Tobago Cays Marine Park gets donation of US$5,000 worth of diving gear

Christmas came early this year for the staff of the Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP), when they received equipment that is expected to make their work a lot easier.{{more}}

Last Thursday, the 12-member team, which includes six rangers, received diving and other gear from Alan Silverstein, the owner of the Canouan Dive Centre, at a special handover, which was witnessed by the chairman of the TCMP Board Herman Belmar, at the Union Island Administrative Centre in Union Island.

Considered baby steps in what is expected to be an ongoing relationship between the two entities, the Park was the recipient of professional diving equipment, which included wet suits, fins and boots, snorkels, masks regulators and flashlights, which were estimated to cost over US $5,000.

The handover is the second such presentation by Silverstein, who, in May, gave the Park divers specially made spears for use in the hunting of lionfish, which were discovered in the Cays earlier this year.

The Tobago Cays Marine Park, which comprises Petit Tabac, Petit Bateau, Jamesby, Petit Rameau and Baradol is a national park and wildlife preserve.

The discovery of the deadly species in the area was the catalyst for talks between the TCMP and Silverstein, himself an avid diver, who pointed out that there was the mutual interest in the preservation of the protected site, for generations to come.

“One day, God’s going to take all of us, hopefully to a better place and what we will leave behind is this legacy of our park. We are going to leave that to our children and our grand children and to our great grand children with God’s help for them to follow suit, and for the rest of the world to enjoy.”

“So, from a very unfortunate and dangerous situation which is the lionfish… this has grown into a family. We will now look at what else can my team do to help, and how we can protect what we have.”

Silverstein indicated that there is more assistance in store for the Park in the not too distant future, as he volunteered the service of himself and his team, to be extra pairs of eyes and hands in the Park, and assisting the rangers in certain duties in that area.

Chairman of the Board Belmar, who professed to be a diver himself, said that he hoped the donation, involvement and volunteerism that was displayed by Silverstein and his team, which includes Vaughn Martin and Kai Rosi, would be copied by other corporate entities.

“It is unusual for us in the Caribbean to experience such stakeholder volunteerism without having some vested interest at a personal level; so it is very encouraging to hear this, and to note that you have also invested your own personal financing.

“Your goodwill and your giving attitude, I really respect seriously and the willingness of the rangers to work with you, and to absorb you as part of the brotherhood of rangers, to help to make things work better for the good of all of us, it can only be applauded.

“Whatever I do as Chairman of the Park, I would do to encourage and to foster better relationships, better advancement into better management of the Park. I think it is my responsibility to impress the Board of the need for such partnerships to make things work.”

Belmar’s sentiments were echoed by Park Manager Kenneth Williams, who expressed gratitude to Silverstein.

“You have come to us at a time when we really needed some assistance by providing what we were unable to buy, and with your presence in the Park, infractions should go down, because you are there as our extra eyes, and people would refrain from committing the acts that they have been doing.”

Williams also called for greater security for the rangers, who, he indicated, at times put their lives on the line.

“The rangers know that to go into the Cays at night could be a very dangerous undertaking, because they never know what they are going to meet out there…. So you can be sure that the entire TCMP staff is happy for what we are receiving today.”