Now Available: Croc Pops!!

Alexis and the delicious Croc Pop

The Cotton Tree Chocolate factory in Punta Gorda has made a donation to the ACES founders, now relocated to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. After the devastating loss of their sanctuary and home last month, Vince and Cherie Rose (founders of ACES) have been working towards rebuilding their lives and of course, to continue their work with the American Crocodiles.
Helping the couple is Cotton Tree Chocolate Factory, a company based out of Punta Gorda. They have created the fun Croc Pops – chocolates in the shapes of crocodiles – which will be sold in stores in Punta Gorda and Ambergris Caye. The sale proceeds will go towards the rebuilding of ACES on Ambergris Caye. Juli Puryear of Cotton Tree Chocolate Factory was in the San Pedro Sun office dropping off some delicious treats for the staff, along with Cherie Rose and ACES friend Alexis.
The Croc Pops will be sold for $2.50 a piece, and again, all proceeds go towards the rebuilding of ACES.

Juli and Cherie

Brush Fire in Escalante

At around 11:25am on Thursday, October 7th, 2010, The San Pedro Fire Department (SPFD) received a call (via the San Pedro Police) that there was a fire underway at the Escalante Subdivision area. Upon arrival, The San Pedro Sun found the firemen getting the fire under control. According to the fire chief Jerome Garcia, the fire was getting out of control, and they had to call in a second truck to contain the fire from spreading to the homes nearby.

Mr. Garcia stated that the person who set the fire is being sought for questioning. It is well known that this person sets fires on a regular basis (burning garbage etc) in the area. Garcia further stated the public needs to be aware that fires should NOT be set within the town limits.

In the event that a fire has to be lit, the person who sets it must prepared to control the fire. Anyone who ignores this will be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

The SPFD number is 226-2372.

PACT announces $250,000 in new grants

Belize City, Belize, October 6, 2010 - The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) is proud to announce investments of $250,000 in new grants. On Wednesday, October 6, 2010, PACT awarded grants to the Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association, Friends for Conservation and Development, Restore Belize and Ya’axché Conservation Trust at a short Media Briefing held at the Best Western Biltmore Plaza in Belize City.PACT grants programme was established in 1997 to provide grant funding to our protected areas system. The following four grants have been identified as priority areas of investments by key stakeholders and the PACT Board. $100,000 will be invested in key biodiversity areas of the Maya Mountains via the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (YCT) and the Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) for management of the Bladen Nature Reserve and Chiquibul National Park respectively. This investment seeks to enforce a structured biodiversity research and monitoring program for the Bladen Nature Reserve and address the threats from illegal incursions to the Chiquibul Forest, the largest protected area in Belize.
Our partnership with Restore Belize is a unique one in that it is a one-time investment and geared to providing high school scholarship aid to many young men and women who would not otherwise have the opportunity attend high school. In addition, the efforts are geared toward affording these children an opportunity to visit our protected areas and instill in them a sense of ownership of our natural and cultural resources. The Restore Belize Programme was established in June of this year by the Government of Belize with the goal of making Belize a safe home for its residents.
Lastly, $50,000 was awarded to the Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association to strengthen their capacity for a greater level of fishermen participation in the fisheries management. The institutional strengthening of the Belize Fishermen Cooperative Association is important to us since the membership of this association utilize our marine protected areas. Therefore, by strengthening this organization they will be able reach out to over 1,200 fishermen throughout Belize and provide the necessary training in best practices.
These investments today bring PACT’s total investment since January 2010 to 1,637,069.18. PACT serves as a key partner in financing biodiversity conservation with clear and tangible benefits to the natural heritage, economy and people of Belize. As Belize’s National Trust, PACT continues to promote sustainable management and development of Belize for the benefit of all Belizeans.
PACT takes this opportunity to thank its constituents, especially its grantees, mission partners and visitors for their commitment and continued efforts to sustainably manage our natural resources.
For more information and complete list of PACT grants visit www.pactbelize.org or email info@pactbelize.org.

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38” Pelican Boat goes missing in San Pedro

Tracey Leask of Belize Academy of Diving visited The San Pedro Sun’s office this morning to report of a missing boat. The reports are that between the hours of 10:30pm Monday night and 7:00am Tuesday morning, the boat “Bad Girl” went missing from Caesar Rivero’s work-shop, located in the San Pedrito Area. The vessel was at the workshop getting some maintenance done.
The boat is a 38” Pelican Boat, white in color, propelled by two 200 Horse Power engines. The incident has been reported to the San Pedro Police Department as well as the Belize Port Authority. If this vessel is seen or if anyone has any information assist in the recovery of the vessel, you are asked to please notify the San Pedro Police Department, Port Authority, or contact Tracey Leask and or Mr. Craig Coones at telephone number 600-4753.

A smooth ride...

Drivers up north (across the bridge), bike riders, and even pedestrians, are enjoying the nicely graded roads from the bridge through to the Cloisters thanks to the newly purchased grader from Reef Village.

Every time it rains, this area gets extra muddy and is filled with pot-holes, which of course makes it hard to navigate. With the new purchase, there is a bit of relief from the bad streets...kudos!