Subject: [Fwd: Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News]

From: "R.Stephens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:40:49 +0000

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Galapagos Conservation Trust e-News
Date: 	Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:45:48 +1200
From: 	Galapagos Conservation Trust <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: 	[email-masked]
To: 	[email-masked]

Galapagos hawk
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Galapagos Conservation Trust logo 	  Welcome to the Galapagos 
Conservation Trust's e-newsletter...
29 March, 2007

Dear Mr Stephens,

In this edition:

    * Away from safety of Galapagos, Green Turtle DC235 dies from long
      line fishing <#turtle>
    * More news from Galapagos <#news>
    * Eggs for Easter <#adoption>
    * Tortoise Club for Schools competition <#tortoiseclub>
    * "Crisis in Paradise" DVD available <#dvd>
    * GCT's webshop offer <#webshop>

  Away from safety of Galapagos, Green Turtle DC235 dies from long line
  fishing

The disheartening news of the first recorded death of a sea turtle 
marked in Galapagos was received recently by Patricia Zárate, Charles 
Darwin Foundation's (CDF) marine turtle project coordinator. Tagged as 
DC235 by the CDF monitoring team, this female East Pacific green turtle 
/(Chelonia mydas)/ was caught and died in the long line of a commercial 
vessel fishing for tuna in Panama in December 2005.

According to Zarate, "While within the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) 
the turtles are safe. Industrial fishing was prohibited in the GMR in 
1998 and long lining by artisanal fishers was banned in 2005. Our 
research helps support the efforts of the Galapagos National Park 
Service to ensure the turtles have sanctuary in Galapagos." Beyond the 
40 mile limit of protected waters that surround the Galapagos 
archipelago they are however vulnerable to international fishing 
pressure during migration and in their feeding areas outside the haven 
created by the GMR.

For the full article, visit our website at http://www.gct.org/mar07_1.html.

..Top <#top>

  More news from Galapagos

*100 mangrove finches - how to stop the countdown*
A new project began in late 2006 that aims to increase the knowledge 
about the needs and the ecology of the mangrove finch /Cactospiza 
heliobates/. The most endangered of "Darwin's" finches, the species is 
listed as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened 
Species.

*The land iguana - back from the brink*
Over the last 30 years the land iguana captive breeding programme has 
reared and released 1,136 land iguanas. Successful breeding in the wild 
is especially obvious on Baltra Island and northwest Santa Cruz Island 
since these sites are now free of the feral cats and dogs that 
previously decimated the iguana populations.

*School's out for invasive bugs*
CDF's thesis student Lenyn Betancourt is a familiar face in the schools 
of Puerto Ayora, where 188 children help him look for unusual 
invertebrates amongst the plants in the school patio. This pilot 
programme by the CDF's invertebrate research team is expanding the 
inventory and monitoring of terrestrial invertebrates in Puerto Ayora.

For the full articles, visit our website at http://www.gct.org/news2.html.

..Top <#top>

  Eggs for Easter

Galapagos giant tortoise

For a very special gift this Easter, why not adopt a Galapagos giant 
tortoise egg? The tiny hatchlings are emerging from their eggs at this 
time of year, weighing only about 80g, and need our support to thrive 
and grow into the magnificent animals that are the icons of Galapagos.

GCT has a range of Galapagos species available for adoption, including 
the waved albatross, which are landing in Espanola at the moment to 
begin breeding; the Galapagos passionflower, an endemic plant with small 
egg-shaped "passion fruits"; the blue-footed booby and playful sea lion 
pups.

To adopt a giant tortoise egg or other Galapagos species, please visit 
our website at www.gct.org <http://www.gct.org>.

..Top <#top>

  Tortoise Club for Schools competition

Tom Garner, the Tortoise Club for Schools Co-ordinator, has just 
announced GCT's annual competition for Tortoise Club for Schools, Junior 
and Galapagos Schools members. The competition, this year, is to design 
a conservation poster which promotes the protection of the giant 
Galapagos tortoises and also the need to conserve their unique and 
important habitat. The prize includes a signed framed print of a 
tortoise that was produced especially for GCT by artist and illustrator, 
Korky Paul; an autographed book called 'Aesop's Funky Fables'; and one 
year's free junior membership of GCT. For details on how to enter, email 
[email-masked] <mailto:[email-masked]> or visit our website at 
http://www.gct.org/tortoiseclub/competition.html.

The Tortoise Club for Schools was re-launched in 2006 and since then has 
quadrulped in number, with 22 schools now signed up as members. If you 
know of a school that would enjoy Tortoise Club membership, please 
contact Tom at [email-masked] <mailto:[email-masked]> for further 
information, or visit our website at http://www.gct.org/tortoiseclub 
<http://www.gct.org/tortoiseclub/index.html>.

..Top <#top>

  "Crisis in Paradise" DVD available

New and exclusive to GCT, this 38-minute DVD outlines the current issues 
that the Galapagos Islands face, and features interviews with Sir David 
Attenborough. By purchasing this DVD, a £10 donation will go towards 
conserving the islands. The DVD is available through our website at 
www.gct.org/gifts1.html <http://www.gct.org/gifts1.html>, or you can 
email Abi in the GCT office on [email-masked] <mailto:[email-masked]>.

..Top <#top>

  GCT's webshop offer

Tesco are now offering GCT £10 for every new customer who makes their 
first grocery purchase through our webshop. Until Sunday the 8th of 
April 2007, Tesco.com will be increasing commission and will give us £10 
for every new customer who makes a grocery transaction. As well as this 
fantastic offer for us, all new customers who spend over £50 on their 
first grocery transaction will receive £5 off.

For further details, visit our webshop at http://www.buy.at/galapagos.

..Top <#top>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Galapagos Conservation Trust GOLD CLUB*
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Initiatives | Durley House | Eric Way | Flemings | Laurent Perrier | 
Nicholas Moll Design | Quasar Nautica | Rhubarb | Select Latin America | 
The Ultimate Travel Company

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