Rick Searle's blog
High Hopes for Nature-Based Tourism in Jamaica
Before leaving Jamaica, several weeks ago, I had an opportunity to hike through a portion of the St. Ann’s Forest Reserve near Oche Rios in the company of two men from the Hills United Development Organization (HUDO). This organization represents the interests of several tiny rural communities in the region. The two men were anxious to show me the area they hoped to develop as a nature trail with an interpretive/visitor centre.
Montego Bay Marine Park
In my previous blog, I wrote about the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park and the valiant efforts of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust to protect and conserve them. In this blog, I’d like to profile Montego Bay Marine Park and the remarkable group of volunteers who have dedicated themselves to its protection and restoration.
Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park of Jamaica
Yesterday was an awesome day! With the business meetings associated with the biodiversity curriculum project completed, I spent the day exploring the Hollywell Recreation Area within the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park with Susan Otoukon, executive director of the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust, the ngo charged with the responsibility of managing this protected area.
Glimpses of St. Lucia
As I write this, waves slam against the sand beach just metres from my hotel room in the wake of a tropical storm that passed over Barbados on its way towards St. Lucia, where I was just the day before. I’m in the Caribbean to hold meetings related to the contract that EKOS won from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to re-vamp high school curriculum to include biodiversity themes.
Re-Creation on Discovery Island: A Homage to A Flock of Canada Geese
Just got back from three days of rest and relaxation spent camping on and kayaking around Discovery and Chatham Islands which lie about an hour’s paddle off Cattle Point here in Victoria. They are an essential place for re-creation for both my wife and I. The waters of Baynes Channel and Plumper Passage can be very tricky, mostly on account of currents and wind, and accordingly are classed as requiring intermediate skills. Perhaps it is this challenge that explains why so many times we find the campground there empty or very nearly empty.
Sid Marty Does It Again with "The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek."
While in Calgary for the Canadian Parks For Tomorrow conference, I and some of the other attendees had the great pleasure of catching Sid Marty reading from his most recent book “The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Marty’s writings, He is the author of such Canadian conservation classics as “Men for the Mountains,” “A Grand and Fabulous Notion,” “Leaning on the Win,” and “Switchbacks.” He is also an acclaimed cowboy poet and folk singer.
Why did the Long-Toed Salamander cross the road?
The answer to this riddle wasn’t very difficult for Parks Canada staff at Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta, but solving the high mortality associated with the journey was. This tiny amphibian wasn’t going to change it’s route, so something innovative had to be done.
Clayoquot Sound
At the moment, I’m reclining in a makeshift bed that Di and I assembled from the furniture provided at this oceanside establishment just a couple of kilometers south of Tofino, on Vancouver Island’s outer coast. Through the open door to the patio I hear the ocean’s rhythmic sighs as it collides with the beach lies between the surf and our cabin.
Collapse of Antarctic Ice Sheets
Last night, Dr. Werner Kurz, a researcher with the Canadian Forest Service and a lead author with the IPCC, gave a presentation to my forest management class at University of Victoria. His talk focused on climate change and it’s impacts on the forests of Canada and British Columbia. During the presentation, he emphasized that much of the data used for the recently released 4th report of the IPCC is already quite dated and that new data, particularly concerning the collapse of the Arctic ice pack, is frightening, to say the least. And now this from the Antarctic. One wonders how much worse things must get before the nations of the world realize that the planet is a lifeboat on which all are dependent and that they must get very serious about reducing GHGs dramatically and quickly. This particularly includes Canada, and specifically Alberta, where the recovery of oil from the tar sands is creating an international embarrassment for those of us desperately trying to reduce our country’s carbon-foot print.
Tibet's Lithium
[RS: Just came across this thought-provoking piece from Green Energy News. Lithium Ion batteries are seen as the next “big” breakthrough for hybrid and all electric vehicles.