CONSERVATION PORTRAIT OF VIEQUES

The Caribbean is a Biodiversity Hot Spot, designated because of the richness of its land & marine environments, and the fact that so much of it has been lost; thus making it an endangered environment. So says the International Island Conservation & The Critical Ecosystems

Partnership Fund among others. We are rightly proud of Vieques’ amazing bio bay, but there is much more to our rich environment worth noting. Endemic species are those plants & animal that are unique to a geographic area or zone, and are not found elsewhere. The Caribbean has about 8,000 of these endemic species, of which the archipelago of Puerto Rico has 250+ endemic species.

Conservation of these remaining endemics as part of our natural resources is critical to the protection & enhancement of our environment. One of the problems in protecting our natural areas is that the Caribbean only has 13% of its lands set aside for conservation. While in Puerto Rico, we only have even less: 8.7 % of lands set aside for conservation. So Vieques with almost 20,000 acres has a very large portion of Puerto Rico’s conservation land; And is the second largest conservation area in Puerto Rico, only preceded by El Yunque.

Vieques’ ecological importancia is also based on the fact that it is a land bridge between the Greater & Lesser Antilles chain of islands & Consequently hosts flora & fauna from both geográfico areas. Vieques is deemed extremely important for conservation by the international Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources’ Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, and the USFWS, as well as many NGOs.

A biologist would describe Vieques as hosting both subtropical dry and subtropical moist life zones. In these dual habitats, our Isla Nena hosts more than 950 land plant species. Our bird life notably diverse and large – include 190-plus species. In the past 10 years, 70-plus species have been added to the list of birds who make Vieques their home. See birds on the VCHT’s 7:30 a.m. Bird Walk, Thursdaya, February 11th & 25th. Reservations & fee required for this 2 hour tour.

After birds….lizards, geckos, our 4 kinds of endangered or threatened sea turtles, and other reptiles and amphibians make up the 2nd largest group of vertebrates—about 30 species total—on Vieques. Bats are the only native mammals left in Vieques and the rest of Puerto Rico. The Isla Grande has a total of 13 species, yet despite its much smaller size, Vieques has a total of 9 species, 2 of which were discovered by USFWS researchers just in 2008.

What are those swarms of white butterflies along the road? They are Vieque’s most common butterfly, the Great Southern White (scientific name is Ascia Monuste). Normally butterflies are most present in larger numbers in Vieques during the fall & winter. This is both because there is reproduction going on among the resident butterflies and an increase due to migration along the Caribbean. This year the rains have been steady and the vegetation has been green since September, which has offered ideal conditions for the butterflies. Because of the drought, last year we did not see a lot of butterflies, so the plethora of Great Southern White Butterflies seen roadside are a delight. 

Biology interfaced with tourism most dramatically when the bio bay went dark last year. Then tighter controls were enforced to ensure more protection of the Bio Bay by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, known as DNER. Nature-based & wild-life dependent tourism activities are now led by about 30 commercial outfitters with permits. While some tour costs have been driven up, the illegal tours seem to be gone, as well as activities that contributed to the dimming of the Dino-flag-a-lates (as commonly called), otherwise Scientifically named Pyrodinium Bahamense.

The plan is for more public tierra to become available for public use as clean-up proceeds on the unexploded ordinance that remain from decades of live bombing by the U.S. Navy. A segment focused on the clean-up is in will run on a coming show to address this important issue in more depth. Una of the new public areas opened last year es el Puerto Ferro Light House, trail and playa, which can be reached by turning right just after you enter the gate to the Wildlife Refuge. I hear the water is rough so use extreme caution if you get in.

Ultimately, mas land open to public use will create mas business opportunities, and hopefully that will lead to more mentoring & job training of local youth to participate in the tourism economy, as discussed earlier in this show by Mark Martin.

Conservation education can also help our local youth be oriented to participate in the tourism economy. And esta is happening due to a diversity of players: from nonprofits like VCHT & TICATOVE pero also Parque Ecologico Costero La Ceiba de Vieques, Para La Naturalleza & Isla Nena Composta, as well as the Puerto Rican DNER and many others. We can collectively find hope, Esperanza en Espanol, for el futuro of our natural resources in programs like Manta out of the VCHT, the 60 annual youth programs by the Wildlife Refuge; and the work of the certified humane educator, Adora Nagron, who does outreach to the 1500 kids in our Isla Nena Escuelas; & is funded by Juntos and the Rotary Club. Nature tourism seems posed to grow here, and continue to being a job creator for locals. Lo natural areas de Vieques are the main reasons people come to our beautiful island. So, let’s keep it that way.

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AIRING TRHOUGHOUT FEBRUARY 2016 ON Pacifica Affiliate, Radio Vieques 90.1 FM

LOVE CANTO OF THE MALE COQUI

Especially after a rain, the night air on Vieques is filled with the incessant love songs of the Coquí. These loud love cantos Come from the Coqui’s vocal sac, which swells to amplify their calls. The Coqui songs we hear are male mating calls, first to warn off other males and then to attract prospective females.

Coquí is the word that was given to these frogs by our native Taino Indians. As such, the Coquí is a symbol of Puerto Rico, and an important part of our island culture. Three species are native to Vieques.

The most common Coquí on Vieques has two distinct calls, the first call sounds like Chu-RE', Chu-RE; hence its common name in Spanish: Coquí Chur-RE and their second call sounds like a stalling car: 'Keh-keh-keh-KA'. This is the sound males make to warn other males away.

Collectively, the Coquí sound produces the same decibel level as a running lawn mower, though much sweeter in tone—5 basic tones to be exact. They are loudest in the early evening, before dawn, and when it is humid. These nocturnal predators and lovers, spend their days sleeping. Their nightly hunts include eating ants and spiders among other bugs. Singing duels occur when one male challenges another. The loser is the first to miss a beat of cadence.

The Vieques Fish & Wildlife Refuge has surveyed the island & Confirmed what our ears have told us, that we have a healthy native Coqui population. Our three species, on average, range from the half inch Pitito to the most common Coqui that is two inches from snout to vent.

Unlike most frogs, the Coquí’s toes & fingers are web-LESS, as they do not require water to live in or to reproduce. Coquí females deposit their eggs on leaves and males take care of the eggs once laid. These eggs bypass the Tadpole Stage and emerge with limbs as independent froglets.

Our native Coquis reproduce year round, but it is said their collective songs peak during the wet season. A wet season is what we have been longing for after the drought & water restrictions that have our land & gardens parched. Like the Coquís’ scientific genus- name, which translates into “free toes,” many of us humanoids feel especially footloose and fancy free under the spell of the enchanting night music of the Coqui. I think of their cantos as the sweetest lyrics on our Isla Nena. 

Here’s hoping that there will be rain and a Coqui chorus of male mating calls by the time you hear this.

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VIEQUES WILL SOON BE GREEN WITH TORTUGAS

The Green sea turtle nesting season is about to begin here in their number one nesting locale in the whole of the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Females are expected to be climbing ashore in June, with September being their peak nesting month. Keeping a watch out for the Green turtle nests are a core group of volunteers with Ticatove—a community-based non-profit conservation group here. Last season, they helped track 275 nests on Vieques shores. Known as graceful and powerful swimmers, Green females —that’s hembras de verdes en Español —migrate as much as 1500 miles—swimming at more than a mile an hour—to return to our shores. Greens can’t crawl backwards and this has led to dramatic rescues by volunteers who have to help these hembras de verde. Also, unlike fresh water turtles and tortoises, sea turtles can’t retract their legs or head into their shells. Because of this, they can easily dehydrate in the sun and die, necessitating an assisted return to the sea. La Tortuga Verde is the second largest native sea turtle species en Vieques—and has a top shell that is oval and heart or corazón shaped that is mottled brown/olive. Their whitish underside gives it the Puerto Rican nickname of “Peje Blanco.” Talk to Refuge biologist Francheska Ruiz-Canino about how to recognize a Green sea turtle and she’ll tell you to look at the face & head. If it has a pointy or beak-like shape, that’s a Hawksbill. The Greens are distinguished by a round face. Greens & Hawksbills juveniles are the mostly commonly seen sea turtles when snorkeling. Green Tortugas live 80+ years on average and are the only sea turtle to eat sólo las plantas. They graze in underwater meadows of sea grass and algae. Their diet, high in fiber and low in protein, contributes to their slow growth and slow sexual maturation, which can take 20-35 years. Remaining loyal to their breeding, nesting, feeding and sleeping sites, they return to these specific spots year after year. Mating takes place, perhaps, nine times in a season, at about two-week intervals, but not every year. The females usually dig nests on the same beach they hatched from, where the eggs will incubate for about 2 months. Nests vary from 75 to 200 eggs, depending on the age and health of the mamá Verde. If you noticed stakes & yellow tape protecting nests on Sunbay, Caracas and La Chiva during early June, those are protecting Leatherback eggs. Greens are one of the siete sea turtle species who predated and outlasted the dinosaur. So if you want to support these ancient creatures who live around us, consider getting involved in sea turtle conservation. # # #