,
the current
situation does
have serious
consequences
for the
execution of
the several
educational
programs.
Before the subsidy cut, various
running costs for the programs
were carried by the scientifc
section of the institute. Since
this section does not receive any
subsidy anymore by the island
government, these running costs
are not covered anymore. Think
of costs for administration, office
space, PR etc.
The biggest consequence of this
fact is that we had to decide,
after some serious brainwrecking
calculation, to stop some of the
educational programs we offer to
schools all over the island.
We specifically decided to
stop the complete program for
FO1 (kindergarten and first 2
years of elementary school)
which was always executed
in the Kabouterbos, to reduce
the production of educational
materials for schools, and to
reduce the frequency we assist
schoolchilderen with projects and
presentations.
Basically this means that we
really have to look for alternative
funding to reach our goals. An
extra mission in 2007.
It really is a pity that we had to
take these decisions, the more so
since the program was running
so well. It doesn’t discourage
us however, we will continue
the fight and we will not let this
important work go completely
lost.
Adopt a tree!
In the month of November of
last year CARMABI for the first
time started with a rare native tree
adoption program on the island.
There are several tree species on
our islands that are very rare. Of
some of them no more
than 10 individuals
remain in the wild. To
fortify their numbers
CARMABI has
been working on the
growing of new trees
and cuttings of these
plants in our nursery,
with the intention of
planting them in the
wild.
The adoption program
proved the means to accomplish
this mission. With a contribution
of Nafl.150 per tree, private
persons or organisations can
give a helping hand by adopting
a rare native tree and even plant
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it in the wild themselves during
an exciting excursion into to
the most beautiful natural areas
on the island. Under guidance
of a professional biologist of
CARMABI these expeditions
were carried out in the months
of November, December and
January, in which the trees
were planted and the adopters
received extensive information
about the islands vegetation. All
adopters received a certificate
and a lunch on the terrace of the
Christoffelpark.
As of March 2007, a total of 50
trees were adopted and planted in
different natural areas.
We hereby thank all the people
CARMABI news
and companies who showed
interest in this project, especially
mrs. E. Dankmeijer, Maduro and
Curiels Bank and Curaçao Food
Tray N.V.
But the project is not over yet.
Since the rainy season is over,
we will wait until November to
organize the next tree planting
expeditions.
During the coming months we
will be very busy growing more
trees in our nursery and we will
also be keeping an eye on the
plants that were already planted,
to make sure they survive the
coming dry periods. People who
are interested are encouraged
to adopt a tree at CARMABI.
We will register all the interested
persons and prepare ourselves for
coming November.
For more information, you can
contact us at [email protected].
Or take a look on our website
www.carmabi.org.
Open air Museum Savonet... an update!
A positive development in this
rather difficult period in the
history of Carmabi is the Open
Air Museum in the plantation
complex of Savonet.
USONA approved the project and
made the money available for
this majestic project which will
result in an open air museum of
formidable size. In the mean time
a lot of work is being done on the
preparations for restauration of
the plantation house, and the other
buildings and structures like dams
and wells.
The actual restauration will start
around the end of April/beginning
of May 2007. Simultaneously the
implementation of the museum
will be prepared.
Plans are to make the restauration
an attraction in and of itself. We
will organize several special
excursions during the whole
restauration to illustrate all the
different processes.
ING BANK SPONSORS CHRISTOFFELPARK
The Christoffelpark has just got
a big new sponsor. We take great
pride in the fact that the ING
BANK decided to financially
support us by sponsoring different
projects that are being developed
in the park. Besides a contribution
for the production of new
brochures for the Christoffelpark
shop, the park also receives an
amount of Nafl.2500 for the
maintanence of new projects
such as the playground and the
expositions in the mangasina.
We hereby want to thank the ING
BANK for its generous gifts and
we specially thank mr. Pichardo
for making this possible.
“Example of one of the new brochures
sposnored by the Christoffelpark”
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CARMABI news
Academic program
Midway 2006 (August), Carmabi
sought new contact with the
University of the Netherlands
Antilles to explore the possibility
of jointly developing academic
courses. Both parties agreed that
the opportunities for cooperation
were self evident, and that
by early 2007 a plan for joint
development of a curriculum
on marine and natural sciences
would be developed. By the end
of the year parties were already
developing the first draft of a
Memorandum of Understanding
to that extent.
At the beginning of March 2007
this Memorandum was signed
by the director of CARMABI
Adolphe (Dolfi) Debrot and
the Rector Magnificus of the
University Prof. Dr. De Bruijn.
The first courses of the academic
program will start in July 2007
with a curriculum for local
students.
On page 10 of this newsletter you
will find the details and all other
necessary information about the
program.
If you are interested in this
program, please contact mr.
Stanley Criens at library@
carmabi.org.
More information wil also we
available soon on our website
www.carmabi.org.
Sponsoring opportunities
Sponsors are fundamental for the
implementation of several new
projects and the maintenance of
structures in, for example, the
Christoffelpark.
In the pasy we randomly searched
for sponsors whithout reaching
the results we really wanted.
Therefor we decided to approach
the search for sponsors in a totally
different way.
At the beginning of 2007 we
developed a brochure with
sponsoring opportunities and
possibilities. This brochure is
handed to all possible sponsors
and will also be downloadable
from our website soon.
This document makes it possible
to effectively and efficiently
search for possible sponsors who
are willing to support various
projects we are starting in the
coming months.
These projects do not only consist
of brochures and booklets, but
also include a playground in
the Christoffelpark, a photo
exposition, several signs and
much more.
So if you are a potential sponsor,
contact us for more information
about the sponsoring possibilities.
It is worth while, since every
company can donate part of its
profits without paying taxes,
and receive presentations or
excursions in return..
New books in the planning
Several staff members of
CARMABI are planning new
publications in the form of books
about our natural resources.
In August we will receive Dr.
Sophie Petit from the University
od South Australia, who is a
leading researcher on the bats
of the island. Together with mr.
Leon Pors she will be working on
a book about the bats on Curaçao
and their ecological importance.
Dr. Petit has done extensive
research on the island’s bat
species and the interesting and
important relationship they have
with columnar cacti, a keystone
species in the island’s semi-arid
environment.
While she is visiting us, Dr.
Petit will also be working on a
popular-scientific book about the
succulents of the ABC-islands
with the cooperation of mr John
de Freitas.
In 1996 mr. de Freitas published
a popular-scientific book on the
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native trees of Aruba, Bonaire and
Curaçao.
This book, which gave extensive
information about the species
and was illustrated with several
colorful pictures was much sought
after.
However, that version was only
published in Dutch however.
By popular demand he is currently
working on an English version of
the book.
CARMABI news
MCB bank sponsors camera equipment
One of the first positive results
of our new sponsoring approach
is the sponsoring of camera
equipment for CARMABI.
We produce all kinds of
documents and materials in which
high quality nature photos are
indispensable. We mention
presentations, books,
our website, brochures,
leaflets, educational
materials for schools,
posters, postcards as a few
examples.
High quality digital camera
equipment is therefor essential
to us, and was an item in our
Sponsor opportunities brochure
which we are using to seek
sponsors.
The MCB-bank was one of the
first to react to this new style
of sponsoring approach and
sponsored the item of the photo
equipment for a total amount of
Nafl.5500.
We hereby want to thank the
MCB bank for their generosity.
You all will be enjoying the
wonderful pictures we are going
to produce very soon.
OFELGO di CARIBE sponsors production of picknick tables
Local electrical installation,
maintenance, and measurements
expert, Ofelgo di Caribe, also
sponsored CARMABI, and
particularly the Christoffelpark
by financing the production of 5
brand new picknick tables. These
will be used at several picknick
spots in the park.
We hereby thank Ofelgo di Caribe
and its manager mr. da Costa
Gomez for the generous support
in making the park a family
friendly environment.
Plan for an Underwater Park visitors center
Already more than 10 years ago
a plan for an upgraded marine
park implementation was drafted
as part of the Dive Improvement
Program of the Curaçao Tourism
Development Bureau (CTDB).
The plan received the illusive title:
“Curaçao Marine Management
Zone: a plan for sustainable use
of Curaçaos reef resources”. This
plan proposed 2 actions to be
taken for adequate marine park
management:
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the implementation of new
protection legislation. Although
a draft of a new ordinance has
been on the table from 1996
on, the process to implement
such legislation has proven to
be lengthy and sometimes even
frustrating.
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the set-up and
implementation of an Underwater
Park Visitors center. This center
should become the backbone of
the park at which the visitors will
receive all kinds of info about the
marine environment.
The second proposed action has
recently received an important
follow-up. As part of the multiyear economic program, the
Economic Service of the Island
Government considers this project
as important to the sustainable
development of the dive market,
and therefore has financed the
drafting of a project proposal to
be submitted later on to USONA
for funding.
IMD consulting has received
the honors to translate the
CARMABI vision into a viable
implementation plan within which
the long-term financial stability
of the Underwater Park will be
a key element. Their work will
be done in about 2 months time.
Although the USONA funds are
frozen at the moment, because
of the uncertainties regarding the
future constitutional structure of
Curaçao, we are confident that
funding will become available in
time. Then the Underwater Park
will get its long-awaited public
face!
CARMABI Annual report 2006
The CARMABI annual report 2006 is out and is available in pdf- format. It will soon be downloadable
from our website www.carmabi.org. The annual report gives a full overview of all the troubles CARMABI
passed through last year and all the measures which had to be taken to guarantee our survival. It also gives
you a good overview of all the activities, research accomplishments and a variety of other things that took
place in 2006. If you are interested in the digital CARMABI annual report 2006 in pdf-format please send
your request to [email protected].
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Christoffel corner
In the last newsletter we already talked about the different upgrading projects that the educational section of
CARMABI realized in the Christoffelpark. Of course there are different other ideas that became reality, and
the last couple of months we were very busy realizing these. We started working on the diversification of the
park products. We developed more structural activities in the form of hikes and pickup tours. Besides these
several special activities are organized that are only executed on designated days. One of these activities is
the Jungle tour for diehards which we organized in December 2006 and repeated in February 2007. It will
be repeated again in April. So take a look in our Christoffel corner for all the information you need about
the park and the special activities we organize for you!
Activities during the
entire year!
Pickup safari with guide
Deer Spotting Sunset Tours
In October and November of last
year we organized some fabulous
Deer Spotting Sunset Tours.
Because of the huge interest in
this activity we transformed it into
a weekly activity. Every Thursday
afternoon from 16.00 PM we start.
Groups are small and limited to
15 persons max.
In the back of our Christoffelpark
pickups we drive into the park,
first visiting the watching tower
in the deer reserve, and then drive
through the northern part of the
We have been working very
hard these last months to be
able to offer our different kinds
of visitors a diverse package of
activities in the park. zijn al een
In the last newsletter we told
you about the new carguides,
animal housing for iguanas,
snakes etc., and the interesting
whale exposition. But we have
more things for you to do and
see in the park. Since the end
of December of last year, we
offer several regular activities
that are scheduled on a weekly
basis and focus on nature in the
Christoffelpark and the history
of the former Savonet plantation
complex.
Take a look at the Pickup safari’s,
Mountain Climbs, Savonet
History tours and the Deer
spotting sunset tours. And lets
not forget the iguana and snake
presentations.
This tour is an exellent choice for
the vistors who want to see more
of the flora and fauna of the park
with all the information about
them, or those who simply don’t
feel comfortable going into the
park with their own vehicles.
Under the guidance of a
professional parkranger, you sit
in the back of the pickup and
get a truely different perspective
of the surroundings. The ranger
gives extensive information at the
different viewpoints and offers
you a better chance to spot unique
wildlife with the help of his
trained eyes.
This tour costs US$30 (nafl.52.50)
for adults and US$20 (nafl.35) for
kids between 6-12 years. The tour
takes about 4 hours and we offer
you a drink on our terrace.
Reservations are necessary and
ask about possible group options.
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park in search of the tracks of the
endemic Curaçao White-tailed
Deer.
The guides give extensive
information about these animals
and show you the interesting
details of how animals prepare for
the night.
This tour costs US$30 (Nafl.
43.75) for adults and US$20
(Nafl.35) for kids between 6-12
years.
Reservations are necessary for
this safari.
Christoffel Mountain
Climb
Climb the Christoffel mountain
under guidance and get all the
information about the unique
flora and fauna you will see
here. The hike takes about 4
hours en takes you to the highest
point of the island. With 378
meters considered to be a bump
by many, Christoffel offers
you a challenging climb. The
high humidity in the air and the
tropical temperatures cause many
visitors to stop before reaching the
breathtaking view at the top.
A pity of course.
The guide will not only tell you
all about the flora, but he will also
be your contact with the center
offices of the park and is therefor
an added safety. He will also help
you with the hardest climbing
challenges.
This activity costs US$30 per
adult and US$20 for childeren
between 6-12 years. You’ll receive
a bottle of water for the road
and a free drink on our terrace
afterwards.
The hike takes place every
Sunday from 7.00 AM at the
entrance of the park. Reservations
are necessary.
Christoffel corner
Savonet History Tour
If you like history and want to
know about the interesting aspects
of the former Savonet plantation
house, this is the right activity for
you.
This guided hike takes you along
different structures belonging
to the former plantation with
explanantions about their
functions and the truth of life on
a Curaçao plantation in former
times.
Savonet was one of the first,
biggest and most succesful
plantations of the island. We
travel back in time with the help
of old pictures of the area made
110 years ago. If visitors are
interested we can also guide you
along several structures like wells
used to sustain planting during the
dry season. After this the guide
will take you through the whale
exposition to tell you about the
natural history of these animals
that frequent the shores of the
plantation.
To roun up we will lead you to
our terrace where you can enjoy
a drink while enjoying our iguana
presentation.
The Savonet History Tour costs
US$20 per person for adults and
US$10 for kids between 6-12
years. ar ($10). We organize this
tour every Tuesday, Wednesday
and Sunday at 10.00 AM.
Reservations are welcomed.
Guided hikes
To hike along our trails with a
trained guide is alway more fun
than walking on your own. The
guide will see more with his/her
trained eyes and can offer you
interesting spottings of birds and
other fauna and flora. If you desire
a guide, please contact the park
to make your reservations. Prices
for guides start at 35 guilders
for 4 hours. This is of course in
addition to the normal entrance
fee of the park.
Presentations
On all days of the week with the
exeption of Saturdays, we offer an
extra activity to all park visitors
in the form of presentations with
local wildlife.
At 10.00 AM we will start
feeding the birds on our terrace
where you will get the chance to
make photos of these inquisitive
animals. After this we present you
with information about and photo
opportunities with the green
iguana. At 11.00 we will tell you
all about the local endemic Whip
Snake and also offer you photo
opportunities.
The hours mentioned here can
be subject to change. A sign at
the entrance of the park will give
you up to date details about these
activities and their schudeles.
Opening Hours
CHRISTOFFELPARK
Monday- Saturday
7.30 AM -16.00 PM (no admittance
after 14.30 PM)
Sunday
6.00 AM - 15.00 PM (no admittance
after 13.30 PM)
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Christoffel corner
“Autumn” colors in the park
The “yerba di glas”
The raining season is over and
we entered the “Kuaresma”
period. A season filled with hard
winds, high temperatures and
almost no rain. The effects are
already showing on the islands.
The shrubs are drying out and
many species of flora take the last
drops of rain to produce some last
flowers and fruits. Other species
start their reproductive cycle
when all those others stop theirs.
The most important being the
several columnar cacti which start
producing flowers and fruits in
high speed now.
But there are other plants also
A paper wasp visiting a flower of the
“Infrou”
richly blooming in the park like
the one know locally as “Yerba
di glas” (glass plant). The silken
purple to pink flowers in the shape
of chalices explain the name well.
Another tree known as the
“brasia” or Brazilwood is
producing its last small yellow
flowers.
Another bright flowerer is the
“Infrou” or Prickly Pear. This
leaf cactus species produces large
bright yellow flowers that produce
large amounts of nectar.
Several animals can be seen
visiting the flowers, like
Troupials, Bananaquits, Emerald
Flowers and fruits of the “kadushi”
(Candle Cactus)
Hummingbirds. bees and several
other species of insects.
But not only flowers color the
park at the moment, several trees
losing their leaves, color in bright
yellow and dark reddish brown
hues, offering beautiful views and
interesting contrasts with those
parts of the park where the high
humidity in the air makes sure
everything stays green.
It is an interesting period to
visit the park and experience the
seasonal changes that we have on
our island.
Special activities in protected natural areas March-June 2007
Date
Activity
Price
Particulars
Friday March 23 and
friday March 30 2007
Deer spotting Sunset
Tour (special)
Nafl.35 (US$20) adults
& Nafl.17.50 (US$10)
kids
Monday April 9 2007
Traddional Easter Christ- Normal entrance fee
offel climb
Jungle Tour for die hards Nafl.35 adults. Kids not
admitted
KIDS DAYS
Nafl. 35 per kid
Meeting time: 16.00 PM at park entrance.
Tour takes about 3 hours and includes a
free drink and watermelon. Reservations
necessary!
Climb with guide
Monday April 9 2007
April 11,12 and 13
Saturday April 28
Friday May 4
Saturday May 19
Friday June 1
Sunday June 10
Naturewalk Zevenbergen
for
Full moon walk Zorgvlied
Nature walk Hermanus
Full moon Christoffel
climb
Birdwatching hike
Christoffelpark
Nafl.35 per adult. Kids
not admitted
Nafl.15 adults and
Nafl.10 kids
Nafl.25 adult, Nafl.15
kids
Nafl. 20 adults and
nafl.10 kids
Nafl.35 per adult. Kids
not admitted
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Includes guides and a free drink afterwards.
Reservations necessary!
max. 25 kids. Price includes all activities,
lunch and drinks. Reservations necessary!
Guide and drink included. Reservations
necessary.
guide, snack and drink included
Max. 20 persons. Price includes drink and
watermelon. Reservations necessary
Max. 50 persons. Drink and snack included.
Reservations necessary
Max. 25 persons. Includes drink, snack and
professional biologist.
Education
New volunteers in the Educational Department
Hi Everyone,
My name is Lara
de Jonge and I
have been living on
Curaçao since the
end of July 2006.
Last January I started working as
a semi-volunteer for CARMABI
in the Educational section.
I have been a nature- and animal
lover my whole life, and I am
therefor very glad to be able to
contribute to an organisation
working on nature protection on
Curaçao and educational projects
to make people aware of the
importance of nature.
The first project I worked on
when I started at CARMABI
was the translation to English of
information brochures about flora
and fauna in the Christoffelpark.
Together with Stella van den
Windt, one of my semi-volunteer
colleagues, I also started working
on the production of lesson boxes
for schools.
In the near future we will start
developing a temporary photo
exposition for the Christoffelpark.
We already have all kinds of new
ideas for this creative project.
Besides this, we will also be
working on the development of
more information brochures for
vistors of the Christoffelpark,
focussing on the exiting flora and
fauna that can be seen there.
As you can read, there are more
than enough things to do at
CARMABI. Things I am glad to
be working on.
We will keep you posted!
My name is Stella van der Windt.
I have been volunteering for a
while now.
I started in
September 2006
helping Leon and
Michelle with
their work in the
educational section.
While living in the Netherlands
I worked as a teacher at a high
school in Den Helder for 13 years.
My husband, who works in the
Dutch Navy, got a job on the
Dutch Navy Base on Curaçao. So
we decided to move here with our
kids for a total of three years.
I am originally a physical exercise
teacher but since a couple of
years I teach biology and home
economics.
My heart lies with nature. I never
had the time to create educational
material. So this is a good chance
to start with this kind of work.
At the moment, I am making a
brochure about the shells and
other organisms you can find
on the local beaches. I make
the photos and work on the
identification of everything I find.
I started working on educational
lesson boxes about sea turtles
living in the seas around the
island. This project will be
brought to the schools in
September.
This project is almost finished.
I am fascinated by all the animals
and flowers that you can find on
this beautiful island.
Watching Bananquits trying to
nest in my daughter’s lamp, and
seeing the iguanas fall out of
trees in my garden, and my dog
Snuffert chasing them.
I love hiking, so I try to do that
once a month with a group of
women.
Oranje Casino sponsors educational project
2007 started with a terrific bang
when the Oranje Casino from
Holland donated an amount of
50.935 guilders to the Animal
Protection Foundation on the
island. This money is for different
projects that this foundation
develops and produces to spread
awareness in the community
with regards to the well being of
animals on the island.
Last year the Educational
Department of CARMABI
developed a school project called
“Domestic Animals and Care”
in which there are lesson boxes
full of materials that teachers
can use in the first grades of the
Foundation Based Education
system, and school visits in which
“The dogs are going to school!”
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we visit schools with domestic
animals like dogs and rabbits.
The Oranje Casino is making
the execution of this project
on the schools possible. Their
beautiful donation also covers the
implementation of this project
on 25 schools, which means
that a total of 60 classrooms
will be able to participate in this
project in 2007. The Animal
Protection Foundation and
CARMABI wishes to thank the
Oranje Casino, and of course its
contributors, for this marvellous
gift.
Education
New lessonbox about sea turtles to be completed
Last year we started working on a
concept of a new lesson box about
sea turtles for the 6th grades of
elementary school about. These
animals are very much in the
picture these last years and are
very popular on the island. Most
kids on Curaçao mention sea
turtles as there favorite animals.
As we had to cancel the Shete
Boka school program about
sea turtles because of financial
reasons, we thought of an
alternative program to bring the
theme into the classrooms after
all.
Interns at the educational section
made the first draft of the program
and mrs. Stella van den Windt,
finished the draft with the
co-operation of mrs. Lara de
Jonge.
At the moment we are in the
process of preparing the box
design and finishing the layout of
the materials like the lesson plans
and teacher’s guide.
If all goes well we will be able to
present the new box to you in the
next newsletter.
Stay tuned for other potential
lesson boxes as well!.
Frater Arnoldo’s photographic art came home
The Whipsnake as photographed by
Frater Arnoldo.
Last year we were honored to
receive a visit by Frater Jan
Koppens, of the “Generalaat of
the Fraters” at Tilburg. He came
to offer us a wonderful gift! A lot
of photographic material shot by
Frater Arnoldo was stored within
the archives of his organization.
Frater Maria Arnoldo (23 april
1906 – 9 mei 1981), whose
wordly name was Adrianus
Nicolaas Broeders, wrote several
educational books about the flora
and fauna of the Leeward Islands
and was well known because
of his love for nature. Frater
Koppens was of the opinion that
Frater Arnoldo’s work should
finally come home.
Last week we received a bunch
of boxes with
wonderful black
and white shots
of everything
imaginable that
local nature
has to offer.
Frater Arnoldo
Clearly Frater
Arnoldo was an
astute observer and did everything
necessary to capture the details of
what he could get in front of his
lens.
His material will surely become
part of the new Savonet Museum,
but we are thinking about
planning a temporary exhibit to
share his work with the public!
News in a flash!
~ Educational project “Domestic Animals and Care” will start in March 2007 with the assistance of the
Animal Protection Foundation (Stichting Dierenbescherming) and Fundashon Material pa Skol (FMS).
~ During recent meetings with Fundashon Material pa Skol (FMS) several ideas for new educational
projects were brought forward in the form of a learning trajectory with lesson boxes which include
different nature and environment issues crucial in the educational field.
~ Alexander van Lamoen, intern at the Coromotocollege organized a terrific learning experience for the
students from the 4th grade by embracing the UNESCO Sandwatch program and implementing it
according to the educational rules and guidelines. On Tuesday, the 27th of March, an enthusiastic group of
49 students, 2 teachers, 2 assistants and 2 persons from the educational section of CARMABI, visited
the Knip-bay to conduct investigations on the visitors, levels op pollution, sand quality and lay-out of
the beach.
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Academic program summer 2006
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