President’s Report Patricia Turpin Environment Tobago President E nvironment TO- BAGO (ET) is a non- government, non-profit, vol- unteer organisation , not subsidized by any one group, corporation or government body. Founded in 1995, ET is a proactive advocacy group that campaigns against negative environmental activities throughout Tobago. We achieve this through a variety of community and environ- mental outreach programmes. Environment TOBAGO is funded mainly through grants and membership fees. These funds go back into implement- ing our projects. We are grateful to all our sponsors over the years and thank them for their continued support W hat’s inside ET’s achievements 1 Ecology Notes 7 Articles 7 Book Review 18 What’s Happening @ ET 20 Notes to contributors 22 September 2011 Volume 6 Issue 3 Looking back at my words to the membership in 2010, I wish I could voice the same optimism shown at that time. Despite having submitted to the Minister of the Environment at his request, lists of areas and environmental issues that needed immediate attention- we have found that the mismanagement of our natural re- sources is continuing to have disastrous effects on our ecosystems and the health of the residents of and visitors to Tobago. This situation is requiring the doubling of ef- forts in education for conservation by members of this organisation. The enforcement of our laws is barely existent with interference in the due process becoming the norm. ET has increased it’s presence via Facebook, articles in the newspaper, televi- sion, radio programs and our website, for the purpose of raising awareness of the issues affecting the environment. Through these avenues, we are beginning to see an enlightened movement towards questioning old habits in our youth. This is promising for our future in conservation. ET’s Facebook page has 439 members and the website has between 25-60 visitors at any given time. Internally, at ET, the administrative and project grants we had negotiated have finally arrived- one year later than expected. This, due to new global reporting re- quirements, for corporate and philanthropic donations. A one year contract with the Rockefeller Foundation and a three year con- tract with Bhp Billiton. This will take care of financing our programs for the immediate fu- ture. Financial report and discussions I will leave in the able hands of our Treasurer. Since January 2011, the day to day ad- ministration of the organisation has been over- seen by the executive of the board of Direc- tors and supported by the Administrative Offi- cer-currently Ms. Juliana Antoine. Activities in the environmental education and research area were supported by volunteers- Cory Le Qui and Dr. Adana Mahase, after the depar- ture of Zoe Mason-Alkins Education Co- ordinator in January. The new funding will al- low the hiring of an Education/ Project Officer and other necessary staff, as deemed necessary for running ET programs. Future Green Fund projects will also necessitate further staffing and perhaps more space. Sheldon Narine of Bhp Billiton presents cheque and contract to ET President Pat Turpin