Bacalar Chico Field Guide to be launched

Long in the making, this field guide was finalized through the funding from Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Programme (COMPACT). It was an effort by many that made the fruition of the guide a reality. However, at the forefront of it was Director of Green Reef Mito Paz, had for years the dreams of printing a guide such as this one. With many great things being shaken up at Bacalar Chico, the manual came at an apropos time. With many more visitors to the area, students, professors and tourists, A Field Guide to the Natural History of Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve will certainly prove to be highly informative.

This important guide will be officially launched on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at Rico’s Bar and Grill at 3:00 p.m. All are cordially invited and books will be available for purchase then. Read more on this story in our Christmas edition of The San pedro Sun!

Gwen Lizarraga Girls & Sadie Vernon boys are basketball champs!

The Gwen Lizarraga High School girls and the Sadie Vernon Technical High School males are the national ATLIB basketball champions, after winning the two day tournament hosted by the San Pedro High School under the auspices of the Association of Tertiary Level Institutions of Belize (ATLIB) at the Angel Nunez Auditorium on December 12 and 13th. In a much heated competition, the nationals brought out seven high schools from across the country to fight for the hoops title in beautiful La Isla Bonita but only one would reign supreme.

Free throws for the Gwen Lizz team...
Securing the ball...
Nice layup in traffic..

3 point attempt ....
Sadie Vernon boys took home the net as kings of the court..

So did the Gwen Lizz Girls....respect!

In the male competition, Sadie Vernon Technical High defeated the Sacred Heart College in an exciting encounter 58-53.

In the girl’s side of things, the back to back champs of Gwen Lizarraga came in with a mind set for a three peat. And so they did! Congrats on the 3Peat!

The Sun will have more on this story in our Fridays Christmas edition of The San Pedro Sun!

Beach & Underwater Clean-up

White Sands Dive Shop in cooperation with The Project AWARE Foundation’s Go ECO – Explore, Conserve, Observe campaign has adopted a mile of Ambergris Cayes beach. The mile of beach begins at Las Terrazas/Journeys End Resort and extends Northward to Mata Grande. White Sands Dive Shop Manager Emiliano Rivero commented.” The Beach will be patrolled and cleaned regularly of plastics and glass with an emphasis placed on not disturbing naturally occurring beach wash such as sea grasses and drift woods necessary for the prevention of erosion and biodiversity of the area. We are not just cleaning the beach we are protecting it. This barrier island beach is a part of the reef system and were going to treat it with the same respect we give the corals.”AWARE ECO educates travelers about keeping natural areas pristine and encourages tour operators to implement environmentally responsible business practices. Tourism is the world’s largest industry and travelers are increasingly concerned about their destination’s environmental condition. San Pedros divers and industry leaders have a responsibility to preserve local resources they depend on every day. Project AWARE ECO Operators Such as Ambergris’s White Sands Dive Shop provides customers with experiences that enhance visitor awareness.

Holy Cross "rocks" for Christmas!

It's the Holiday Season and gift giving is in the air! Although legend says only 'bad' little girls and boys get rocks in their Christmas stockings, the staff and students of Holy Cross Anglican School were recently delighted to receive tons of large rocks!! A local businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave the School $2,810BZ to be used for land fill and suggested that rocks be purchased to provide a breakwater for the much needed sand. It was the businessman's hope that his gift would encourage more folks in the San Pedro community to share their blessings with Holy Cross which offers low tuition, fees and a free feeding program to 512 children on the Island.

His generosity has already inspired Mr. Martin Martinez of Martin's Boat Service to reduce his regular price of a boat load of rock and to volunteer his time in positioning the rocks. Mr. Martinez is shown above with several students from Holy Cross who are assisting in this project. In addition developer, Mr. Jeff Pierce has promised to fill three acres of School property as soon as the rocks are in place.

One gift can certainly inspire others and Holy Cross Anglican School is very thankful to the San Pedro businessman, Mr. Martin Martinez and Mr. Jeff Pierce. Donations of land fill, food for the Feeding Program, gently worn tennis shoes and cash contributions are always needed and greatly appreciated!!! Please contact the School Office at 226-3456 or Mr. Vernon Wilson at 610-3425 to share the blessings of this joyful season with the children of Holy Cross Anglican School.

Bush fire warnings

Last night just before sun down, the South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch (SACNW) patrol alerted the San Pedro Fire Department of a bush fire that had started in the vicinity of the WASA pond. Immediately, fire personnel were dispatched to the area and by 8:00 p.m. the fire had been completely extinguished. Members of SACNW on the scene complained that the fire began where old thatch had been dumped on the side of the road. A couple weeks ago SACNW had carried out a clean up campaign. Shortly after, members found someone dumping trash on the side of the road. This same old thatch was what caught fire. It is unknown how the fire started and who the culprit(s) were.

We'll have more on this story in next weeks issue of The Sun!