Friends of the Environment
January E-News

Preserving the environment of Abaco through education, conservation, and research facilitation.

Dear Readers,

At a time when so much in the world can feel uncertain, I would like to pause and express our sincere gratitude for you. Not only for your support of FRIENDS — which we deeply appreciate — but also for the everyday acts of kindness, stewardship, and sustainability you practice.

Our FRIENDS community is truly special. Even when we are not physically together, we are making a difference. Each small action, when combined with others, creates a powerful and lasting impact. Just as importantly, your actions inspire those around you — your children, colleagues, and friends — who learn from your example.

Every one of us has the ability to create positive change. Sometimes it begins with simply taking the first step. If you ever feel inspired to do more for the environment but are unsure where to start, please know that we are always here to help and support you.

Thank you for being an essential part of the FRIENDS family and for the difference you make every day.

Best wishes,

Olivia Patterson Maura

Executive Director

2026: A Look Ahead

February

After-school Clubs resume

7th - Hope Town Reef Ball

March

20th - GTC Reef Ball, Bluff House

April

22nd - Earth Day (International)

25th - FRIENDS Earth Day Fair

May

22nd - Cheers to Conservation Event, Marsh Harbour

30th - Great Abaco Cleanup (North, Central, and South)

June

22nd - Marsh Harbour Summer Camps begin

July

20th-24th - North Abaco Summer Camp

27th-31st - South Abaco Summer Camp

August

10th-14th - Grand Cay Camp

September

After-school Clubs begin

19th - International Coastal Cleanup

November

12th - Abaco Science Fair

26th - Hope Town Turtle Trot

December

4th - 6th - Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival

12th - Christmas Cove Event and Market

Be Part of Reef Ball 2026

The Hope Town Reef Ball is on February 7th! While dinner tickets are now sold out, you can still be part of the event by becoming a sponsor or by submitting an advance bid for the live auction...an easy and fun way to support FRIENDS from anywhere!

Advance bids can be made until Saturday February 7th at 10am, at which time advance bidding will close. Please email all bids to Cha Boyce.

Our live auction includes:

Three night stay at Firefly Sunset Resort, ferry ticket and golf cart
Bingo Caller for a night at Cap'n Jacks
Lunch for 6 at the Delphi Club with blue hole tour by FRIENDS
Italian Wine Tasting with Cigars at the famous Apollo 11 capsule, by Turtles Nest Cellars
Three night stay at private Little Parrot Cay - 4 bedroom house (sleeps 8), includes 20ft Island Marine boat rental
Custom purse by TIANA NY Fashion House
Three night stay at Russell Island, Eleuthera in a 3bed/2bath house with dinner at The Shipyard
Sea of Abaco day sail for 12 by Cruise Abaco
Private party at Wellington's for 12 - drinks, snacks, live music and more!

For more details on the live auction click here.

I want to sponsor the Reef Ball

Save the Date:

Green Turtle Cay Reef Ball

March 20th, Bluff House

Building Support for Sustainable

Community Fisheries

We were pleased to welcome Rare back for another engaging workshop focused on encouraging positive behavior change. During the sessions, we worked together to develop a plan to support fisheries co-management in two South Abaco communities: Cherokee and Sandy Point.

The workshop helped strengthen our understanding of what motivates people to make positive changes and how these approaches can support sustainable, community-led marine management. As part of Rare’s visit, we also held follow-up meetings in both communities, where residents shared their concerns, priorities, and ideas for how we can best support their needs.

We look forward to continuing this important work alongside the Cherokee and Sandy Point communities, Rare, and the Perry Institute for Marine Science as we work toward shared solutions for long-term conservation and stewardship.

Starting the Year Strong:

A Busy Season for Education

We are starting the year off busy in the Education Department! Before we could even wrap up our planning week, we were already receiving calls to schedule field trips. We are so excited to have teachers from schools across the island utilizing us as a resource and bringing their students out for hands-on learning experiences.

So far, we have hosted field trips and presentations with Long Bay School’s Grade 11 and 12 students and S.C. Bootle’s Grade 11 Geography class. The mangroves continue to be one of our most popular field trip sites, and we were happy to share our love for this important ecosystem with both groups.

Long Bay School students experienced a shift in plans due to weather and were able to enjoy the calm after the storm, making for a memorable and unique learning opportunity. S.C. Bootle’s class explored the striking juxtaposition between mangrove and coppice forests. At the Angelfish Creek Bridge, students observed the incredible marine biodiversity mangroves support, including a shark, octopus, sea hare, sea cucumber, and a variety of fish. In the nearby coppice, they saw a wide range of native plants and listened to the calls of birds sheltering from the afternoon heat.

We look forward to welcoming even more students as the year continues and sharing these special outdoor learning moments together.

Top: Long Bay School Students

Bottom: Sherlin C Bootle Secondary School Students

Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves

Phase 2 of The 2025-2026 Bahamas Awareness of Mangrove Program took place during the last week of January, and it was an exciting and engaging experience for participating students. This phase focused on introducing students to the diverse organisms that live within the mangrove ecosystem and the important roles they play.

Students learned about mangrove food chains, trophic levels, and the classification of organisms, with a special emphasis on marine invertebrates. These concepts were brought to life through a variety of fun, interactive activities designed to reinforce classroom learning and encourage curiosity.

A major highlight of this phase was the touch tank experience, which allowed students to observe and interact with mangrove-associated animals right in their classroom. Students were enthusiastic about seeing organisms up close such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sea stars, conch, coral, and crabs up close, creating a memorable hands-on learning opportunity.

The Friends of the Environment Education Team, along with Amy Heemsoth from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, were delighted to provide this experience to students from Forest Heights and S.C. Bootle. The program will continue with Patrick J. Bethel during the first week of February, extending this valuable learning opportunity to even more students.

Left: Students from SC Bootle working on an interactive food web activity in The Learning Centre's Classroom. Right: Students from SC Bootle playing an interactive food web game.

Students from Forest Heights Academy holding and observing a sea cucumber during our touch tank activity.

After-school Clubs Resume in February

Spaces are still available in our After school Clubs for the upcoming semester. These clubs provide children with engaging, hands-on learning experiences focused on environmental education, science, and conservation in a fun and supportive setting.

Registration is $50 for the entire semester, making it an affordable opportunity for students to learn, explore, and connect with nature.

Our weekly sessions include:

Mondays – Island Investigators (ages 12–17)

Wednesdays – Eco Scouts (ages 7–9)

Wednesdays – Sea Beans (ages 3–6)

Thursdays – Advanced Eco Scouts (ages 10–11)

In addition to interactive lessons and activities, students will also have opportunities to participate in community service, helping them build leadership skills while giving back to their community.

Afterschool Clubs begin this week, and spaces are limited.

To register or learn more:

Call 699-2721

Email Lyndeisha

Or visit us in person to sign up your child or children

We look forward to welcoming new and returning students to another exciting semester of learning and discovery!

Support Programs Today!

Great Elbow Cay Cleanup Brings Community Together

From North End down to Tahiti Beach, the Elbow Cay community showed up strong to for our annual litter and marine debris cleanup! There was still some debris remaining from Hurricane Dorian, but much less than previous years, which is great progress. Overall, participants report less litter in areas that have been targeted during this cleanup each year. However, some harder to reach areas still need help.

Special thanks to C&C Waste who collected all of the debris and transported it to the waste transfer site on Elbow Cay, On Da Beach Bar and Grill who provided hamburgers and hot dogs for the hungry volunteers, and Celestial Water for providing atmospheric drinking water to those who needed it.

Celebrating World Wetlands Day

We are proudly celebrating World Wetlands Day under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.” As a member of The Bahamas Mangrove Alliance, FRIENDS is working alongside partners on the Northern Bahamas Mangrove Restoration Project, with the shared goal of planting one million red mangrove propagules in Hurricane Dorian–affected areas of Grand Bahama and Abaco by the
end of 2026.

We recognize the vital importance of mangrove restoration, preservation, and conservation for the well-being of our communities. From bonefish guides to subsistence and commercial fishers, and recreational users; mangroves play a critical role in sustaining our way of life and supporting our most important marine and avian species. Protecting wetlands means protecting our culture, livelihoods, and future.

Help Protect our Natural Resources

Nassau Grouper Season Closed December 1 - February 28

The season was put in place to protect grouper during spawning, when they are doing the important work of ensuring the future of the species! This is a time when they are also vulnerable to fishing. Until March 1st, please choose another protein source! Thank you for helping to ensure sustainable populations of Nassau Grouper so that we can enjoy our boiled fish and fish fingers well into the future!