: Archived Articles
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1: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 18.12.2008

Last week the Conservation Department were very busy with passing visitors and tours.

2: CONSERVATION WEEKLY - Ascension (Conservation) - 04.12.2008

This week the Conservation Department bids farewell to Phil Lambdon, Botanist from Kew, who has been here working under the Invasive Species Project doing a plant survey around Ascension.

3: Conservation Weekly - SITE VISITS WITH THE COUNCILLORS - Ascension (Conservation) - 27.11.2008

On Thursday, members of the Island Council took time out of their busy schedules to meet with the Conservation Department for a presentation and site visits to the sooty tern colony and Green Mountain.

4: Conservation Weekly - Visitors - Ascension (Conservation) - 20.11.2008

The Conservation Department has had a busy time lately with several visiting researchers to the island.

5: Conservation Weekly - Beach Cleanup - Ascension (Conservation) - 13.11.2008

The 2008 Annual Island Wide Beach Cleanup was a success.

6: Conservation Weekly - Mexican Poppy, Mexican Thistle Argemone mexicana - Ascension (Conservation) - 30.10.2008

This species originated in Mexico and has become something of a troublesome, though attractive, weed in many tropical parts of the world.

7: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 23.10.2008

It was noticed that some Green Turtles tracks were on Long beach last week, it’s a little early for these amazing creatures but not unusual, and December will see the beginning of their breeding season.

8: Ancient Goat Fossils found on Ascension Island. - Ascension (Conservation) - 09.10.2008

While working in the field on Tuesday the 16th of September, Assistant Conservation Officer Stedson Stroud, volunteer Mrs Elizabeth Hill and I were out observing and counting endemic plants for the conservation department’s yearly plant census.

9: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 02.10.2008

This past month saw many visitors to our Conservation Office.

10: ASCENSION’S GRASSES (PART THREE): By Phil Lambdon - Ascension (Conservation) - 25.09.2008

Blue grass (N. American name), cerrillo (Spanish name), common thatching grass (S. African name), coolati grass (Australian name)

11: Conservation Weekly - ASCENSION’S GRASSES (PART TWO): - Ascension (Conservation) - 18.09.2008

A very widespread species throughout the tropics, occurring in North and South America, southern Europe, Africa and Asia as far as China.

12: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 11.09.2008

In recent months heavy rains have encouraged the growth of grasses on Ascension.

13: Conservation Weekly - Explorers Climb Cross Hill - Ascension (Conservation) - 21.08.2008

Last week the Ascension Explorers visited Cross Hill and the guns.

14: Conservation Weekly - EXPLORERS VISIT DEVIL’S RIDING SCHOOL - Ascension (Conservation) - 14.08.2008

It’s time again for the Ascension Explorers! This yearly series of activities gives Ascension’s children insight into the wildlife and habitats of the island.

15: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 07.08.2008

Phil Lambdon and Andrew Darlow from the EU Invasive Species Project have returned to Ascension to complete a survey of plants on the island.

16: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 31.07.2008

A few days ago, an especially hard-working and congenial group of volunteers led by Simon Croson from the RAF, came out to help the Conservation Department.

17: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 17.07.2008

WATCH OUT… Due to all of the recent rain, there have been a lot of land crabs on the roads lately.

18: Conservation Weekly - HYDROPONICS SITE: 14 MONTHS AND COUNTING… - Ascension (Conservation) - 10.07.2008

In May 2007, the AIG Conservation Department first started work clearing Mexican thorn from the old hydroponics site.

19: Conservation Weekly - MASKED BOOBY - Ascension (Conservation) - 03.07.2008

If you are walking near Hummock Point, keep on the lookout for this bird. The masked booby above has a nest with a new chick located close to the path.

20: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 26.06.2008

More than 50 land crabs have been tagged on Ascension. What does a tagged crab look like?

21: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 12.06.2008

The Conservation Department is continuing work on land crabs on the island.

22: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 05.06.2008

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY IS JUNE 5! Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide are necessary for life on this planet.

23: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 29.05.2008

Sam Weber has been very busy this summer studying temperature in relation to sea turtle hatchling success.

24: Conservation Weekly - TURTLES HATCH AT THE CONSERVATION CENTRE - Ascension (Conservation) - 22.05.2008

Hi. Here’s just a quick update on some of the work that is going on at the Conservation Centre. This year, in association with the Conservation team, I am doing some research to understand why some clutches of turtle eggs hatch very successfully while in others most of the eggs die.

25: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 15.05.2008

At the end of April, a very strange looking sea bird was spotted at Hummock Point.

26: Museum Mystery - Ascension (Conservation) - 08.05.2008

The Heritage Society is trying to locate this rock! It was carved by the men of the 898th Regiment around 1947.

27: The Dewpond - Ascension (Conservation) - 24.04.2008

The Dewpond was constructed on the summit of Green Mountain in 1875, before the bamboos were planted which was nearing the end of the 19th century.

28: Conservation Weekly - Respect for our wildlife… - Ascension (Conservation) - 17.04.2008

Last week, the Conservation Dept. received a rather disturbing report of misconduct on Long Beach.

29: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 10.04.2008

CAT REGISTRATION UPDATE - Has your cat been registered?

30: Conservation Weekly - OTEP Funding for Conservation - Ascension (Conservation) - 03.04.2008

The Conservation Department learned a couple of weeks ago that our OTEP (Overseas Territories Environmental Programme) bid to support Ascension plant work was successful.

31: Conservation Weekly - Ascension’s first crabs - Ascension (Conservation) - 27.03.2008

You may remember the Conservation Weekly article a few weeks ago that mentioned Ascension’s land crabs.

32: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 20.03.2008

The Army Ornithological Society (AOS) mounted their 14th expedition to Ascension from 7-20 Feb 2008.

33: Rabbits - Ascension (Conservation) - 20.03.2008

As many of you may be aware, Elizabeth Bell and Dave Boyle (WMIL) are visiting Ascension until April 6 to undertake rabbit monitoring and survey work for AIG under the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project.

34: Conservation Weekly - Land crabs visit North East Bay - Ascension (Conservation) - 13.03.2008

Last week more than 600 land crabs descended onto North East Bay to mate and lay their eggs.

35: Conservation Weekly - Ascension's Threatened Sharks - Ascension (Conservation) - 06.03.2008

In a couple weeks the Ascension Post Office will release a beautiful set of stamps featuring Ascension’s shark species. In anticipation, the Conservation Department would like to share some information with you to help you appreciate these unique fish:

36: Turtle Tours - Ascension (Conservation) - 21.02.2008

You can book at the Conservation Centre on Ext.6359

37: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 21.02.2008

The Conservation Department would like to extend its thanks to Fiona Steel.

38: Conservation Weekly - Training was a Success! - Ascension (Conservation) - 14.02.2008

Tools Training as part of the EU Invasive Species Project went very well. Courses covered maintenance and usage of woodchippers, chainsaws, and brushcutters.

39: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 07.02.2008

This week staff members and volunteers of the Conservation Department will undertake Tools Training as part of the EU Invasive Species Project.

40: Conservation Weekly - BLACKFISH - Ascension (Conservation) - 31.01.2008

There are still large numbers of blackfish washing up on Ascension’s beaches.

41: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 24.01.2008

The Conservation Department is pleased offer the following tours:

42: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 17.01.2008

Conservation supporters visit Ascension… Last week representatives from the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Seabirds (RSPB) visited Ascension.

43: Conservation Weekly - Pinniped Visitor! - Ascension (Conservation) - 10.01.2008

Shortly after Christmas, Ascension’s shores were home to an unusual pinniped visitor.

44: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 20.12.2007

You may remember from previous Conservation Weekly articles, that our RSPB colleague, Dr. Mark Bolton, was coming to try and capture a few Madeiran storm petrels. Is it possible that the storm petrels on Ascension may be different from those in the North Atlantic.

45: Conservation - Ascension (Conservation) - 13.12.2007

This tiny juvenile land crab was found by Stedson Stroud last week near Green Mountain.

46: Conservation Weekly - Farewell Steph - Ascension (Conservation) - 06.12.2007

The Conservation Department would like to thank Stephanie Bentham-Green for all of her hard work volunteering for the past few months.

47: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 22.11.2007

The Conservation Department has had a few reports of a Sanderling been spotted around the island.

48: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 15.11.2007

RSPB Bird Researcher on Ascension

49: Consevation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 01.11.2007

Unusual Visitor at the Residency

50: Heritage Society - Ascension (Conservation) - 18.10.2007

ASCENSION ISLAND HERITAGE SOCIETY FORT HAYES MUSEUM GEORGETOWN OPEN SATURDAYS 11:00 – 1:00

51: Volunteers at the Annual Beach Clean-up - Ascension (Conservation) - 18.10.2007

Volunteers, including the Brownies and Scouts help at the Annual Beach Cleanup

52: Ascension Beach Clean-up - 14th October 2007 - Ascension (Conservation) - 04.10.2007

The Conservation Department is organising an island-wide beach clean-up for Sunday 14th October from 10 am to noon.

53: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 27.09.2007

AEIOU Contractors on Ascension

54: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 20.09.2007

The Conservation Department is working with fish pathology expert Dr. Wolfgang Vogelbein from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science to learn what is happening to the Ascension grouper.

55: Conservation Weekly by Susannah Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 13.09.2007

The Conservation Department has two new items on offer in the Centre. The first is Mary the Masked Booby, a children’s book authored by Tara Pelembe with photography from Anselmo Pelembe.

56: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 06.09.2007

Activities with the Ascension Explorers came to a close last week. The final activity took place on Green Mountain, where the Explorers learned how to identify Ascension’s endemic plants.

57: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 06.09.2007

Activities with the Ascension Explorers came to a close last week. The final activity took place on Green Mountain, where the Explorers learned how to identify Ascension’s endemic plants.

58: Conservation Weekly - Exploring Deadman’s Beach - Ascension (Conservation) - 30.08.2007

Last week, the Island Explorers spent the morning investigating marine life at Deadman’s Beach. The children enjoyed the beach and tidal pools and found several species of fish and invertebrates.

59: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 23.08.2007

Activities with the New Horizons group and Island Explorers continued last week with visits to Devil’s Riding School and Dampier’s Drip.

60: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 16.08.2007

August brings New Horizons and more for Conservation… While work on the hydroponics site is drawing to a close, the Conservation Department has been busy with several new activities.

61: Conservation Weekly - Red-billed Tropic Bird - Ascension (Conservation) - 02.08.2007

This is a chunky, powerful bird, 48cm long (about 100cm including the central tail feathers) and with wingspan 105cm.

62: Conservation Weekly - Xiphopteris ascensionensis - Ascension (Conservation) - 26.07.2007

This is plant is considered an endemic species, though it has sometimes been treated as a form of X.trichomaniodes, a widespread tropical species.

63: Conservation Weekly - Frigate Bird Rescue - Ascension (Conservation) - 12.07.2007

On Tuesday 3rd July 2007 Conservation was alerted. A juvenile Frigate Bird, endemic to Ascension was seen at Pan Am Beach.

64: Conservation Weekly - Contributed By Natasha Williams - Ascension (Conservation) - 05.07.2007

The Fairy Tern breeds all year round. They are common on both St Helena and Ascension Island. The single egg is laid in a hollow on a bare branch or rock ledge and is pale grey or buff with dark streaking and speckling.

65: A thorny problem – Control of Prosopis on Ascension - Ascension (Conservation) - 28.06.2007

The invasive species project workshop on Ascension in March this year generated a number of actions for the project to take forward.

66: Conservation Weekly By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 28.06.2007

The pools of Shelly Beach are known for their endemic shrimp and unique globular algae. However, new residents in the pool have been stirring up interest.

67: Conservation Weekly By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 21.06.2007

The Real Story of Mexican Thorn on Ascension - A few weeks ago, the Conservation Weekly article described some control efforts taking place at the old hydroponics site.

68: Conservation Weekly By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 07.06.2007

Mexican thorn work at the old hydroponics site. Conservation staff and volunteers spent a few hours clearing and treating Mexican thorn trees at the old hydroponics site last week.

69: Conservation Weekly - By Susanna Musick - Ascension (Conservation) - 24.05.2007

Numbers of dead hatchlings on the rise - Local residents have raised concerns about the increasing numbers of dead hatchlings showing up on Georgetown’s roads.

70: INVASIVE SPECIES CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT UNDERWAY - S.Atlantic (Conservation) - 19.05.2007

Invasive species have been recognised as a threat to biological diversity worldwide, and the threat is particularly severe for island states.

71: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 10.05.2007

Pteris adscensionis ferns take up new residence

72: Conservation Weekly - Masked Boobies Return to Letterbox - Ascension (Conservation) - 03.05.2007

Every other week Seabird Restoration Project fieldworkers make the long and challenging walk to the Letterbox in search of new seabird nesting sites.

73: Larval land crabs - Ascension (Conservation) - 26.04.2007

You may remember the Conservation Weekly article a few weeks ago that described the breeding cycle of Ascension’s land crabs.

74: Ascension Divers Aid Hawksbill Turtle - Ascension (Conservation) - 26.04.2007

A group of Atlantis Dive Club scuba divers which included Mal Moss, Winnie Ellick, Sarah Coverdale, Bernard Peterson and Shari Parkhill,

75: LIGHTS OUT FOR HATCHLINGS? - Ascension (Conservation) - 19.04.2007

As many of you know already, Ascension Island is home to thousands of nesting and breeding green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the months from November to June.

76: Turtle Tours - Ascension (Conservation) - 19.04.2007

Are currently available. You can book at the Conservation Centre on Ext.6359 or at the Obsidian Hotel on Ext.6246

77: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 12.04.2007

By Susanna Musick - The brown spiny lobster, Panulirus echinatus, also known locally as crayfish or “longlegs,”

78: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 21.03.2007

Every year adult Ascension Island land crabs migrate to the shoreline between late January and April, though the timing and numbers involved vary greatly from year to year.

79: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 08.03.2007

This relatively small grey locust has a wide distribution that includes Africa and many remote islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

80: CONSERVATIN WEEKLY - Ascension (Conservation) - 01.03.2007

ANGELFISH, RESPLENDID/”Splendid Angelfish” (Centrophge resplendens)

81: Are you interested in the way that introduced species are affecting Ascension? - Ascension (Conservation) - 01.03.2007

Introduced species, including plants like Mexican thorn,

82: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 22.02.2007

This species has a distinctive yellow tail that attracts a lot of attention. It is a small fish with a very dark body which occasionally flashes a brilliant royal blue if closer to the surface.

83: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 08.02.2007

The Masked Booby is a large, mainly white seabird with black tips and trailing edges to the wing. The sexes are similar. Juveniles are greyish brown above with an indistinct pale collar and white belly.

84: Conservation - Ascension (Conservation) - 01.02.2007

Within the Conservation Department, we have now completed the clearing of the Bishops and Scouts Paths. This was a task for Carl Richards and Colin Cranfield, the Green Mountain Field Workers, under the Improving Access to Green Mountain Project.

85: Farewell To Tara - Ascension (Conservation) - 25.01.2007

Thursday 18th January, we saw the departure of Tara Pelembe who left the island to take up employment with JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) in Petersburg UK.

86: CRABWATCH 2007 – HUNT THE BABIES - Ascension (Conservation) - 18.01.2007

Every year adult Ascension Island land crabs migrate to the shoreline between late January and April, though the timing and numbers involved vary greatly from year to year.

87: Report on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) - Ascension (Conservation) - 11.01.2007

Last month I attended a the above – named workshop. Here is a brief report on the event.

88: ASCENSION ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION OPERATIONS UTILITY (AEIOU) - Ascension (Conservation) - 04.01.2007

November 2006 saw the official launch of Ascension’s first integrative geographical information system or GIS

89: Protecting the world from harmful introduced species - Ascension (Conservation) - 04.01.2007

People around the world can access information about harmful introduced species easier than ever thanks to the September 2006 launch of a new website for the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD).

90: Seabirds Succeed on Ascension Island - Ascension (Conservation) - 14.12.2006

Ascension Island, a small, remote, volcanic island in the South Atlantic, is rich in unique flora and fauna.

91: Opening of some of Green Mountain National Park Paths - Ascension (Conservation) - 16.11.2006

Friday 10th November 2006 was the grand Opening of some of the Green Mountain Paths, namely Elliot’s, Ruperts, and Dew Pond.

92: Conservation Weekly - Ascension (Conservation) - 16.11.2006

On Thursday 9th November 2006 there was a certificate presentation for some members of the Conservation Department and some members of the Works Department.