Environment Tobago is a non-profit environmental organization founded in 1995. It has over 418 members from diverse backgrounds and professions who support its mission of conserving Tobago's natural resources through education and advocacy. While most members are locally based, it also has 153 international members, many from the UK and US. Members include students, educators, tourism professionals, attorneys and more. Volunteers have contributed greatly to ET's projects over the years through research and ideas. The organization's success is largely due to the loyalty and contributions of its diverse membership base.

1. Environment TO BAGO new slett er
E
Volume 4 Issue 4 December 2009
n vi r on m e n t TO-
BAGO (ET) is a non-
government, non-profit, vol-
unteer organisation , not ET & BPTT Launch Book and Art Competition
subsidized by any one group,
corporation or government
Environment TOBAGO
body.
Founded in 1995, ET is a
proactive, advocacy group Environment Tobago (ET) along with its sole sponsor, BP Trinidad and Tobago
that campaigns against nega- LLC hosted the launch of the book: The Tropical Rainforest of Tobago: The Main Ridge and
tive environmental activities
throughout Tobago. We the My Heritage; My Future Art Competition on Friday
achieve this through a variety October 2nd at the Mt. Irvine Bay Hotel & Golf
of community an environ-
Club. The book which was produced by Environ-
mental outreach programmes.
ment Tobago and fully endorsed by the Division of
Environment TOBAGO is Education, Youth Affairs & Sport, forms part of the
funded mainly through grants
and membership fees. These Rainforest Education and Awareness Project.
funds go back into implement- The book includes the history of Tobago’s
ing our projects. We are Main Ridge Forest Reserve and details in its eleven
grateful to all our sponsors
over the years and thank Chapters information on rainforests, functions and
them for their continued services, the various relationships between the flora
support and fauna found in this ecosystem and the many
threats, including deforestation and climate change.
The entire project outlines an education
and awareness campaign using the book, an Art
W hat’s inside Competition and the production of Reusable bags.
The project combines
ET & BPTT Launch 1
two fundamental con-
Book and Art Competi- cepts of environmental
Our new book management and sustain-
tion
Environment Tobago ability: Natural Resource Conservation and Waste Re-
2
And Wetland Eduction duction.
in Tobago The project is initially targeted to youths within To-
bago. Two copies of the book will be distributed to all the Pri-
Profiling Membership 5 mary and Secondary schools and libraries throughout Tobago
What is Ecological 7 and will be used to educate and raise awareness. The Art
Release? Competition, which was simultaneously launched, will ensure
more active participation, aid learning and use of the booklet
The Ghosts of Land Use 7 as a resource. The use of the winning entries will be placed on
Past
reusable shopping bags and its purpose is two-pronged: the
An Active Volcano and 9
Spiders
reduction of the use of plastic bags on the islands contributing Mrs. Patricia Turpin, Presi-
to less plastic waste in our environment and also to motivate dent of Environment
Book Review 10 the youths and instill pride. The reusable bags will be sold at TOBAGO,
What’s Happening @ 12 some major supermarkets and shops in Tobago.
Notes to
Mrs. Patricia Turpin, ET’s President, in her address, spoke of the need for such a
14
contributors project in Tobago and for education on rainforests worldwide. She outlined some of the

2. Page 2 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
December 2009
Editor:
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Assistant Editor:
Christopher K. Starr
Design & Layout:
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Technical Support:
Nolan Craigwell,
Jerome Ramsoondar
Nigel Austin
Enid Nobbee On the left, a student with Mr. Tyrone Kalpee (HSSE Director, BPTT) and Ms. Hema Singh (ET’s
Contributors: Education/Project Officer), on the right Mrs. Claudia Groom-Duke (Secretary of Education, Youth
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal Affairs & Sport)
Christopher K. Starr
Bertrand Bhikkary
Environment important and life-sustaining functions and services which rainforests provide some of
TOBAGO which include; its role in providing clean water, preventing soil erosion, sequestrating
Photographs:
carbon dioxide and providing a habitat for wildlife.
Environment
Mrs. Claudia Groom-Duke, Secretary of Education, Youth Affairs & Sport deliv-
TOBAGO
ered the feature address. She reiterated the Division’s full support of this project and
commended both Environment Tobago and the sponsor, BPTT for their support in
Board of Directors such a worthy initiative.
2008-2009 Mr. Tyrone Kalpee, BPTT’s Health, Safety, Security and Environment Director
brought greetings on behalf of his company. Mr. Kalpee remarked that BPTT is very
President::
Patricia Turpin proud to be associated with this project.
Vice-President:
The book costs TT$120. and is currently available at the ET office and in 2010
Kamau Akili will be available at The Hotel Association and some choice hotels. More locations will
Secretary: hopefully follow.
Kay Seetal
Treasurer:
Shirley Mc Kenna
Committee members:
Wendy Austin
ET’s Annual Wetlands Poster and Art Competition
William Trim
Fitzherbert Phillips Environment TOBAGO
Geoffrey Lewis
Bertrand Bhikkary The Renmar’s Restaurant at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park was transformed
Heather Pepe into a temporary art gallery as students, teachers, sponsors, members of the board of
Ryan Allard Directors of Environment Tobago and specially invited guests gathered to celebrate
David Antoine
Andy Roberts
the young artists who participated in Environment Tobago’s Annual Wetlands Poster
Darren Henry and Art Competition.
Also present was the Honourable Secretary of Tourism and Transportation,
Mr. Oswald Williams. Mr. Williams acknowledged the critical role of wetlands and its
contribution to a healthy environment; the same environment on which tourism de-
pends.
Mr. Sheldon Narine of the Community Relations, Corporate and Communica-
tions and Community Affairs, BHP Billiton, the largest sponsor this year, commented

3. Volume 4 Issue 4 Page 3
the importance of art as a tool for learning and commended Environment Tobago and
all the participants and teachers for their involvement in this project.
The winners are:
Primary School Category
Place Name School Prize
Speyside Anglican Primary
1st Prize Ajani Denoon $1,000.
School
2nd Prize Rheanne Daniel Pentecostal Light & Life $800.
3rd Prize Everlun Ram- Pentecostal Light & Life $500.
4th Prize Danyahow Emo- Pentecostal Light & Life $300. MISSION STATEMENT
School Prize
Montgomery Government
Primary School
Secondary School Category
$500.
E nvironment
TOBAGO
conserves Tobago’s
natural and living
resources and advances
Place Name School Prize
the knowledge and
understanding of such
1st Prize Lehron Brooks Goodwood High School $1,000.
resources, their wise
2nd Prize Afisha Trotman Goodwood High School $800. and sustainable use and
their essential
3rd Prize Lehron Brooks Goodwood High School $500.
relationship to human
4th Prize Nikese Gardener Goodwood High School $300. health and the quality of
Roxborough Secondary life
Special Prize Shakir Daniel $500.
School
Roxborough Secondary
Special Prize Kadisha Brasnell $500.
School
Roxborough Secondary
Special Prize Kedon Thompson $500.
School
Special Prize Benjamin George Goodwood High School $1,000.
Congratulations to all entrants, winners, teachers and schools for exceptional
work done. Special thanks to all our sponsors: BHP Billiton, The Division of Tourism
and Transportation, Water & Sewerage Authority, Management and Staff of Pigeon
Point Heritage Park, National Lotteries Control Board, Trinidad Cement Limited, Na-
tional Gas Company, Mr. James Morris, Management & Staff of Kariwak Village. Special
thanks to all our competition judges: Mr. Giancarlo Lalsingh, Save Our Seaturtles,
Jiselle Webster, WASA, Mrs. Desiree Hackette-Murray, The Unit Trust Corporation,
Mr. David Antoine, a member of Environment Tobago’s Board of Directors, Todd De-
noon, Buccoo Reef Trust, and Mrs. Patricia Turpin, President of Environment Tobago.
Special thanks also to the Pentecostal Light & Life Primary School and the Montgomery
Government Primary School, Mr. Rennie Anthony of Renmar’s Restaurant.
Tobago has only about 105 hectares of wetlands (1.05km2), or 0.33% of the
total land area left. Certainly Tobago was blessed with much more extensive wetlands
three hundred and fifty years ago. This was before widespread conversions for agri-
culture, that took place during the colonial era and the more recent conversions for

4. Page 4 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
residential, industrial and commercial development. The root causes of the continued
loss and degradation of wetlands have been found to be one of three reasons:
• Lack of knowledge about what exactly are wetlands
• Lack of knowledge about wetland functions and services
• Lack of knowledge of the link between healthy wetlands and healthy people/
communities.
Environment Tobago’s Wetlands Education and Awareness Project, a segment of which
is the Poster and Art Competition, aims to raise awareness and improve understanding
about Tobago’s wetlands, its roles and functions and its contribution to healthy com-
munities and sustainable livelihoods. In February of this year Environment Tobago
hosted a Wetland Festival- three days of activities in the Belle Garden Village which
involved wetland education and awareness through a wetland clean up, an exhibition, a
reforestation exercise and free tours of the Belle Garden Wetland for community
members. The Annual Wetlands Poster & Art Competition was also launched during
the festival on February 2nd, World Wetlands Day 2009 with the theme for this year
Upstream, Downstream: Wetlands Connect Us All.
As part of our ongoing education programme on wetlands, ET has partnered
with the Division of Education, Youth Affairs and Sport, the Belle Garden Wetland As-
sociation and the Division of Health and Social Services, to have 12 students in each of
the 50 schools in Tobago get a guided tour of the Belle Garden Wetland. The tours
which began in October 2009 will continue until April 2010 to ensure that all schools
get this opportunity.
“ To many people t hes e t all pe aks mak e for a challe ngi ng but sce nic hike. B ut t hey are not j ust anot her t all mount ai n to clim b. ”
Ms. Jiselle Webster of WASA's Corporate Mrs. Desiree Hackette-Murray of the Unit Trust
Communications Office in Tobago assists with Corporation, Tobago Office, assist with the
the presentation of Certificates presentation of the Special Prizes
The Honourable Secretary of Tourism and Mr. Sheldon Narine, of BHP Billiton, presents the
Transportation, THA, presents the 1st Place 1st Place trophy to Lehron Brooks, of the Good-
winner of the Primary School Category, Ajani wood High School
Denoon, of Speyside AC School with his trophy .

5. Volume 4 Issue 4 Page 5
Profiling Membership
Environment Tobago
“Environment Tobago conserves Tobago’s natural and living resources and
advances the knowledge and understanding of such resources, their wise
and sustainable use, and their essential relationship to human health &
quality of life.”
Who would have guessed that with initially only 43 official members Environ-
ment Tobago would be soon approaching its 15th Anniversary? The contributions and
loyalty of our members plays an indisputable role in the organization’s success. Since
its inception in 1995 Environment TOBAGO has been able to gain the official support
of over 418 members who attest to their support of ET’s above- mentioned mission
through monetary, technical, intellectual or even administrative contributions. Envi-
ronment TOBAGO has also ventured into the cyberworld and membership in our
Facebook group has reached 605 members and our Twitter site has 264 followers.
Our membership database reveals that 265 of our members are still based
locally: 200 Tobagonian and 65 Trinidadian. Word of our small but thriving Environ-
mentally-based, Non Governmental Organization (E-NGO) has crossed international
borders, as new members proudly display their ET souvenirs upon return from our
coveted holiday destination. A direct consequence of this is epitomised in our 153
international members, some of whom took great lengths to join via mail, friends or
upon their first visit to our island. Of this figure 38.6% derive from the United King-
dom and 37.3% are citizens of the United States of America. The remainder comprise
of Canadian, French, German, Swiss, Dutch and Austrian nationals. We even have a
Puerto Rican and a Norwegian on board
Though it can be generalized that members have educational aspirations, a “ the prese nce of FP m ay be an indic ation, an "e arly war ni ng syst em", t hat our s eas ar e pollut ed and that e nvironme nt al c hanges are affecti ng t he ability of wild animals to res ist i nfectious dis eas es”
considerable amount of them are directly involved in tourism and travel arena, which
have suffered immensely because of the scourge of wanton environmental degrada-
tion which is now on panoramic scale. Statistics reveal that 81 and 29 are students
and educators respectively. Individuals in the tourism arena give their support as a
considerable percentage of persons occupy professions ranging from hoteliers, restau-
rateurs, travel agents or consultants to tour guides. Some of our founders provided
key roles in the early years as Attorneys-at- Law, bankers, an ornithologist or bird
specialist, tour guides, travel consultants and certified surveyor, just to mention a
few. In essence, members stem from a wide spectrum of professions .What appeals to
me is that there is no discrimination based on social status. One of our founders was
even a seamstress! Though several members have been professionally trained in cer-
tain key areas such as Environmental Management, Environmental Law and Environ-
mental Consultation, the sad reality is that such intellectual capacity rest predomi-
nantly in our international members. However, voluntary contributions of such
“green-freaks” have heightened our intellectual proficiency through their involvement
in major projects completed by our organization. We have established a volunteer
programme since 1998 which monitors the symbiotic relationship between our or-
ganization and universities in which they benefit, as they prepare the final thesis based
on data collected during the course of our projects, ET on the other hand gains
through their careful scientific research, analysis and documentation. In fact, the con-
tributions of such volunteers/ members have received such appraisal from our institu-
tion that entire projects have derived from ideas of such individuals. Though their as-
sistance is at times quite intermittent, their contributions are never forgotten. Of
note is the birth and execution of our Rainforest Booklet project. The original book-

6. Page 6 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
let was a manuscript penned by a former volunteer named Graham Welfare in 2002.
The research he did on Tobago’s Main Ridge was nearly lost in our archives, until it
was rediscovered by our present Project/ Education Coordinator who refined the ma-
terial. Our largest project of 2009, our Rainforest, Education & Awareness Programme
was initiated with the release of the booklet, “The Tropical Rainforest of Tobago: The
Main Ridge,” in October. And last but by no means least much commendation is to be
given to one our most dedicated and loyal members, Ms. Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal who has
painstakingly and virtually single-handedly compiled our newsletter pro bono for sev-
eral years. This and her unselfish contributions to our weekly column in the Tobago
News newspapers can never be remunerated. On behalf of all members of Environ-
ment Tobago we would like to take this occasion to thank you immensely. (Don’t
blush, you deserve it!) To conclude, some may say that ET made members, but in fact I
would say that our members made ET.
Administrative/
160 Financial
140 Science
120
100 Tourism
80
Environmental
60
40 Educational
20
Other
“ To many people t hes e t all pe aks mak e for a challe ngi ng but sce nic hike. B ut t hey are not j ust anot her t all mount ai n to clim b. ”
0 Professionals
Number
Unknown
Diagram Showing Profession Background of Members
ORIGIN Admin./ Science Tour- Environ- Educa- Other Un-
Finan- ism mental tional known
cial
Foreign 5 9 4 6 24 18 87
Local 51 24 26 3 40 53 68
Table Showing Professional capacity vs. Origin of ET Members

7. Volume 4 Issue 4 Page 7
ECOLOGY NOTES
What is Ecological Release?
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
In this section I like to highlight some environmental terms you would not
hear in everyday conversation but are used to describe phenomenon that affect our
environment and lives. This quarter I would like to briefly explain the term
“ecological release”. This term can be defined as the expansion of habitat and re-
sources into areas where there is a lower level of species diversity. This phenome-
non occurs when there are low levels of interspecific competition in an area.
Take this example of birds which are known predators of butterflies particu-
larly in their caterpillar life stage. If these birds are removed either by excessive trap-
ping for pets or by disease, than a top predator of these caterpillars is removed and
the caterpillars is “released” from the factor limiting is population size. Therefore,
more individuals will survive to maturity and to reproduce so that the population
will continue to increase.
However, this large population of caterpillars will need more food and a lar-
ger habitat. This may mean that this expanded population can enter unwanted areas
like nearby farms or gardens, causing much destruction to crops and ornamental
plants and of course a loss of money.
ARTICLES “ the prese nce of FP m ay be an indic ation, an "e arly war ni ng syst em", t hat our s eas ar e pollut ed and that e nvironme nt al c hanges are affecti ng t he ability of wild animals to res ist i nfectious dis eas es”
The ghosts of land use past
Bertrand Bhikarry
Environment TOBAGO Director
Lately we've been hearing a lot of talk about taking Tobago forward. We see tan-
gible evidence of this movement when we
pass through the villages on the tasks and
pleasures island life here affords. One indica-
tor that 'progress' is the order of the day are
the large number of cleared plots, plots un-
der construction, and plots under re-
construction. Re-construction?
That there are civil works on in Tobago pres-
ently which need extensive re-engineering is
not hidden knowledge. That the construction
industry itself harbors practitioners without
adequate qualification or experience is a fact
Villa construction in L'AnseFourmi. Another exam- of life. It presents yet another hurdle in a se-
ple of a typical small project with negative implica- ries of little understood steps for land devel-
tions for the future of all the lands further down- opers.
hill. Indeed in the near future the village itself may The lack of all relevant information at
come under threat of landslide due to the aggres-
the local level for decision making is a huge
sive nature of the incursion.

8. Page 8 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
omission in the toolkit to tackle improper land use and project preparation. Not all
developments are big ones. The fact is more land is put under the blade for the
'small man' in total, as opposed to the bigger schemes. That the cumulative effect of
the former groups activities goes unchecked, unmitigated is at the root of the land
use problem.
Examples abound. In the Orange Hill area all the lands formerly known as
the Patience Estate are being sold as small plots to itinerant developers. This area is
being chopped into 'house spots' in spite of potential drainage problems impacting
on land users further downhill. It goes on daily without visible supervision of any
regulatory body. The sting is in the tail.
The initial foray for a development project into the area, by a cooperative
called HILOC, failed to obtain planning permission due to its small plot size and un-
Sluice at Gibson’s Bay suitability for the community. That the area has casually been converted to a differ-
Jetty cleared of vegeta- ent type of use by virtue of unplanned small developers goes unnoticed. It now
tion, back in 2001.
Now it is currently makes any renewed thrust by HILOC clones a viable business concept. Orange Hill
overgrown is one example of an entire chain of events now occurring. Events which accrues
innumerable trouble to those who would inherit Tobago.
Private enterprise is not the only sector which does damage to our natural
environment. The State agents are very much in the picture. In the Orange Hill area,
to keep our examples tight, the work crews have been busy as proverbial bees -
with chainsaws. They have been clear cutting the verges for the full width of the
road reserve with little thought for land stability or aesthetics. Again at the local
level more damage is being done, with little provision for change, mitigation, or cost
effectiveness. If no where else it is from simple everyday practice like theirs that the
ghosts of land use past will haunt us.
Although it may seem otherwise, land use in our island has never been a key factor
in the development process. To be sure its mentioned in the Town and Country
Planning Act, there are the Zones, there are high level regulatory bodies like the
“ To many people t hes e t all pe aks mak e for a challe ngi ng but sce nic hike. B ut t hey are not j ust anot her t all mount ai n to clim b. ”
Environmental Management Agency. However it is all just lip service when results
are analyzed. The early signs of improper land use are evident in Tobago - Look at
the large sums allocated for shoring works in the north of Tobago, at the polluted
bays and wetlands. It's enough to make the most optimistic tree hugger cry.
There may be hope. If regulation is failing, volunteerism or citizen participa-
tion may become the key factor in saving Tobago. They would need a focal point
though. In the course of pursuing its mission to educate the public, the NGO Envi-
ronment Tobago concentrated on 'sustainable development practice', and brought in
many tools to deliver enlightenment on a topic which has never really been solved
fully anywhere in the world.
But why seek sustainable development? Why govern development at all?
Why bother with what constitutes proper and improper use of land, river or sea?
Maybe the most elusive query of all is why would the Tobago resident buy into a
better land use concept. The short answer is for conservation of natural resources
so biodiversity or life as we know it can be preserved.
If our children are to be spared (the ghosts of land use past) maybe what is
needed at this time - before grand solutions and silver bullets, is to ensure land plan-
ners reach an understanding that humans are at the top of the food chain, therefore
at most risk. They could then subscribe to a higher motive - that of self preservation,
for taking care of the land, rivers and seas.

9. Volume 4 Issue 4 Page 9
An Active Volcano and Spiders
Jo-Anne Nina Sewlal
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
Before 1995, Montserrat may not have been in the forefront of our minds. How-
ever, with the constant eruptions of the Mt. Soufriere volcano one might think that the is-
land is quite devoid of biodiversity since two-thirds of the island have already declared unsafe
for entry and set as an exclusion zone. You might also think that it has lost its right to the
nickname, “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean”. However, it has a range of habitats including
rainforest, dry woodland, wetland and grassland, as the magma did not cover the entire area
in the exclusion zone, but the area is deemed unsafe to live because of the sulphuric fumes
given off by the volcano.
The island of Montserrat is one of the islands located in the northern Leeward Is-
lands in the Eastern Caribbean (16o45’N 62o12’W). It is located approximately 480 km east-
southeast of Puerto Rico and 48 km southwest of Antigua. It has an area of 102 km2 and 16 Remnants of house at Bel-
km long and its widest part is 11 km across. It is volcanic in origin with a central point and ham Valley
the highest elevation on the island of approximately over 930 m.
First of all I found out that this nickname was not only due to the lush green hills
which are still present on the island but because of the island’s strong Irish heritage. As the
island was a refuge for English and Irish Catholics who were brought over from St. Kitts in
1632 because due to their religion they were not welcome in other British colonies. It is also
the only country in the world outside of Ireland where St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday.
Of course a must on my list of places to visit was the Montserrat Volcano Observa-
tory (MVO) and learn more about Mt Soufriere after all I was on an island with an active
volcano. A couple of years ago one was able to visit the laboratories to see the various in-
struments in action and talk with the scientists. However, it started to interfere with their
research especially during periods of activity where the volcano needed to be constantly
monitored. So visitors are now welcome to watch a documentary on the volcano. There is “ the prese nce of FP m ay be an indic ation, an "e arly war ni ng syst em", t hat our s eas ar e pollut ed and that e nvironme nt al c hanges are affecti ng t he ability of wild animals to res ist i nfectious dis eas es”
also a small collection of items collected from around the island to show what the effects of
the intense heat, for example, melted glass bottles. There are also numerous posters about
volcanoes and if it is not too busy you can still fire off some questions to the scientists and
staff around. One peculiar feature about the Mt. Soufriere volcano is that after 19 years it
has not become dormant again. It keeps emitting magma which builds up to form a spike.
When this spike becomes very large and of course very heavy it collapses and the process
starts all over again.
Most of the pyroclastic flows went through the Tar River Valley and through the
capital city of Plymouth. However, some did go through the populated Belham valley which
claimed 19 lives. It is close to the border of the exclusion zone on the safe side. When I vis-
ited it, I walked around some of the abandoned buildings on the hills overlooking the valley.
Standing on the gallery of that building I cannot begin to feel what the occupants must have
felt on that it was flooded with hot ash and gas. Present day Plymouth, also
I was also fortunate to take a boat ride along the coast. Here one could easily see called the “Modern-Day
how the old coast has been weathered to form sheer cliff where you can see the layers of Pompeii”
rock. While in areas where the pyroclastic flows have reached the sea the cliffs are round
and have do not show much signs of weathering. Old Bay which is the second to last Bay
leading up to Plymouth is designated a bird sanctuary for coastal birds. There is a great dedi-
cation to preserving the biodiversity of the island with the national park in Centre Hills and
the proposal of the gardens at the Montserrat National Trust to be declared the Botanic
Gardens of the island.
Since Montserrat is an oceanic island, that is, it is volcanic in origin and did not break
off from a continental land mass, so that all the flora and fauna on the island arrived here
from other localities. Also because of the isolation from large areas of land, over time en-
demic species develop on oceanic islands. Some endemic animal species include, the Mont-

10. Page 10 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
serrat Oriole (Icterus oberi) and the Montserrat Galliwasp (Diploglossus montisserrati) which
is not an insect as the name implies but a lizard. In terms of endemic plant species, there is
one that was recorded from Mt. Soufriere however, since the eruptions it is quite danger-
ous because of the fumes and the danger of an eruption to check if any specimens in the
area survived.
In addition to natural disasters, this island has its share of threats to its wildlife.
One species that was under the threat of extinction was the Montserrat Oriole. During my
visit I saw both a male and female on Katy Peak, and as my guide Jervain noted its popula-
tion on the island is increasing and it is out of danger of extinction. The frogs on the island
also referred to as “Mountain Chicken” since they are eaten and said to taste like chicken
have also been hit by the fungal disease, Chytridomycosis. However, I am pleased to report
that it too is under control due to night-time treks by workers of the forestry division
where they capture and bathe the frogs in antibacterial solution.
The only Silk Cotton Tree The sampling effort for my project produced a total of 43 species from 17 families,
on the island. The rest
were cut down because of
none of which posed any threats to human health. The high level of species richness on the
a disease that affected the island could be due to the recently exposed northern part of the island. Due to the erup-
cotton crop on the island tions the remaining population have been forced to occupy the northern part of the island
which in turn has led to better access to previously inaccessible and pristine habitat.
But before leaving I made sure to take a drink from Runaway Ghaut which is a
mountainside stream. It is said that if you drink the water here you will visit Montserrat
again. So I hope to see you again one day Emerald Isle.
Acknowledgments:
This project was partially funded by a Vincent Roth Award from the American
Arachnological Society, and an Award of Excellence from the UWI Credit Union.
Thanks go out to the following persons and organisations for facilitation, transport,
and assistance in the field; the staff at the Department of Environment, Physical Planning,
Gerard Grey, Jervaine Greenway and Greg Pereira.
TAKE A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Review of: John Muir 1915. Travels in Alaska. Boston: Houghton Mifflin 326 pp.
[Eighteenth in a series on "naturalist-in" books.]
Christopher K. Starr
Dept of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies
ckstarr@gmail.com
John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Scotland and immigrated with his family to the
USA when he was 11. His early life was marked by hard labour on the family farm in
Wisconsin, under his hard-driving calvinist father. He was largely self-taught and showed
a genius for inventing and building mechanical devices, including several rather elaborate
wooden clocks.
Much has been written about Muir and his life, including at least one full-length biog-
raphy (Turner 1985). A large part (possibly most) of Muir's published writings are avail-
able at http://www.yosemite.ca.us/john_muir_writings/ .
Muir was a man of robust health and great physical strength, which served him well
in his wilderness wanderings. He did a great deal of mountain climbing in western North
America, but for him this was not a sport. Rather, he did it to gain a first-hand acquaint-

11. Page 11
ance with the land forms and vegetation of areas that had not yet been mapped. And to
surround himself with wildness. The opening sentence of his autobiographical The Story of
my Boyhood and Youth goes to the heart of what he was all about: "When I was a boy in
Scotland, I was fond of everything that was wild, and all my life I've been growing fonder
and fonder of wild places and wild creatures." The term "creatures" should be under-
stood broadly to include plants, in which Muir was at least as much interested as he was
in animals. His writings show a keen sense of the relationship between plants and habi-
tats.
Muir was largely self-taught in scientific subjects, but he came to be respected by the
leading natural scientists of his time. He is best known today as a pioneer of the north-
American conservation movement, founder of the Sierra Club, and one who helped to
create the American National Parks Service. He had a special affinity for California's Si-
erra Nevada and campaigned for the preservation of some of the most celebrated natural
sites in the USA. His main original contribution to science was in the area of how glaciers
shape landscapes.
Alaska was acquired by the USA from Russia in 1867. Muir first went there in 1879,
because "To the lover of pure wilderness Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries
in the world." In the trips described in this book, his attention was mainly to the south-
eastern part of the territory, especially Wrangell Island and the area around the Stickeen
River on the nearby mainland. This does not match the popular view of Alaska. It is a
cold-temperate region, a cool rain forest without climatic extremes. It is far south of the
Arctic Circle, and there is no 24-hour daylight in summer. Even so, the mid-summer sun “Caribbean people
sets only for a few hours just below the horizon. Another book, The Cruise of the Corwin, can be forgiven a
tells of a trip to the farther north. certain unfamiliar-
Muir had a great deal of contact with native peoples and was even adopted into one ity with glaciers,
tribe. However, he has surprisingly little to say about them. While he was sympathetic but in some regions
and felt generally at home among them, he seemed not especially interested in the human they are such a
element of the region. On the other hand, his Alaska writings devote much attention to prominent part of
glaciers. Caribbean people can be forgiven a certain unfamiliarity with glaciers, but in the landscape “
some regions they are such a prominent part of the landscape that there is at least one
field guide devoted to them (Ferguson 1992).
There are several types of glaciers, but we normally associate the term with valley
glaciers, the type studied by Muir. You can think of these as high rivers of ice, flowing
very slowly down the valley. Ice is constantly breaking off at the lower end, giving rise to
icebergs if this is at the sea.
Their formation requires quite specific climatic conditions, most particularly high
snowfall in winter, followed by a cool winter, so that much of the winter accumulation of
snow is not lost before the next winter. Over time the snow is compacted into a mass
of ice that flows outward and downward under its own weight. These conditions are of
course mainly found in polar and high alpine regions.
Although slow, a glacier is a very powerful thing. By its tremendous weight, it car-
ries and pushes large masses of earth and rock as it advances and can be a major force in
shaping the landscape through which it moves. Fjords, such as those in Norway and
Alaska, are long, narrow coastal valleys with steep sides and rounded bottoms, originally
carved out by glaciers.
Glaciers are dynamic entities. They constantly change as ice is added in one part and
lost in another. Furthermore, they grow and shrink in response to climatic changes.
During much of the last ice age, which ended about 11,000 years ago, glaciers covered
almost one-third of the land surface of the planet, versus about one-tenth today. We are
now between ice ages. Even so, eight minor glaciation cycles have been identified during
the past 750,000 years, the most recent from the 17th to the late 19th centuries. In this
period, average temperatures were cool enough to permit glaciers to grow significantly.
Since Muir's time, in contrast, they have been in overall retreat worldwide. Photos of
major valley glaciers taken at intervals of decades commonly show marked changes in

12. Page 12 Environment TOBAGO newsletter
size. Even so, at present about three-quarters of the world's fresh water is bound up in
glaciers. Global warming causes a rise in the sea level by releasing more of this water into
the oceans.
Muir seems to have spent much of his time in Alaska in a state of exaltation. At one
point he remarks that "When sunshine, sifting through the midst of the multitude of ice-
bergs that fill the fiord and through the jets of radiant spray ever rising from the tremen-
dous dashing and splashing of the falling and upspringing bergs, the effect is indescribably
glorious."
And elsewhere: "I reached the top of the highest, when one of the greatest and most
impressively sublime of all the mountain views I have ever enjoyed came full in sight --
more than three hundred miles of closely packed peaks of the great Coast Range, sculp-
tured in the boldest manner imaginable, their naked tops and dividing ridges dark in col-
our, their sides and the canyons, gorges and valleys between them loaded with glaciers
and snow. From this standpoint I counted upwards of two hundred glaciers."
As long as there are truly wild places on Earth, the spirit of John Muir will live among
us.
References
Ferguson, S.A. 1992. Glaciers of North America: A Field Guide. Golden, Colorado: Ful-
crum 176 pp.
Muir, J. 1913. The Story of My Boyhood and Youth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin 293 pp.
Muir, J. 1917. The Cruise of the Corwin. Boston: Houghton Mifflin 278 pp.
Turner, F. 1985. John Muir: Rediscovering America. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Perseus
417 pp.
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