Activities
Major joint effort pilot programs which began in 2004 include:

ü      Community Outreach Meetings hosted by Sunset Waters Beach Resort- the focus of which is to explain the reef protection project and its benefits and develop community based strategies to develop alternative fishing methods which are not devastating to both the reef and breeding grounds, or creating a “no-fishing zone” and exploring ways of reducing the economic impact of the same on the families who are dependant on the bounty of the reef for their livelihood;

ü      Snorkel Instruction for the children of the community by Kids for Corals, this project is fully organised by volunteers and aims to educate local children about the reef and how to snorkel safely and responsible.

ü      Swim and Safety Instruction for the children of the community, a project by local volunteers who offer safety instruction and swimming skills to under-privileged children;

ü      Use of Lee’s Coral Reef Snorkel Trail as a tool to teach the children and community about the wonders of the reef, LHMPF is working to improve the trail map developed by Lee Harris and Uniek Curacao;

ü      Coral Reef Snorkel Trail Repair and maintenance by Sunset Divers and local divers/ diver guests of Sunset Divers and Sunset Waters Beach Resort;

ü      Coral Reef Protection Monitoring Site –Reef Care Curacao  and Sunset Divers are now arranging to mark the reef breeding grounds and collect the initial empirical data necessary to study the reef;

ü      Environmental Classroom offered by Sunset Waters Beach Resort on beautiful Sta.Marta Bay to the schools of the island for the study of their treasures;

ü      Classroom furniture to be built by a local woodwork job-training program.  Material and instructor costs to be subsidized by LHMPF.

Explore the snorkel trail

Together with Uniek Curacao, Lee Harris developed a snorkel trail just off shore at the Sunset Waters beach. The trail highlights the reefs many types of corals and sponges and there is even a plain wreck to see! The trail leads you from the shallow water into the deep where you snorkel along the drop-off back to the breakwater into the lagoon.

Markers under water guide you along patches of the reef and waterproof charts provide you with information on coral, fish and other attractions along the trail. On the beach you’ll find a large sign that visualizes the route to swim.

Please feel free to come and check out the snorkel trail at Sunset Waters Beach Resort!

Did you know…?

ü      …there are some unique patches of elkhorncoral very close to the Sunset Waters shore to the east of the breakwaters? Elkhorncoral is actually under consideration right now for listing under the Endangered Species Act in the US. Elkhorn coral is been decimated throughout the Caribbean by diseases, development and run-off, and we’re lucky in Curacao to have some very healthy patches still remaining.

ü      …there was never a natural beach at the Sunset Waters site? It was always a coral shingle beach. The artificial beach was created a long time ago, maybe even in the sixties, at the cost of the reef there. The sand covering the dead staghorn uncovered during the recent dredging is actually the sand that was brought in for the artificial beach.

ü      …when the resort was originally constructed (late sixties) they deepened and broadened the entrance to the inland bay? This did a lot of damage to the reefs because it allowed the muddy bay to flow freely over the reef outside.

ü      …between 1970 and 2000 Curacao reefs are degraded significantly? Loss of coral cover and species richness resulted in relatively homogeneous reefs in 2000. Thirty years ago the fields of staghorncoral and firecoral were more heterogeneous with many other species growing in between the fields of staghorn and firecoral.

ü      …branching fire corals such as Millepora are highly susceptible to damage by recreational activities? The reef at Sta. Martha Bay is located in an area not directly trampled by humans, this resulted in an increase of Millepora cover. However, the sociability decreased indicating that the colonies became smaller or more scattered in their distribution (Nagelkerken, 2004).

ü      …Sta.Martha Bay’s mud plains contain low density of fish?

ü      …Sta.Martha Bay does not contain sea grasses and only small patches of mangroves? The inland bay therefore does not function as a breeding chamber for reeffishes but does have significant value for different types of fishes that live in the bay (yellowfin and slender mojarra, white mullet)  (Nagelkerken, 2000).

Contact

For more information on Lee’s Reef Project and our activities, please email, write or call to:
Sunset Waters Beach Resort
Attention: LHMPF – Lee’s Reef Project
Groot Santa Marta z/n
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
Phone: 00 599 9 864 2037
Cellulair: 00 59 9 6944 681
Fax: 00 599 9 864 1237
Email: harrismt@cura.net