Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank all those who supported them on their incredible trip to the Bahamas, including their families, the faculty and staff at Shrewsbury Montessori School, and the wonderful instructors and researchers they encountered at the Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute. Without their guidance this project would not exist! Sustainability at the
Island School
By Victoria Papalilo
The Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas ​
is an adventure for your mind and body. All of the programs at the Island School help students learn to push themselves and celebrate accomplishments by themselves and as a group. Some research projects done at the Island School are Conch, Deep Water, Stingrays, Fisheries Conservation, Lemon Sharks, Flats, Lionfish, and Sea Turtles. On the island of Eleuthera, there is a small supply of groundwater. To meet the school‘s water needs, rain is collected from roof runoff and stored in cisterns. The students learn to become conscious users of precious fresh water and keep track of usage rates and storage as part of their daily routine. The Island School is modeling clean energy technologies with a hybrid wind and solar system that provides much of the electricity used by the school buildings. All of the campus´s hot water needs are also met with solar technology, and biodiesel provides fuel for all of the vehicles and farm machinery. 252 solar panels, with a capacity of over 50 kilowatts, are distributed between the Island School and Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI), providing most of the electricity for both campuses. One of the things that the Island School does for sustainability is the Navy shower. Navy showers are when you turn on the water, immediately rinse your body, then turn off the water. Scrub your body and hair, turn the water back on and rinse the soap off your body. Another thing done at the Island School is conservation of toilet water. The saying we followed was ¨if it‘s yellow let it mellow; ¨If it‘s brown flush it down¨. The agricultural systems are designed to grow food for the Island School, as well as plants for ground cover, green manure, pest management, medical uses, and research projects such as biofuel production. We were excited to learn so much about sustainability at The Island School! The Secret of the Pink Sand
By Ruby Waitkevich
I remember seeing a sign saying “1 Mile to Paradise” as I rode in a van with my
friends across the island of Eleuthera. When we
arrived at a wonderful beach, I was absolutely
amazed. The whole beach was made up of pink
sand! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever
seen. Holding the soft pink sand in my hand was
breathtaking.
Unfortunately, we do not have wonderful pink sand beaches at home because
they are not everywhere. They only form in areas
with a large coral reef population. Sand is made out
of coral, broken shells, tiny rocks and calcium
carbonate from small marine invertebrates. The
pink color comes from microscopic animals with
shells, called foraminifera.
Foraminifera are single celled marine organisms with shells. The shells are
called “tests.” They are made of calcium carbonate, which is also found in the shells
of other marine organisms like coral, lobsters, and mussels. Foraminifera are not
considered animals because they do not have bodies that are divided up into several
cells, but they are not quite plants because they don’t photosynthesize like plants and
algae.
Foraminifera are classified in a group called protists. Protists are found in most
freshwater and saltwater environments. Foraminifera have a red or bright pink shell
that has lots of holes. These organisms live underneath reefs, on sea floors, under
rocks, and in caves. They are washed up on shore from waves splashing up on the
shore or by fish that knock them loose while they are feeding on them. Even though
they are tiny, foraminifera plays a major role in geologic sciences.
I think it would be great if we could have pink sand beaches everywhere!
Coral Reefs By Sofia Silva­Rosa Do you know anything about coral reefs? Well, let me introduce you to them. A coral reef is a long line of coral that lies in warm, shallow water. Corals are living things, just in case you didn’t know. They are sea creatures living in the ocean. They have different colors, shapes, and sizes. Some can be out of the water and some can be underwater. They need water that is between 68­82 degrees Fahrenheit. If the water is too salty, the coral will not survive. The sun serves as the energy source for the coral reef. Corals need clear water to let the sunlight come through;​
they don’t develop strong when the water is cloudy. ​
They have pores on their branches which help them breathe. Did you know that corals eat? They eat by catching small floating animals called zooplankton. Corals also sleep! The most important part of their growth is during the dark phase at night. ​
Coral reefs take a very long time to grow. They grow at a rate of up to 2 cm in a year. Corals grow in different shapes depending on their species. Some look like trees, brains, bubbles, and also honeycombs to name a few forms. My experience visiting coral reefs at the Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas with my classmates was the most amazing thing I've ever done. My instructor there taught me a little bit about coral reefs. I was surprised to learn how important coral reefs are and what difference they can make in their ecosystem. Coral reefs can help filter out particles in the ocean. They help fish to hide from predators by growing in different directions. They provide safe homes for thousands of species. Each coral reef is unique. The three types of coral reefs are fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and coral atolls. The world’s first coral reef formed about 500 million years ago. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef and is located in Australia. It is so large that it can be seen from outer space! Snorkeling at the island was amazing. When I looked down, the corals looked to me as if they were flowers under the ocean. There were a variety of colors and they reminded me of a rainbow! We must protect coral reefs. Some ways we can protect them are by not putting chemicals down the drain or on your lawn. Instead we can use biodegradable products. Even though we may be far from coral reefs, these products end up in the ocean and eventually will pollute coral reefs. We can also conserve water because the less water we use, the less waste water will make its way to the ocean. If you visit a coral reef, treat it with care. Do not touch or step on the coral. These delicate creatures need our protection if they are going to survive. ​
Spectacular Stingrays By Mariko Partin Southern Stingrays: Some Basic Information Stingrays are known for their stingers, but they are actually very calm creatures. They will not sting someone or something unless they feel threatened. ​
​
Southern stingrays (​
Dasyatis americana​
), belong to the family Dasyatidae. In this family, there are almost 70 species of stingrays! ​
Large fish and sharks, like the hammerhead shark, are their predators. They​
eat shellfish, worms, shrimp, crabs and small fish along the bottom of the ocean floor. Then they uncover their meal by blowing water out through their mouth and flapping their wing­like body over the sand. Southern rays can be found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and all the way to the coast of southeastern Brazil. ​
They look like large, flat, diamond­shaped disks. Their heads are not distinct from their body. Their dark­brown upper bodies and white or whitish underbellies are a camouflage for them in the sand. Females can be two times the size of males. Males can be 2­3 feet across, while females can grow to be 4 feet across! Their tail can be twice as long as their body. The Adventure: Searching for Stingrays To really know these amazing creatures, you have to get up​
​
close with them. On the last day of our trip to CEI (Cape Eleuthera Institute) in the Bahamas, we got to actually catch stingrays! The reason the researchers there catch stingrays is so they can learn more about them and also track their growth. Our leader for this activity was Dr. Owen McShea. We hopped on a boat and he drove us outward toward the shallow water. To catch stingrays, we had to find them first. Owen told us to look for dark moving spots, but most of the time we ended up spotting rocks. Once we did find one though… we had to jump off the edge of the boat and RUN. We formed two lines to make a circle around the stingray. We left an opening so the net could be there. Once the stingray was swimming toward the big net, a smaller net was brought so one of the researchers could scoop up the stingray. It was important that they kept the net in the water so the stingray could breath. When the researchers brought it to a shallow sandbar, they had to wrap up the barb so nobody got stung. Owen told us that he actually got stung in the shin before. He explained to us that the barb goes into your skin and sometimes even through it! The barb shatters and the venom enters your bloodstream. He said that it was probably the most excruciating pain he ever felt. When the barb was wrapped, it was time to measure them. My classmate Ruby and I were picked to measure them. They handed us a tape measure and gloves. It was a little challenging to measure because the water kept moving and​
​
we​
​
couldn’t see the stingray underwater. Sometimes the waves came up and I got splashed in the face! Once the stingray was measured, we let them go. We had to form two lines so the stingray knew it could swim out to the ocean. Owen told us that it might sit on our feet or swim around our legs, but we had to stand still. It ended up swimming around my classmate Arnav’s legs! When we returned to the boat, Owen drove slowly around and had us look for more stingrays. We couldn't find any though. Owen told us that some researchers had spotted a giant Caribbean whiptail stingray in the shallow water near the mangrove estuary. He decided to drive over there and see if we could find it. The only problem was that the color of the stingray that was spotted was much paler, making it harder to look for in the sand. We eventually did find one, but it wasn’t the big stingray he told us about. It was a juvenile southern stingray, similar looking to the one we caught before. This one was different though. It just floated there, not even trying to swim away. We did the same procedure ­ run, catch, and measure. But this one hadn’t been tagged yet, so they put on a tag and released it.​
​
The research team rarely catches new stingrays, so this was exciting. I was afraid of stingrays before I got to learn so much about them. Now I know they are calm and gentle creatures. BIODIESEL: THE PATH TO A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT BY YASHNA SADHU THE INSIDE STORY At the Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas, the sixth graders from Shrewsbury Montessori School got to make biodiesel and learn about it. Before we start talking about biodiesel, let’s define it. Diesel is a fuel put in engines to power vehicles. How is biodiesel different than regular diesel? Biodiesel is​
​
a biofuel intended as a substitute for diesel. Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and produces less air pollutants than petroleum­based diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and ​
biodegrades​
as fast as sugar. So where do we use biodiesel? You can use it in your diesel car. It might be a little more expensive than regular diesel but you will be helping the environment. Biodiesel is produced ​
domestically​
and its use decreases our dependence on imported fuel and contributes to our own economy. It can be used in its pure form (B100) or blended with petroleum diesel. THE PROCESS Now you’re probably wondering, “How do I make biodiesel?” Well it’s simple. Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification, where the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products called methanol (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable ​
byproduct​
usually used in soaps and other products). At the Island School we visited a small building containing large tanks. We saw pipes going from one tank to the other. It was like an assembly line, and the finished product was biodiesel. The vegetable oil used to make biodiesel is dropped off by passing ships in barrels. Isn’t it cool that the oil used for french fries and chicken is now being used as fuel for vehicles? Ruby, a Sixth Year Student, describes the process of making biodiesel at the Island School: “The process begins with a tank filled with vegetable oil. The oil goes through a funnel that cleans out any food particles and into another tank that changes the vegetable oil into methanol and glycerin.” “From there every tank had a job such as boiling the solution and removing unnecessary liquid. In the end there was a tank filled with biodiesel. The process took about one day, and it was used as fuel for vans,” Victoria adds. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT An​
incentive​
for using biodiesel is its capacity to lower ​
greenhouse gas​
emissions compared to those of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide is one of the major greenhouse gases. Although the burning of biodiesel produces carbon dioxide ​
emissions​
similar to those from ordinary fossil fuels, the plants used in its production absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when they grow. Plants absorb carbon dioxide through a process called photosynthesis. After the​
biomass​
is converted into biodiesel and burned as fuel, the energy and carbon is released again. Some of that energy can be used to power an engine while the carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere. When you calculate the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions it is therefore important to consider the whole production process and what indirect effects such production might cause such as: ●
Emissions from growing the ​
feedstock ●
Emissions from transporting the feedstock to the factory ●
Emissions from processing the feedstock into biodiesel HOW MUCH DO WE USE? So biodiesel is better for the environment and everything, but how much do we use? Below shows the world consumption of biodiesel as of 2007. As we can see, Germany consumes the most, followed by the United States, France, and so on. Biofuels are part of a growing global bioindustry because of the need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, to decelerate climate change, and much more. With a growing global population there is increasing local and global competition for land and water for food production. We need to help the environment and consume less diesel by switching over to biodiesel. Together we can make the earth a cleaner place to live. GLOSSARY Biodegrade​
: to decompose bacteria or living organisms Biomass​
: the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume Byproduct​
: a secondary product made while manufacturing something else Domestically​
: of or relating to a particular country as apart from other countries Emissions​
: the production or discharge of something, especially gas or radiation Feedstock​
: raw material to supply or fuel a machine or industrial process Incentive​
: a thing that motivates or encourages one to do something Mangrove Ecology By Arnav Mankad On our trip to the Bahamas we went to a beach filled with mangrove trees where we did some snorkeling in a warm, slow moving creek. There is so much to learn about mangrove trees. To start, they grow in the water, which is quite strange for trees, but mangroves go a step further: They grow in saltwater! Saltwater can kill plants, so mangroves must separate the salt from the water surrounding them. Many mangrove species survive by filtering out as much as 90 percent of the salt found in seawater as it enters their roots. Mangroves occur worldwide in the tropics and subtropics, mainly between latitudes 25° N and 25° S. Root systems that arch high over the water are a distinctive feature of many mangrove species. These aerial roots take several forms. Some are roots that branch and loop off the trunk and​
​
lower branches. Others are wide, wavy plank roots that extend away from the trunk. Aerial roots broaden the base of the tree and stabilize the shallow root system in the soft, loose soil. In addition to providing structural support, aerial roots play an important part in providing oxygen for respiration. Oxygen enters a mangrove through lenticels, thousands of cell­sized breathing pores in the bark and roots. Lenticels close tightly during high tide, thus preventing mangroves from drowning. One thing that really blew my mind was the fact that mangroves are the only trees that give birth to live young! Seed pods begin their growth while on the tree, so they are ready to take root when they drop. If a seed falls in the water during high tide, it can float and take root once it finds solid ground. If a sprout falls during low tide, it can quickly establish itself in the soft soil of tidal mudflats before the next tide comes in. A vigorous seed may grow up to two feet (about 0.6 m) in its first year. Roots arch from the seedling to anchor it in the mud. Some tree species form long, spear­shaped stems and roots while still attached to the parent plant. After being nourished by the parent tree for one to three years, these sprouts may break off. Some take root nearby while others fall into the water and are carried away to distant shores. I think that is really cool. There is a total of about 80 species of mangroves. In the Bahamas there are 3 known species: red mangroves, black mangroves and white mangroves. Red mangroves are the most abundant species of mangroves in the Bahamas. Each species of mangrove has at least one way to tell them apart from the others. You can tell a red mangrove from the color of the roots, but you can also look at its leaves. If they are pointed, it is probably a red mangrove. Red mangroves are sometimes called excluders because they stop the salt from coming in. For the black mangrove, you could lick the back of its leaf and if it tasted salty, you would know it is the black mangrove. The reason it tastes salty is because black mangroves excrete salt through glands in their leave. Black and white mangroves are sometimes called extruders because they force the salt out. You could also identify a black mangrove by the way it breathes. To breathe, black mangroves use parts of roots called pneumatophores, which are basically snorkels that poke out of the water. It is quite hard to identify white mangroves but if you look closely, you can see that behind each leaf there are 2 tiny bumps called nectaries which are believed to secrete sugar. Mangroves are valuable to the environment because they protect the shoreline from dangerous storms. They also prevent erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled roots. Mangroves serve as a valuable nursery areas for shrimp, crustaceans, mollusks, and fish. They provide a food rich habitat while also offering safety to the animals from predators. Unfortunately, more than 35% of the world’s mangroves are already gone. The figure is as high as 50% in countries such as India, the Philippines, and Vietnam, while in the Americas they are being cleared at a rate faster than tropical rainforests. The main reason this is happening is because of us. Mangroves are quite often seen as unproductive and smelly because many people don’t see how important mangroves are to the ocean and its inhabitants. When mangroves are cleared to make some room for agricultural land, human settlements, and infrastructure, a valuable resource is destroyed. In tropical vacation sites like the Bahamas, mangroves are often cut down for hotels and resorts. For this reason eco­friendly resorts have been gaining popularity. Maybe you could use that as an alternative destination for a great vacation. One way that we are trying to fix this is by making mangrove protection areas. These are places where people can enjoy the beauty of mangroves without damaging them. This is a great idea, don’t you think? Sadly, deforestation is not the mangroves’ only problem. Other issues including rising sea levels, pollution, and climate change. Fortunately, if we try hard we can help save mangroves. We just need to realize how valuable mangroves truly are. Lionfish
By Preston O’Connor Many people think the reason we have Lionfish is because six of them were accidentally released into the ocean from an aquarium during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. When the fish escaped, some swam north and some swam south. The northern lionfish are multiplying slowly because of the cold weather, but those that went south are multiplying every four days! In one year about 2,000,000 lionfish could result from just one adult. You might be wondering, “Why is this so bad?” It’s a problem because lionfish have spines filled with venom, so if a fish tried to eat one it would get a mouthful of spines. Another reason is because they will eat almost anything. As Cara, a researcher at the Island School, told me, “ I dissected a lionfish once and there were 20 different types of fish in its stomach.” A group in Africa took a stomach sample of a lionfish and found fifty different types of fish. Now you might be wondering, “What can I do to help get rid of the lionfish?” One way is to eat lionfish. It will soon be available at Whole Foods Market, and word on the street is that it’s pretty good. There are even some restaurants now serving lionfish. For example, in the Bahamas there's Bimini Big Game Club and the Flying Fish Restaurant. Another way to help is to hunt lionfish. The people of Eleuthera have started hunting lionfish using safe methods, and if you bring them to the Island School you can sell them for $11 per pound. Lionfish do have some predators, like sharks, cornetfish, grouper, large eels, frogfish and scorpion fish. The problem, is most of these animals don’t live in this region of ocean. Of the 12 kinds of lionfish in the world, two species are invading our oceans: the red lionfish (​
Pterois volitans​
) and the common lionfish (​
P. miles​
). They can grow rapidly to the size of 15 inches. They grow so fast that people in Florida are holding a competition with the goal of killing at least 50 lionfish. Then when you give them your fish you get a commemorative coin. The competition started May 16th, 2016 and was called Lionfish Awareness Day. Super Sea Turtles By Madeline Nebelung This past April I went with a group of sixth year students and two chaperones from Shrewsbury Montessori School to the Island School in Eleuthera, Bahamas, to work alongside researchers. On one of the days we helped the green sea turtle research team. Surprisingly, green sea turtles get their name from the greenish color of their fat and not the color of their shell. The color of their carapace (or shell) can be​
brown, gray, black, and yellow.​
Green sea turtle shells are lighter and more hydrodynamic than those of other turtles. This allows them to glide through the water, while their flippers make it easier to swim long distances. Green sea turtles can have a shell length of 3.5 feet and can weigh up to 400 pounds. They are second in size to the behemoth leatherback sea turtle. They inhabit subtropical and tropical coastal areas and are known to nest in eighty countries. These turtles can live up to eighty years. When they are young they are omnivores, feeding on things ranging from insects to seagrasses. Once the turtles are adults they are strictly herbivores, focusing on seagrasses, algae and other vegetation. A serrated beak helps green sea turtles tear through their food. You can find green sea turtles in seagrass patches. Baby sea turtles are born on land. Male sea turtles spend all of their lives in the water, but females return to the same beach that they were born on every two years to lay new eggs. When the eggs hatch at night, the baby turtles try to find their way back to the water, but some of them never make it. To find their way to the ocean, the babies follow the brightest horizon. Confused, they sometimes follow the artificial lights of houses, hotels, and other structures and can’t make it back to the water. Raccoons, foxes, dogs, seabirds, and ghost crabs can rely on turtle eggs for food. Juveniles are eaten by seabirds, crabs, and carnivorous fish. Tiger sharks prey on the adult turtles. Green sea turtles are unable to pull their head back into their shell, which makes it easier for predators to prey on them. Sadly, the population of green sea turtles is declining. These creatures have lasted millions of years, but pollution could lead to their extinction. Although sea turtles have other predators, humans pose the greatest threat. Many turtles are killed unintentionally by eating marine debris, die from entanglement in discarded fishing gear, or bycatch. Some green sea turtles suffer from fibropapilloma. Turtles are also suffering from harmful fishing practices, nesting beach destruction, and turtle harvesting. In the Bahamas before 2009, sea turtles were killed and sometimes sold for their rich meat. It was food and a valuable source of income. The Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources passed legislation that gave full protection to all sea turtles found in Bahamian waters in 2009. Now it is illegal to harvest, buy, or sell any marine turtle products. Unfortunately sea turtles are still in danger of losing important nesting grounds and foraging habitats due to coastal development. Coastal development is when buildings are built near the coastline and hurt the coastal environment. When you want to research turtles you have to catch them first. To catch the turtles on our trip, eleven people went on the net and five were in the scare line. The people in the scare line splashed in the water to scare the turtles into the net. The net was dragged in the water in a big “u” shape around a seagrass patch. We caught at least one sea turtle everytime. During one sweep we caught four. Unfortunately, one got stuck in the net and was injured. That one was never tagged before. In total, we caught ten turtles. The researchers measured, weighed, and took DNA samples from the turtles. They need to collect DNA samples so they can connect all the turtles that they have ever caught in that area to a family tree. After that, they tagged the turtles on the fins, so they can identify in the future any turtles that have been caught before. On previous trips they also measured how much seagrass was in that area and noted whether the turtles moved around from place to place. Once we had gotten all the measurements we needed from the turtles, we let them go back into the ocean to live their lives. These are the sixth year students pulling in the net. Copyright © 2016 by SMS Upper Elementary Publishing, Inc.