Nature Vibe Christmas Newsletter

NATURE V I B E SDecember 20, 2017          Issue 3          Page 1

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | INSIDE THIS ISSUE Christmas Poinsettia
“I have forgotten much, but still
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA remember the poinsettia's red,
blood-red in warm December.”
ENVIRONMENTAL DAYS The words of the famous Jamaican
poet Claude Mckay from his work
OF SIGNIFICANCE
“Flame heart” bring vividly to
PROJECT UPDATES mind the sights and sounds of a

AN AFTERNOON WITH A Jamaican Christmas. Holiday
observances are intricately
SCIENTIST entwined with the gifts that nature
bestows on us at this time of year.
THE AMERICAN At Christmas time the beautiful
poinsettia bursts into bloom.
REDSTART Poinsettias are from Mexico where
they are known as 'nochebuena',
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES the word for Christmas Eve. They
are also commonly called the
SPONSORS Christmas Star. The name
poinsettia is derived from the name
UP-COMING EVENTS of an U.S. ambassador to Mexico,
Joel Poinsett, who is credited with
DID YOU KNOW? introducing the plants to North
America. The plant may grow 6 –
GO FIGURE! 10 ft. with red, white and pink
varieties. The flaming leaves are
THE Natural History not the real flowers but bracts.
Museum of Jamaica is Bracts are modified leaves
the oldest division of surrounding the true flower which
the Institute of Jamaica. is normally very small. Poinsettias
It aims to encourage the are given as gifts at Christmas
study and dissemination
of scientific knowledge time. 
of Jamaican flora and
fauna, promote the By Elizabeth Morrison, SRO  Entomology (Acting)

conservation of the
Jamaican natural
environment and
maintain collections of
Jamaican flora, fauna
and reference books. 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ |                               De ce m b er 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 2
Environmental Days of Significance

WORLD WETLANDS DAY
On February 7, 2017 the Division hosted its annual World Wetlands
Open Day at the Mason River Protected Area Site themed: “Wetlands
for Disaster Risk Reduction”. The Day included a display mounted by
invited guest exhibitors from the NSWMA-SPM; guided tours through
the Mason River Trail; a Students’ Activity Booth and the Natural

History Museum displays on Wetlands.  

An exhibition was mounted  on
Wetlands on February 2, 2017
at the annual staging of the
World Wetlands Day Expo, a

National Event held at the
Anglican Church Hall, Morant
Bay, St. Thomas. The event was
in collaboration with NEPA and

seven other co-exhibitors.
Activities included a High
School Speech Competition.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3            Page 3

Environmental Days of Significance
WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY

World Environmental day is celebrated each year on June 5. The theme of World
Environment Day this year, “Connecting People to Nature – in the City and on the
Land…” endeavoured to raise the awareness of a healthy environment to solve
various environmental issues. To commemorate the event, an opening ceremony to
launch the" Medicinal Plants of Jamaica and Their Uses" exhibition was held  at the

Institute of Jamaica’s Lecture Hall.
This exhibition is currently mounted in the NMHJ’s Discovery Room at 10-16 East
Street Kingston until March 2018. It highlights the wide range of medicinal plants
used in Jamaica, their products, important discoveries in medicinal plant research,
preserved and live specimens and explores the benefits of their use in today’s society. 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 4

Environmental Days of Significance
NATIONAL TREE PLANTING DAY

National Tree Planting Day is celebrated on the first Friday in October of each
year. This day seeks  to  enlighten Jamaicans about the importance of trees and

to motivate individuals to participate in the
planting of more tree. This was done under the theme: "Today's Trees,
Tomorrow's Future". Seedlings were collected and distributed to staff members 
of the Institute of Jamaica. Additionally, the five schools involved in the
Biodiversity Awareness Programme were given seedlings, each of these schools

hosted tree planting ceremonies to commemorate the day.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 5

Environmental Days of Significance
WORLD WATER DAY

World Water Day is celebrated on March 22 each year. It is done to make
Jamaicans more aware of the importance of water in their environment. The
Natural History Museum of Jamaica took an active part in this celebration
through an in house programme known as "An Afternoon with a Scientist". 
Members of the Water Resource Authority of Jamaica (WRA) was invited as 

resource personels to share on the work done by the WRA. The Data
Resources Monitoring Unit outlined how they monitor rivers and wells and

also showed the students tools used for general water monitoring.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3            Page 6

Earth Day
In commemoration of Earth Day 2017, The Natural History Museum of Jamaica

hosted the Earth Day Awards Ceremony as a culmination of the activities
surrounding the Annual Earth Day Competition at the Institute of Jamaica’s
Lecture Hall under the theme “Sustainable Tourism for Development.”. The sub-
themes were Literary Arts: Changing Lives Through Responsible Tourism, Poster:
Tourism GO GREEN For a Sustainable Future and  Photography: Environmental
Impacts of Tourism. There were approximately 150 persons in attendance at the
Earth Day 2017 Award Ceremony. This year, the competition was opened to
include youth between ages 12-19 years to allow entries from schools, youth

groups and churches.

 There were a total of seventy-six (76) Sponsors
entries from nineteen (19) participating Sponsors of the 2017 competition included JNC-
organizations with youth island wide. A
total of forty-four (44) posters. twelve UNESCO, Pesticides Control Authority,
Kingston Bookshop, Dolphin Cove, Jamaican
(12) photographs and nineteen (19) Teas Limited, Kool Runnings Adventure Park,
literary pieces were entered in the Highway 2000 East-West, Carlong Publishers,
competition. The guest speaker was Mrs. Tryall Club and Golf Course, Hylton’s Limited,
Elecia Myers, Senior Director, Strategic
Planning and Evaluation Division (Acting) Edna Manley College of the Visual and
Performing Arts, the Coconut Industry Board,
of the Ministry of Tourism, who
encouraged the students to S.E.E.  the Wallenford Coffee Company, Chukka
“social, environment and economic” Caribbean Adventures, Perishables Jamaica
aspects of tourism as a way to have
Limited and Hope Zoo. 
sustainable tourism in Jamaica.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ |

December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 7

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 8

Projects Update
Biodiversity Awareness Project
The three schools participating in the Biodiversity Awareness Programme  had an
active academic period. With the inclusion of Chandler’s Pen Primary and Junior
High School and following the installation of the vegetable gardens in Free Town
Primary and Independence City Primary School, lessons were,
 done with students of the 4-H, Science and Environmental Clubs from each
school.The vegetable garden at the Independence City Primary School was
officially handed over to the school community on January 29, 2016 during their
devotional exercise. A Biodiversity Expo was also hosted on June 30, 2017 to
increase students’ awareness about the programme as well as to allow them the
opportunity to showcase how valuable vegetable and medicinal gardens are to
them and the environment. Since then, the Biodiversity Programme has
expanded  to include Moores and Rosewell Primary Schools and will endeavour
to also incorporate two schools from the St. Catherine Region.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 9

Projects Update
NPAS End of Project Forum
The Director along with the Education Outreach Officer, the Botanist and
Senior Research Officer, JACHM attended the NPAS End of Project forum at
Knutsford Court Hotel for the Mason River Craft Project. Students from a
number of schools were present to view the display mounted in keeping
with the theme of the event, which was ‘Protected Areas: An Untapped
Resource for Sustainable Livelihoods

Dr. Davis at NPAS Project Forum

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 10

Do You Know the American Redstart ?
Christmas is a time for visiting and Jamaica plays host to several migrant birds
this time of the year. One of the most common visitors to Jamaica from North

America is a small singing bird that arrives from as early as September and
stays until about March, to avoid the harsh northern winter. This bird is the
American Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla, otherwise known as Christmas Bird or

Chip.
 

The name Christmas Bird is probably coined because of the brilliant black and
orange plumage of the male adult and the fact that these birds are seen at

Christmas time. They usually announce their arrival in your garden with a call
of “Chip, chip, chip”. Other common migrant birds that visit at this time of year
include the Black Throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens and the Prairie

Warbler Dendroica discolor.  

Female Juvenile Redstart Female American Redstart
Male American Redstart

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3            Page 11

Outreaches

The Natural History Museum of Jamaica for the period of
January through to December embarked on a total of sixteen

(16) outreach sessions  with eight (8) of them occurring
through the Biodiversity Awareness Project. Over 6500

individuals were engaged during outreach activities.

Schools Participated were:
Independence City Primary School
Chandlers Pen Primary and Junior High

School
Freetown Primary School
Moores Primary and Infant Department

Calabar High
Calabar Primary and Infant Department

Excelsior Community College

Other Participants were:
Young Women's Christian Association-

UNESCO Club
Denham Town Golden Age Home

Calabar High School Career Day

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3            Page 12

Outreach Events
Biodiversity Projects
Vegetable Handing Over Ceremony
Calabar High School Careers Day
Calabar Primary and Infant School Jamaica Day
Excelsior Community College Cultural Day
Earth Day Expo, Castleton Botanical Gardens
2017 Diaspora Conference
 The South Africa Bilateral Agreement Water and Indigenous Knowledge System
Research Symposiums
Mini Scientist Summer workshop, UWI

Fern Gully Camp
DBML Boardwalk Launch, UWI

Science In the Garden 2017
Science & Technology Expo 2017

DBML Eco Camps, UWI
Junior Centre Summer Workshops, IOJ
SRC Summer Camp, Parade Gardens

Trench Town Reading Centre

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ |

SPONSORS

December 20, 2017          Issue 3           Page 13

FOR 2017

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF JAMAICA | 10-16 EAST STREET, KINGSTON, JAMAICA | (876) 922-0620-6 | [email protected] | www.nhmj-ioj.org.jm/ | December 20, 2017          Issue 3            Page 14

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mounting of the Christmas Tree –Display in Tower Street Foyer
Earth Day 2018 "From Trash to Cash" Competition opens for Submissions
World Wetlands Day February 2J,a2m0a18ica“WD. eatyla2n0d1s8for a Sustainable Urban Future”

Medicinal Plants & Their Uses Herbal Fair 2018

Did You Know?

The scientific name for sorrel
is  Hibiscus sabdariffa

 Reduces sudden and ongoing
swollen of the nasal tract

 It has the ability to boost
eyesight

 It reduces certain skin infections

 It helps prevent cancer  GO FIGURE!

 It strengthen the immune system How many words can be form from the

 It increases appetite words
"M.E.R.R.Y    C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S"

RULES:
All words are accepted.