KSLOF Mangrove Program Featured in Seven Seas

Planting the [mangrove] Seed

[2016]

This article by Amy Heemsoth (KSLOF Education Director) about Living Oceans Foundation Mangrove Restoration and Education Program in Jamaica and The Bahamas is recently featured in Seven Seas Magazine.

This article written by Amy Heemsoth (KSLOF Education Director) about the KSLOF Mangrove Program in Jamaica and The Bahamas was recently featured in Seven Seas Magazine.

Planting the [Mangrove] Seed

Seven Seas Magazine
August 1, 2016
Amy Heemsoth

As I quietly walk through the mangrove forest, all around me I observe an ecosystem teeming with life. I hear the shuffling of fiddler crabs as they scurry back to their holes in the ground, I smell rotten eggs (sulfuric acid), and I view the light filtering through the leaves of the mangrove trees. I think to myself, “How do I inspire students to become stewards of this serene and important mangrove ecosystem?” I think back to my most influential educational experiences and the most impactful ones were when I felt like I was making a difference. That is what I wanted to bestow on our youth, a sense of ownership and stewardship over the mangroves for years to come.

I’m here in Jamaica implementing the final installment of our Mangrove Education and Restoration Program called the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature or J.A.M.I.N. and the students are bubbling over with excitement…

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…

Planting the [Mangrove] Seed

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

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