DICT Environmental Programme June Rundown
June 30, 2017 Dyer Island Conservation Trust
June was an eventful month for the DEEP group. On the 8th we celebrated World Oceans Day and Youth day on the 16th of June.
June 08 – World Oceans Day
Our group were given a special presentation by Sandra Hoerbst who is a Marine Biologist and guide for Dyer Island Cruises whale watching. She gave a very insightful presentation on the differences between dolphins and sharks. Did you know that dorsal fins are as unique as your fingerprint? So, a dorsal fin program is used to identify the animals.
Humpback dolphins and sharks are studied in the Dyer Island Eco system by Dyer Island Conservation Trust biologists. Data collection is done on a daily basis in partnership with tourism partners, Dyer Island Cruises and Marine Dynamics.
A dolphin catalogue has been created from photos collected on whale watching tours. The kids learned how to match the fins and got creative with some colouring.
June 16 – Youth day
This day honours those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children. For the Deep group this was another opportunity to have fun and learn more about environmental education.
Our group of 24 dedicated children from the local community spent the day at the Fynarts festival in Hermanus to watch “The Queen of Waste”. Many marine mammals are killed by plastic every year, around the world. Plastics are the most common manmade objects sighted at sea. DICT empowers the youth to fight pollution for the benefit, safety and health of our environment.
This outing has been made possible by the sponsorship we received from Grootbos Foundation, who sponsored the tickets for the show. A huge thank you to Bill Watkins, the Community Chest and PlasLantic for their generous donations.
