Planting the [mangrove] Seed
(2016)
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…
