Ascension : Conservation Weekly - Contributed by Olivia Renshaw
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 02.07.2009 (Article Archived on 16.07.2009)

I arrived on Ascension Island at the end of April to start a one year contract working for AIG Conservation as a horticulturalist.

I arrived on Ascension Island at the end of April to start a one year contract working for AIG Conservation as a horticulturalist. I would like to start by thanking all my colleagues in the conservation team for such a warm welcome. Stedson, Natasha, Keith, Lorna, Raymond and Nathan have all helped me quickly settle into life on Ascension and thoroughly enjoy my first six weeks. It is great to be part of the team, who all work closely with one another, sharing skills and news, as well as receiving assistance from other AIG departments. I have been reporting home with news of how happy I am to be working in such and friendly and relaxed place. Activities I take part in outside of work, such hashing, swimming, tennis, diving, as well as sampling the atmosphere at the various bars, have kept me busy in the evenings and at weekends. There is always the opportunity to take part in social events and catch up with news from various places around the Island.

I have spent a number of years working as a horticulturalist in different Botanic Gardens in different parts of the UK. Last year I completed a Masters degree at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, then worked for five months at the Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London. My work on Ascension will involve assisting Stedson with the propagation and reintroduction of the endemic plants on Ascension. Stedson has undertaken an amazing amount of work so far, saving the six remaining endemics from extinction. The plan is now to make use of the three shade tunnels on Green Mountain. We have already started work in restoring the two not currently in use, which will provide more space for propagation of the endemics. There also has been a lot of activity at the restoration site on the way up to the Dew Pond. The clearing of invasive species and construction of rabbit-proof fencing has created areas for the re-introduction of the endemics. It has been a real team effort to clear the dense vegetation. Keith and Lorna, the Invasive Species Team, have been hard at work, putting their chainsaw, brush cutter and spraying qualifications to very good use already.

I have been lucky to spend a number of days working with Raymond and Nathan at some of the seabird nesting sites. It has enabled me to see more of the Island and witness their fundamental contribution to the seabird restoration programmes. It has been fantastic to see the number of birds now visiting the Island since the cat eradication. We have had some great walks to the various locations; my favourite so far is definitely Letterbox!

During the coming year I am looking forward to taking an active role in the valuable work the Conservation team are contributing to all over the Island, from the removal and control of invasive species to the re-introduction of endemics and habitat restoration.

CONSERVATION NOTICE

Please be advised that due to staff shortages during the period of 3^rd July – 8^th September 2009, the Conservation Centre will not be open everyday through the week. Signs will be put up if closed.

The centre will not be open on the following Saturdays:

4^th July             11^th July

18^th July           25^th July

1^st August         8^th August

15^th August       22^nd August

29^th August       5^th September

Closed Monday 31^st August (August Bank Holiday-Government Holiday)

Tours

There will be no tours until further notice.

Normal weekdays, and Saturday opening hours will resume as normal from 9^th September 2009.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Thank you for your co –operation.

Conservation Staff

CAT OWNERS:  If you own a cat on Ascension, it is your responsibility to look after it.  This means that you must make sure that your cat wears a collar at all times and you must notify the Conservation Dept. as soon as your cat goes missing.  You should also let us know if you are leaving the island for holiday (or permanently) and who will be looking after your cat during your absence.  Thank you!

All pet cats on Ascension are to be registered, register forms were sent out to all owners if you did not received one, please contact Raymond Benjamin at Conservation Tel. 6359

Thank you for you co-operation.