BREEF and the Island School are now accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholars programme (BESS).
The BESS programme is for motivated graduating high school students between the ages of 15-18 who are interested in learning more about the environment, conservation, and sustainable systems as they transition from high school to university studies.
Since the programme’s inception forty-four BES Scholars from schools throughout the country have participated in the programme.
Two young Bahamians, Katelyn Cambridge and Stacy Pinder, are interning at the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) as part of the BESS programme.
Both scholars attended the Eco-Schools Coordinators Workshop in October. In addition, they assisted BREEF by guiding students in nearshore field trips to coral reefs, mangroves, and rocky shores during the BREEF Field Trip Block.
Katelyn taught students how to identify and survey fish and discussed how fish populations can help indicate reef health.
BREEF congratulates Katelyn on attaining her PADI Open Water Diver certification. She also completed a one-week Seahorse research internship with Dr. Heather Masonjones in Eleuthera.
BESS Scholar Stacy is helping to care for the corals in the BREEF coral nursery and assisted partners at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and Reef Rescue Network. In the last 50 years, Bahamian Reefs have declined by 80%.
Growing and outplanting endangered Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis, is one piece of the puzzle in restoring our reefs to health.
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BREEF is proud of Stacy for attaining his PADI Reef Rescue Diver certification.
Additionally, Stacy was able to assist the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization on a research expedition studying whales and dolphins in Abaco.
Crashonda Garvey and Carlton Taylor were also awarded scholarships by the Island School for 2018-2019. They have just completed their one hundred day semester in Cape Eleuthera and will be interning at BREEF and the Exuma Foundation in the Spring of 2019.
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Apply for BESS online:
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