Santa Cruz Island
A little boy looks at his gloves, dripping with black paint. He would like to spread this color on the floor, the walls, and his own clothes; and who wouldn’t normally feel like it when handling crayons or water colors? We are creative beings, it is imprinted in our genes, and therefore our natural human instinct prompts us to color the world when having paint. Today, this boy is indeed giving color to the planet; he is adding his small grain of improvemet to a buoy make this a better world. Behind him comes a little girl, with a big smile, she puts not only the imprint of her hands on the buoy, but decorates it with flowers and butterflies. Little people, big people, a whole family, one by one, leave their hands printed on a 500 kilo mooring buoy. They also write their names, and the date. This is the family and friends of Legacy Fund. They are in the Galápagos Islands not only to enjoy its beauty and fearless creatures. They are here to give back to nature, and in a very useful way.
Anchors can destroy the sea floor, each anchor weights from 50 to 2000 kilos. The "Galápagos Zero Anchor Initiative", has the goal of setting a special kind of mooring system that eliminates such anchor lines’ physical impact on the fragile underwater environment. Several organizations are involved, Conservation International, Wild Aid and The Charles Darwin Research Station, under the coordination and technical assistance of the National Park Service and the Ecuadorian Navy. It isn’t as simple as just setting the buoy. They had to perform field tests for the best mooring system available, compile a biological baseline and substrate information, arrange the purchase and installation of components, and start educational campaigns for crew members of all Galápagos boats. And the Legacy Fund is supporting every step of this amazing project that will make a real difference in the Galápagos underwater realms.
Kids look excited; parents are excited, happy and proud. The buoy gets more charming as we understand how meaningful it is to the future of these islands. As people were leaving the place, I got to listen to what one of the ladies of Legacy Fund told the buoy, in a whisper, “Please, keep those fish safe”. And I am certain this buoy, if any, will.
A little boy looks at his gloves, dripping with black paint. He would like to spread this color on the floor, the walls, and his own clothes; and who wouldn’t normally feel like it when handling crayons or water colors? We are creative beings, it is imprinted in our genes, and therefore our natural human instinct prompts us to color the world when having paint. Today, this boy is indeed giving color to the planet; he is adding his small grain of improvemet to a buoy make this a better world. Behind him comes a little girl, with a big smile, she puts not only the imprint of her hands on the buoy, but decorates it with flowers and butterflies. Little people, big people, a whole family, one by one, leave their hands printed on a 500 kilo mooring buoy. They also write their names, and the date. This is the family and friends of Legacy Fund. They are in the Galápagos Islands not only to enjoy its beauty and fearless creatures. They are here to give back to nature, and in a very useful way.
Anchors can destroy the sea floor, each anchor weights from 50 to 2000 kilos. The "Galápagos Zero Anchor Initiative", has the goal of setting a special kind of mooring system that eliminates such anchor lines’ physical impact on the fragile underwater environment. Several organizations are involved, Conservation International, Wild Aid and The Charles Darwin Research Station, under the coordination and technical assistance of the National Park Service and the Ecuadorian Navy. It isn’t as simple as just setting the buoy. They had to perform field tests for the best mooring system available, compile a biological baseline and substrate information, arrange the purchase and installation of components, and start educational campaigns for crew members of all Galápagos boats. And the Legacy Fund is supporting every step of this amazing project that will make a real difference in the Galápagos underwater realms.
Kids look excited; parents are excited, happy and proud. The buoy gets more charming as we understand how meaningful it is to the future of these islands. As people were leaving the place, I got to listen to what one of the ladies of Legacy Fund told the buoy, in a whisper, “Please, keep those fish safe”. And I am certain this buoy, if any, will.
