Times of the Islands Spring 2021

green pages newsletter of the department of environment & coastal resources
The first cohort of 75 SFS students was sent into
the field in the summer of 1981. These students traveled
to different countries around the world from Kenya
to Belize. In the spring of 1985, the Center for Marine
Resource Studies (CMRS) was first opened although it was
not where it is today on South Caicos. It was originally
located on St. John at the Virgin Islands Environmental
Resource Station on Lameshur Bay. In 1989, Hurricane
Hugo devastated the Virgin Islands leading to the evacuation
of students and staff. As a result of this hurricane,
there was a strong shift in class topics and discussions
with an emphasis on the impacts of the storm. Made possible
by years of baseline data collection by SFS students
and staff, this final cohort of students on St. John was
able to evaluate the damage of the hurricane on both
reefs and seagrass beds.
Soon after, SFS purchased a small hotel on South
Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands—the Admiral’s Arms
Inn. CMRS relocated to its new home on South Caicos in
the early 1990s. With funds provided by the Laurance S.
Rockefeller Foundation, the center was able to upgrade
its research equipment as well as provide scholarships.
Upon arrival, SFS researchers began to focus on
the conch and lobster exports of South Caicos, which
had been decreasing significantly at the time. Research
focused on understanding the potential causes of this
decline, mapping marine habitats and generating species
lists for the proposed Admiral Cockburn Land and Sea
National Park.
In the 30 years since SFS first arrived on South Caicos,
students and staff have worked on countless research
projects and have documented changes in marine life and
habitats. In 2006 one of our current faculty, Dr. Caitlin
O’Brien was a student at SFS TCI. As a student, Dr. O’Brien
spent time working on shark and turtle tag and recapture
projects in the waters near South Caicos. Long term projects
such as these document the natural history of South
Caicos’ reefs, seagrass beds and shores. Other projects
include monitoring queen conch and lionfish populations
and coral communities. Faculty and research partners also
bring their experience and interests to SFS. All research is
presented to the community of South Caicos on a semester
basis.
In 2017, SFS was once again faced with the devastating
effects of hurricanes in the Caribbean. Hurricanes
Irma and Maria hit the TCI back to back, leaving much of
the island and center destroyed. SFS students and staff
were evacuated, with some joining the SFS Panama center
for the rest of the semester. It took many months
of hard work and dedication from staff to rebuild CMRS.
Eventually, the center was able to reopen and welcome a
new group of students.
Just like in 1989 on St. John after Hurricane Hugo,
long-term data collection has offered important insight
into the effects of these hurricanes on the marine systems
off South Caicos. In addition to hurricanes, global
warming and diseases have impacted the coral reef
around South Caicos. With the historical data that has
SFS students regularly interact with the South Caicos community with a variety of educational (and fun!) events.
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