Post on 12-Apr-2018
Title of Text:Explore the Reef with Nora and Friends
Colouring & Activity Book
Author:Marceluz Geban
Contributor:Anna D. Hoare
Khaidia MossiahLosita Lee
Illustration: Glen Bradley
Photographs:Front Cover Turtle: Ed Hoffman
Back Cover: Dirk Francisco
Editor:Anna D. Hoare
Design and Layout:Marceluz Geban
Olivia Carballo- Avilez
Cover:Olivia Carballo-Avilez
Review Team:Anna D. HoareAmanda Acosta
Losita LeeFelicia Leal
Publication Date: July 2009
Project Funding Agency:The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization
PREFACE
The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) has been promoting conservation
through various ways including sustainable local tourism activities at
Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments a project funded by
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and UNESCO. Through this project
BAS with the support of TNC & UNESCO was able to produce a
colouring and activity book entitled “Explore the Reef with Hora and
Friends” that promotes the importance of the coral reef ecosystem
and sea turtles in Belize. We hope that you enjoy reading
and colouring this book as you learn ways in which you can help protect
turtle and conserve the coral reef ecosystem.
ABOUT BELIZE AUDUBON
SOCIETY
The Belize Audubon Society (BAS) was established in February of 1969. BAS is non-
governmental membership organization dedicated to the sustainable management of
Belize's natural resources through leadership and strategic partnership with
stakeholders in order to create a balance between people and the environment.
BAS is committed to the conservation of Belize's natural resources. Since its
formation the Society has been Belize's foremost environmental organization
protecting Belize's precious natural resources while educating the public about
their value and sustainable use. BAS has grown from an all-volunteer organization
with 55 charter members to a Society of over 1,700 members with a staff of more
than 40 dedicated professionals and a fourteen member Board of Directors.
BAS helped in creating Belize's first protected area at Half Moon Caye. Over
time that number has grown to nine, under an agreement with the Government of
Belize, BAS currently cares for nine protected areas, covering 192,000 acres on
behalf of the people and Government of Belize. It is a challenging responsibility
but the rewards are great. These protected areas include:
· Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM), World Heritage Site (Est.
1982)
· Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, Ramsar Site (Est. 1984)
· Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaguar Reserve (Est. 1986)
· Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve (Est. 1986)
· Guanacaste National Park (Est. 1990)
· St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park (Est. 1994)
· Victoria Peak Natural Monument (Est. 1998)
· Blue Hole Natural Monument, World Heritage Site (Est. 1999)
· Actun Tunichil Mucknal Natural Monument (Est. 2004)
BAS is proud of our important work in conserving these protected areas. In
addition BAS is involved in advocacy, environmental education, community outreach,
biodiversity conservation and research programmes all working in tandem to secure
the future of Belize's natural resources and to ensure a healthy environment for
healthy living while preserving our heritage for future generations.
Half Moon Caye and
Blue Hole Natural
Monuments
Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments are protected areas located within the
Lighthouse Reef system. They have high biological importance, unique geological formation
and some of the heathiest in Belize. Half Moon Caye and Blue Hole Natural Monuments,
both designated as Natural Monuments under the National Parks System Act (1981), are
managed through a co-management agreement between Belize Audubon Society and the
Protected Areas Office of the Forest Department of the Government of Belize.
These sites are considered a unique part of our Belizean heritage with a long history and
culture of use. Regionally and globally its importance is recognized through its designation
World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996 as two of the seven protected sites under the
Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.
Half Moon Caye Natural Monument (HMCNM) is approximately 9700 acres of both
terrestrial and marine ecosystem. HMCNM was first declared a protected area in 1928
as a crown reserve primarily for the protection of the large nesting colony of white phase
red-footed boobies and magnificent frigate bird.
The unique Blue Hole Natural Monument (BHNM) is approximately 1,023 acre of marine
ecosystem. BHNM, has a unique geological formation, found within the sinkhole. This
spectacular site has attracted divers worldwide.
Importance of Half Moon Caye & Blue Hole Natural Monuments:
o Protection of the large nesting colony of white phase red-footed boobies and
magnificent frigate bird.
o Nesting site for the Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Green Sea turtles.
o Site for fish spawning aggregation.
o High coral and fish life density and diversity.
o ProvideS two conservation management areas within one of the most pristine reef
areas remaining in the Mesoamerican and Caribbean reef system.
My NAME is:____________________
I Live in:_______________________
My school is:_________________
Hi Kids! I am Hora, a Hawksbill
sea turtle and i live in the sea.
Come join me, Coco and Lucia in
exploring the Reef and its marine
creatures.
Look at the colorful
sea garden; it looks
so alive.
They are alive! Corals are
animals. They are built by
colonies of Polyps.
Brain Coral
That’s fascinating, but how
do they live?
Well, they can catch
small fishes and animals
by using the stinging cells
on their tentacle. They
“zap” them and digest them.
tentacles
Wow! That is so amazing. I always thought
they did not eat.
Did you know that the coral ecosystem is very
important to us sea turtles and other marine
creatures?
S O W G Q V K J E R F S
K W R R N U T R C S B U A E C L A M
A L A O O C T O P U S P A L G A E M E S
T D S U V Y I K R L T R A I C Y T X C
E R S P X E A S T A R V O L E W N E A
S R E E F S L J E Y R Z S O C O T M L
S R C R A B C H R S O W P U W O R E S L
C R O W N - O F - T H O R N S M N T O
J Y I F S H A R K S L G F P N C F Y P T A P
B A R R A C U D A Y V I A G H I S O A R U
X P G A N E M O N E F I S H E I S T M S C F Z
I E U T R I G G E R F I S H S S N H E J X H L I
F C R U S T A C E A N S E A C U C U M B E R E S
P U F F E R F I S H H A E A N G E L F I S H
S E A T U R T L E A N E M O N E S M A
C S I S E A H O R S E S Q U I D P
Algae
Anemonefish
Anemones
Angelfish
Barracuda
Coral
Crab
ecosystem
Eel
Fish
Grouper
Parrotfish
pufferfish
Rays
Reefs
Sea cucumber
Seahorse
Seaturtle
Sharks
Shrimp
Skates
Sponges
Starfish
The corals provide shelter and feeding grounds to us sea
turtles, fishes, shrimps, crabs and other small animals
that appear in a variety of shapes and colours.
It is amazing how the corals are so important to all
of us sea creatures.
_______________________________________
How do we as sea turtles help
the ecosystem to be healthy?
Well, we sea turtles are inhabitants of the
coral reef ecosystem. This means we live in
the ecosystem. The warm water of the
Barrier Reef is our home. We eat and prune
the sea grass on the sea floor and this keeps
the sea grass beds healthy. Indirectly we
help in the nutrients enrichment of the coral
reef ecosystem.
I do understand now! Everything
is really connected.
Hey! You said we Sea turtles! Are we
all the same?
No! We are not all the same.
There are three
types of sea turtles
that nest and hatch
in Belize.
The Green turtle,
Loggerhead turtle
and Hawksbill turtle.
Lucia, you are a Loggerhead Turtle.
You get your name because of your
heavy bulky head.
And I am a Hawkbill Turtle. I got my name
because my mouth resembles that of a Hawk’s
beak.
msycteseo _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
geassasr _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ergne _ _ _ _ _
redlgoehag _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sea turtles lay there eggs in the
____ ____ ____ ____
Unscramble the letters below to make the turtle words. Then rearrange
the letters in the circle spaces to write the answers to the puzzle below.
Scramble Sea Turtle
Have you noticed that we are the only
ones around? I have not seen any other
turtles around for days. How come?
Are we the only ones around, Hora?
We are not the only ones around, but
we are on the endangered list. This
means that there are not a lot of
us in the sea. So we must be protected.
Let me show you how we got here.
Step 1. Female turtle arrives to the
nesting beach of Half Moon Caye.
Step 2. Female turtle digs a hole in
the sand to lay her eggs.
Step 3. Sea turtle lays eggs in the sand
and then cover them.Step 4. Mother turtle leaves the nest
and return to the sea.
. .
Step 5. Baby turtle leaves the nest. Step 6. The baby turtle quickly crawls
out of the hole to reach the sea and
fight for survival..
Step 7.A young sea turtle begins a life journey in the sea.
___________________________________________________________________
Help the female Green Sea Turtle get through the maze and to the
beach area to nest.
Maze adopted from: akidsheart.com
Loggerhead Turtle Maze
Life Journey indeed. I cannot
believe all the wonders we enjoy
here in the sea
Thank you Hora for that wonderful
explanation of the Reef.
I hope other Living Things are out there
that care about the sea and the creatures
that live in it.
You can all help protect the sea
turtles of Belize by following these
rules:
Leaving the nest and eggs alone.
Not disturbing a nesting female.
Not hunting them for pets or food.
Putting garbage in its proper place.
Help Lucia, place these rules to match the correct picture
3._________________________ 4.________________________
1.________________________ 2._______________________
For more information onand Blue Hole Natural Monuments:
Belize Audubon Society 12 Fort StreetPO. Box 1001Belize CityBelize Central AmericaPhone: 223-5004, 223-4987Fax: 223-4985E-mail: education@belizeaudubon.orgWebsite: www.belizeaudubon.org
Half Moon Caye Copyright 2009Belize Audubon Society
Printed with funding from: