Published: 25 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - The Nature Foundation St. Maarten would like to acknowledge the remarkable contribution from Yacht Club Port de Plaisance to support the Foundation’s educational efforts in 2020. Thanks to the generous support received, the Nature Foundation was able to employ an Educational Outreach Officer who focused on strengthening awareness and education programs for local students and residents.
“We at the Yacht Club Port de Plaisance, take pride in presenting the beauty of Sint Maarten and the surrounding islands to our customers. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to an organization that loves Sint Maarten as much as we do, and hope our support helps to preserve the health and beauty of our oceans and ecosystems for generations to come,” states the Management at Yacht Club Port de Plaisance.
Published: 21 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: -The first Virtual 5k hosted by the Phi Chi Medical Fraternity of the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine raised over $1000 for the Nature Foundation St. Maarten. This event organized by Phi Chi Service Chair Julie Wancik offered prizes for participants to complete a 5-kilometer walk or run on their own time. Fifteen local businesses contributed prizes in an effort to reward participants ranging from gift cards to local restaurants, hour-long massages, and even an introduction to scuba diving courses.
“We are so thankful for the hard work of Ms. Wancik and the 5K committee to put together this event. Due to the restrictions of the COVID19 virus pandemic, it was difficult to host group events throughout the year. Having a virtual 5K was a great way to promote the foundation and help motivate the community to get out into nature and stay healthy. This event would also not have been a success without the genero
Published: 18 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - The Nature Foundation has been responding numerous times upon request from multiple concerned citizens, about a very strong sewage scent emerging from wastewater being pumped into the Simpson Bay Lagoon by Plaza Puerta del Sol. “Already in December the Foundation had visited the site multiple times and recorded a very strong sewage scent every time and even saw sewage entering the lagoon. This included small pieces of possible toilet paper and feces which were seen floating out of the pipe. The situation was explained to the management of the wastewater treatment plant, as it was evidently emerging from their system” stated the Nature Foundation St. Maarten.
Published: 14 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - The re-greening SXM project has improved the resilience of St. Maarten and successfully planted a total of 609 trees with the help of more than 192 volunteers last year. Albeit the challenges brought about by the pandemic, the project still managed to safely host 5 community clean-ups and 4 community planting events. Due to the great contribution of volunteers, the project was able to reach its successes and the following communities were left cleaner: Madam Estate, Little Bay, Great Bay, Arch Road, Illidge Road, and Cole Bay. Currently, 82% of the planted trees and plants are healthy and surviving! Besides, environmental awareness was raised among the residents and students to learn about the importance of nature protection and resilient communities.
Published: 10 December 2020
PHILIPSBURG: - The Nature Foundation St. Maarten receives funding from the Resources for Community Resilience (R4CR) Grant Scheme to execute a Monkey Management Research Project and hires project coordinator Alice Manley to execute the research. The research project will be focused on developing a durable Management Plan which can be implemented over the years (if funding is secured) to manage and reduce the invasive vervet monkeys. The research will be executed to assess the population abundance and the best ways to capture and manage the Vervet monkey population, these established methods can then be applied in the long term to reduce the population and to prevent a recurring population increase in the future.