BAM! BAM! - Mangrove Project Completion

BAM! BAM!

June 9, 2016

Written by Amy Heemsoth

Mangrove Education and Restoration Program Blog

Over the past eight months, in partnership with Friends of the Environment, we have successfully piloted the B.A.M. program in two high schools on Abaco Island, Bahamas – Abaco Central High School and Forest Heights Academy. The students have learned a lot about different aspects of the mangrove ecosystem, grown mangrove seedlings in their classroom, and they have restored a local mangrove forest. In this pilot year, we have learned a lot too and with the lessons that we learned, we are ready to implement this project in the same two schools next school year.

BAM! BAM! In the Bahamas, this phrase means success or completion. I think that both of these nouns are a fitting way to describe the conclusion of this year’s B.A.M. program.

What did the students have to say about the B.A.M. project?

“I learned that there were consequences to every action.” – Theresa D’Haiti, Abaco Central High School

“This project was very fun and educational and I’m glad that I got to participate during my last year of high school.” – Levonnya Moxey, Abaco Central High School

“I have eight mangroves starting to grow in front of my home. You’ve made me much more aware of them! I appreciate your dedication!” – Kora Wilhoyte, Forest Heights Academy

“I suggest that this project is done with persons in the community.” – Johntae Dorsett, Abaco Central High School

“I am grateful that I got to be a part of an amazing program. Continue on with the great work.” – Aaliyah Gibson, Forest Heights Academy

“I learned that mangroves are super important and the threat to them is real and to preserve them, we have to educate people and take action.” – Hannah Strachan, Forest Heights Academy

“It is important that we educate young Bahamians about mangroves and how important they are to the ecosystem.” – Ladinamae Durham, Forest Heights Academy

“My favorite part of the project was going on a field trip to the mangrove swamp to pick out my propagules.” – Lens Santolien, Abaco Central High School

“I learned that we can make a difference!” – Ayanna Pritchard, Forest Heights Academy

“I learned that we should not harm mangrove in any way because we benefit a lot from them.” – Stephanie Cartwright, Abaco Central High School

After the Storm: Standing with Our J.A.M.I.N. Family in Jamaica

There are moments in this work that feel heartbreakingly familiar.

Two weeks after we completed our Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programming, Hurricane Melissa made landfall. A powerful Category 5 hurricane, Melissa is now tied with Hurricane Allen in 1980 for the strongest winds ever recorded in an Atlantic storm. Like Hurricane Dorian, which devastated The Bahamas in 2019, Melissa will be remembered as one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the region.

For 11 years, the University of the West Indies Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory and William Knibb Memorial High School have been more than program partners. They have welcomed us into their classrooms and labs, shared meals and laughter, and committed themselves to educating their students about mangroves and coastal resilience. These colleagues and students are not distant collaborators. They are family.

And they were hit hard…

B.A.M. Turns 10: A Year of Milestones, Resilience, and Growth

The 2025–2026 academic year was one of those defining years for our Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs. It was a year marked by celebration, challenge, growth, and powerful full-circle moments, and a reminder of why mangrove education matters.

In The Bahamas, B.A.M. reached a major milestone: ten years of partnership and environmental education in Abaco. Since 2015, in collaboration with Friends of the Environment, we have worked alongside Patrick J. Bethel High School and Forest Heights Academy to bring hands-on mangrove science into classrooms and into the field. This year, we were proud to expand the program to S.C. Bootle High School, increasing access for students who live…

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