Horizon Goes Green

This year, Horizon Yacht Charters invites you to support the beautiful islands of the Caribbean that we all enjoy; clear, turquoise waters, stunning white sands and the glorious wildlife that inhabits these islands. Help us to ensure that future generations that visit will also enjoy this environment.

Each of our Horizon bases has selected an important conservation project specific to their island. Our guests are invited to make a small donation to support these important projects.

 B.V.I.   Antigua   Grenada   St. Martin 
British Virgin Islands

Mangrove Reforestation

Mangrove reforestation

Horizon Yacht Charters BVI is pleased to announce that as of January 1, 2009 we will be supporting the BVI National Parks Trust Mangrove Restoration project. We would like to invite you to support it.

Why are Mangroves so important?

MangroveMangrove systems are part of the coastal ecosystem which includes sea grass beds and coral reefs and are an important habitat for juvenile fish, conch, sea eggs and lobsters, providing protection from predators. As these juvenile sea creatures mature they migrate to sea grass beds and coral reefs.

Mangroves also provide a habitat for many birds including the Mangrove Cuckoo, Green Heron and the Little Blue Heron.

Mangroves also protect the land and sea from each other as their roots collect sediment and slow the flow of water from land runoff during rain storms, which protects the coastline and helps to prevent erosion.

How are Mangrove seedlings planted?

MangroveThe replanting process uses PVC pipe with a slit along one side. The pipe keeps the seed in place while the slit allows water levels to change.

Once the pipe is installed it is filled with sediment to the mean high water mark and the seeds are dropped into the pipe. As the seedling grows and matures it sends out prop roots which eventually break open the PVC pipe, which is then removed. The rate of seedling growth varies between sites and the entire process from installation to pipe removal can take over five years.

How can I support this project?

You can support this vital project by sponsoring a Mangrove seedling for US$20 when you arrive at check-in. In sponsoring a Mangrove seedling, your donation will help the BVI National Parks Trust protect the coastline and its fragile ecosystem. Your donation will help pay for the cost of a seedling and the materials required for planting. All sponsors will be featured on the website, receive a newsletter update and a certificate of sponsorship.

Thank you for your support!

The Horizon Team!

Supporters of Horizon goes Green

 

 Antigua and Barbuda
Horizon Goes Green In Antiqua
Antigua Sea Turtle Project

Horizon Yacht Charters Antigua is delighted to give you the opportunity to support the EAG (Environmental Awareness Group) Sea Turtle Project; whose aim is to understand more clearly the turtle population around Antigua & Barbuda in order to protect their important nesting sites.

Sea Turtle Project

The Antigua Sea Turtle Project is spearheaded by Mykl Clovis – an avid wildlife conservationist with experience of similar projects around the Caribbean.

With a team of 12 highly trained conservationists and volunteers, the project is able to monitor the nesting activity of some 5 significant sites around Antigua during the key nesting months of March to November.

As Mykl comments “the project is hugely important to marine eco systems around the world. Turtles are known as an indicator species and provide great insight into what is happening with other marine life”.

Hawksbill Turtle

She goes on “turtles have a tough time; it’s not the natural predators that reduce their numbers but other factors that we can all help to control”. All sea turtle species found in the Caribbean are listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

This project has learnt much from the world’s longest running Hawksbill Project at Jumby Bay, which monitors over 60 nesting females each year on a stand-alone offshore island. The EAG now draws on this experience to survey critically important areas on mainland Antigua.

Antigua boasts four types of turtle; Hawksbill, Green, Leatherback and Loggerhead. By keeping the oceans and beaches safe for turtles, other marine life and future generations also benefit. If the most important turtle habitats can be identified and protected, then the species will have a much greater chance for survival. They are all important in their own way to our understanding of marine life.

Hawksbill Turtle Nesting

You too can support the valuable work by making a donation of US$20 when you arrive for check-in. Your contribution assists in sponsoring foot patrols by trained personnel on our most important nesting beaches. Foot patrols identify and tag nesting turtles, protect nesting sites, and record the success of turtle nesting on the beach each nesting season

Thank you.

Supporters of Horizon goes Green...

 Grenada and the Grenadines

Horizon Yacht Charters in Grenada is proud to support another local turtle conservation project – Ocean Spirits.

About Ocean Spirits

Ocean Spirits is a registered, non‐profit marine conservation organization based in Grenada. From its inception in 1999, Ocean Spirits have focused primarily on the conservation of marine turtles found throughout Grenada's coastal waters and beaches. We work with local communities and international partners to help ensure the sustainable future of these amazing species.

Grenada’s sea turtle issues

Three main species of sea turtles inhabit Grenada’s waters or are seasonal visitors to the shores. The giant oceanic voyager, the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nests at Levera beach in the north of the island, one of the top three nesting sites for this species in the Caribbean. Egg laying primarily takes place during the period February – August and a fully grown female (up to 2m or 6.5 ft in length) will lay around 100 eggs several times during the nesting season.

The Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a year round resident in the waters of Grenada and forages on the reefs surrounding the island. Nesting is sporadic around Grenada's shores.

The Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is mostly found on seagrass beds, but rarely nests in Grenada.

Both the leatherback and hawksbill are critically endangered, the green turtle is endangered. Grenada’s sea turtles are at risk from one of the longest legal open seasons in the region (8 months), from illegal capture and the poaching of their eggs. These continuing threats are further compounded by increasing habitat loss from rapidly expanding development of coastal habitats that serve as critical nesting beaches.

Why should I adopt a sea turtle?

You will be helping finance continued work and efforts to secure the future of sea turtles in Grenada. Your contribution may go towards the purchase of new microchips for tagging nesting leatherbacks, supporting a local community member to help us on night surveys, buy supplies for our yearly summer kids‐camp or other education outreach efforts. Effectively it means that 100% of your contribution goes directly towards the research, community outreach and education projects we undertake to secure a sustainable future for Grenada’s sea turtles and people alike.

How much does it cost and what will I receive?

We are asking for a minimum donation of US$20 to adopt a sea turtle. which you can pay when you arrive at check-in. For this you will be uniquely assigned a specific leatherback female with a tag no. and receive an adoption certificate with your turtle’s details. You will also receive a turtle fact sheet and receive the quarterly e-newsletter from Ocean Spirits for the period of one year.

Adopting a turtle is a great way to help spread the word about the precarious state of the world’s sea turtles. It makes an ideal gift for the holidays, a birthday or a special occasion and works particularly well as a thoughtful thank you gift!

 

 ST MARTIN
Coming soon...