Mark Your Calendars!!

San Pedro Cancer Society Fundraiser:

(with the help of Miss Flora Ancona)

On Saturday, January 29th, 2011, a fundraiser will be held for Verna Reyes at the Central Park starting at 10:30am. Food such as Tamales and Rice and Beans will be on sale.

Special t-shirts depicting the San Pedro Cancer Society logo as well as a lavender cancer ribbon will be on sale at this event for $20. Members and supporters are asked to purchase a t-shirt which can be used for the cancer walk held on February 4th, 2011.

The San Pedro Lions Club

Miss Chiquitita (to benefit San Pedro Pre School):

Alta Mar Neighborhood Watch donates to SAGA

Alta Mar Neighborhood watch has taken the initiative to contribute to the community in various ways. One of the first contributions was a cash donation of $985 to SAGA Humane Society. This amount was the result of a BBQ sale held a while back. The joint decision to make the donation came about after SAGA had to cut back services to the community due to lack of funds. SAGA Humane Society contributes invaluable service to the community, and has done so for many years, so it was only fitting that they be the first recipient.

Kudos to the Alta Mar Neighborhood Watch, and once again, a big thank you to SAGA for all the wonderful services they provide to the community.

First Ever Crocodile Rescue on Caye Caulker

submitted by Cherie Chenot-Rose

For years Liz Ross has been trying to get someone to help her with her crocodile problem on Caye Caulker. Liz owns and operates the only fuel station on the island. Finally, on Sunday, January 23rd, she received some help.ACES/American Crocodile Education Sanctuary, now located on Ambergris Caye, loaded up the ‘Croc Runner’ and headed to Caye Caulker early Sunday morning. Having never navigated these waters, the 15 minute boat trip took quite a bit longer and cost Cherie (ACES biologist and First Mate) some more fingernails. Somewhere between the two cayes, all of a sudden, coral heads surrounded the ‘Croc Runner’. With Cherie sitting on the bow and pointing the way between the treacherous obstacles, Vince (ACES animal behaviorist and Captain) was able to safely get the boat to the cut. Channel markers sure would have been nice!

Arriving late morning, the ACES team of Vince, Cherie and Chris got straight to work. By noon the first croc was caught. Measuring at 5’ 7” and named “Jockey” by Liz’s daughter, the male American Crocodile was extremely aggressive. With him safely secured ACES reset the snare and shortly after lunch had caught the second smaller croc, a female this time, measuring 4’10” and now named Matilda.
The ‘Big Guy’ is about 10’ in length and eluded the ACES team all day. “We had spotted him when we first arrived and then we never saw him again,” stated Vince. ACES will need to set a net trap and spend a night or two to catch this smart croc. Without sufficient funding, they are not sure when they’ll be able to return to Caye Caulker.

ACES utilized funds from their recent Rufford grant for the rescue effort. Since the grant is for a croc population survey of the area, now that a count has been done in that area, no more monies can be allocated for the rescue. Liz does not wish to see ‘Big Guy’ harmed in anyway and is seeking in-kind donations of lodging and meals for the ACES team to be able to return to catch it before it harms someone. Liz herself is generously donating boat fuel for the team to return and relocate the large American Crocodile. “‘Big Guy’ lays under the fuel tanks at the waters edge and waits for my workers to pass to try to attack. It has already eaten several of my pets,” states Liz. The real fear is that it could attack an unsuspecting tourist who likes to get dangerously close for pictures.

Where are the captured crocs being taken? With no facility in place yet since the arson of ACES, the team is forced to just relocate the crocs to nearby uninhabited cayes. This is fine for these two smaller crocs, but the ‘Big Guy’ really should be placed in a secure habitat so that he doesn’t return or become someone else’s problem, states Cherie. While there is talk of a new croc facility being built on the mainland, it is still many months from getting started.

Anyone wishing to help, ACES is in need of: a digital camera/video, two nights lodging on Caye Caulker, meals for those three days on Caye Caulker, electric tape, duct tape, ropes, and chicken for bait. Donors for the Caye Caulker capture can contact Liz Ross or ACES at acesnpo@hughes.net or 666-3871. Your help will take a bite out of extinction!

Caye Caulker Ocean Academy Named A Finalist in Ashoka Geotourism Challenge 2010

Press Release – Caye Caulker Ocean Academy – January 24th – 2011 – The prestigious Ashoka Changemakers Geotourism Challenge 2010 is themed “Places on the Edge: Saving Coastal and Freshwater Destinations”. There were 250 entries from 54 countries; Caye Caulker Ocean Academy’s project was chosen as one of the twelve finalists. Expert judges selected the most innovative solutions for coastal, waterway and island destinations that protect the environment and strengthen the heritage and livelihoods of local residents.

The three finalists who get the most online votes by February 2nd will each earn USD $5000 for their project. Log on with your vote today at www.changemakers.com/coasts.

Ocean Academy was founded in 2008 as the first non-profit community high school on Caye Caulker (www.cayecaulkerschool.com). In addition to the Form I-IV standard curriculum, Ocean Academy offers many specialized and site-based programs. Aquatic Careers in Tourism (ACT P.E.) classes include scuba certification, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing and swimming. In the World of Work (WOW) Apprenticeship Program students can shadow a variety of career options, such as assisting marine biologists with a mangrove restoration project, coral reef surveys and beach cleanups. Other popular elective choices include Tour Guide Training, and Graphic Design. Science students research practical solutions to waste management on a small island. Instruction is hands-on, interactive, and relevant to real-life issues.

Ocean Academy’s school motto is “Protecting our Heritage, Creating our Future”. Environmental education and sustainable tourism are important studies to fulfilling that vision. Nationally, a Caye Caulker Ocean Academy student was honoured in 2009 with Youth for the Future’s Environmental Award. Locally, the Caye Caulker Village Council granted funds in 2010 for the school’s composting project and small business venture of culinary herb sales. The international panel of judges for Geotourism 2010 is very impressed with Ocean Academy’s innovative approach to education and commitment to youth engagement in Belize. They also like the school’s inclusion of the skill sets offered by voluntourists (tourists who travel to a destination specifically to volunteer).

Vote for Caye Caulker Ocean Academy at www.changemakers.com/coasts and show your support for innovative education projects in Belize. Be a Changemaker!

Aurelio Chi arrested for Obtaining Property by Deception amongst other charges

With the knowledge that the Police Department is the body charged with the responsibility to keep residents safe from harm, crooks and con artists among other duties; it was the least to say suspicious, when a male individual was approaching residents of Northern Ambergris Caye impersonating a member of the San Pedro Police Department; soliciting finances.

As this information became known to the San Pedro Police Department, officers worked diligently in following up on the situation, leading to the quick apprehension of one Aurelio Chi 35yrs Belizean Laborer of San Pedrito Area. Mr Chi was arrested in the Boca Del Rio area and charged with 4 counts of obtaining Property by Deception. Chi was additionally charged for Mischievous Act as a result of mischievously giving his name as Jose Cowo when his true identity is Aurelio Chi.