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Montego Bay Marine Park Jamaica
     

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January 2004

Volume I
Issue 1
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first Montego Bay Marine Park online newsletter. This is the first in our continuing monthly series. Basically, this is the place where we update you on what is going on at the marine park. We will also have special articles and a bunch of other fun things as time goes on. So relax and enjoy! Furthermore, if you would like to add your two (Jam $) dollars to the discussion, contact us!
 
January...what happened?
essica van der Valk
We got a new volunteer! Jessica van der Valk is from the Netherlands, and she is doing research on signs for the marine park.
"In Holland, I study Tourism Destination Management. I'm in my 4th (and last) year now and to graduate, I need work on a big research project. The Montego Bay Marine Park gave me the great opportunity to do my graduation project in a breathtaking environment. In the coming 20 weeks, I will work on a research on signs about regulations, boundaries, directions and fun stuff, to increase the overall awareness.
So if you're ever in MoBay and you see a beautiful Montego Bay Marine Park sign , you know "Jess was here!"
Jamaica...more than a beach
Well.... the JPAN 2004 calendars FINALLY arrived. After much delay, we now have a number of these beautiful calendars at our office. Remember that proceeds from this calendar go towards Jamaica's protected areas. Check out our gift shop for prices.
Dr. Tadaomi Nakai
Our own Dr. Tadaomi Nakai has documented 264 species of fish in Montego Bay! We will compile the results of his ongoing research into a Montego Bay fish book. This reference guide will be available very soon on this web site, and we will also make CD programs that can be mailed as needed. All of this coming to a computer screen near you...Soon come!
JPAN Meeting (20th-21st)
Jorge and his art designs
From January 20-21, the Jamaica Protected Areas Network (JPAN) held its Sustainable Tourism Workshop. This was the final part in a two part series that was a joint effort by JPAN, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Nature Conservancy. With the first part having been held in Holy well, the second part came to Montego Bay. Leading the workshop were a number of talented individuals, including heritage designers from the United States Forest Service, and managers of the Jamaica protected areas.

Discussion on the opportunites map
Many topics were discussed that were relevant to all attending organizations. These included, marketing, partnership development, income-generating products, design guides, visitor information and interpretation, design, recreational and visual zoning, the built environment, tourism product development and monitoring. The attendees also worked together to help design a Jamaica opportunity map brochure, as well as a 2005 JPAN Calendar to follow up on the one made for 2004.
Bogue Lagoon tour
In the week preceding the workshop, USFS heritage designers toured various protected areas in Jamaica, including the Montego Bay Marine Park. Here, they helped design a mangrove walking tour and Bogue Lagoon kayak program using conceptual drawings. On the evening of January 20th, the JPAN workshop took a tour of the Bogue Lagoon on the Lady Sharon. The marine park hopes to utilize this space in the near future, in order to encourage sustainable use of its resources.
Fisheries Steering Committee, Meeting 1 (28th)
The first meeting was successful in laying the groundwork for the fisheries program this spring. The sessions will be ongoing until the workshops begin in April.
Solid Waste Steering Committee (30th)
Solid Waste Steering Committee
This meeting was held in order to plan the Solid Waste Seminar coming up in April. Community leaders met in the Park office on January 30th.
Only in Jamaica...
Subject A

This month's special feature addresses that peculiar creature we like to call "Jamaican Parking"©. Loosely defined, this means 'parking that by its very nature makes the absolute least sense possible for any given situation.' January brought us these two gems in our very own Pier 1 parking lot. For Subject A you will notice an almost completely empty lot with plenty of space. Yet the individual in the outermost white car has chosen to block the other, properly parked, white car. The beauty of this parking job is not only did the outer car block the inner car in an empty parking lot, but the driver even took the effort to align the two in a perfect, harmonious line. Good show, mate!

Subject B

Subject B is a similar situation save for the fact that this time our own marine park truck (The blue truck behind the coconut tree) was the target of this particular syndrome. .Furthermore, the perpetrators were obviously in cahoots, since this three car pileup provides 'nuff reinforcement. Note how 'Jamaican Parking'© has turned our perfectly functional and useful truck into an immobile piece of scrap iron. Ah yes, jolly good work boys!

Editor's note: For those who can't take a joke- deal with it. Self-depricating humour is good, clean fun— not to mention essential for maintaining one's sanity.

Coming up in February
• Fisheries meetings
• Mobay garbage meetings
• JICA meetings in Kingston- 9th-15th
• EFJ audit- 10th
• Round Hill charity gig- 14th
• Andrew & Omi's fish counts
 
 
Thanks for joining us, and have a nice Bay!
     
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