Cook Islands Marine Park Steering Committee Visits Palmerston Atoll

Cook Islands Marine Park

The Cook Islands Marine Park will be a multi-zoned park, allowing some activities, like local fishing, while excluding others. During their time on Palmerston, the committee held a public meeting to discuss the plans, and then went door to door to collect feedback from the islanders. Armed with the thoughts of the Palmerston islanders the committee will now take their findings about the marine park proposal back to the government in Rarotonga.

Some of the scientists from the Golden Shadow sitting with a resident of Palmerston Atoll curious about the marine park proposal.

(Photos by Alison Barrat)

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From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.

Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.

Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.

There are certain faces you never forget.

Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…