Public Education
The Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society since its inception has embarked on a widespread education programme to include hotels, businesses, community groups and schools.  The Junior Ranger Programme, talked about below, is one of NCRPS’s most important facets of our Public Education Programme.
NCRPS organizes events for International Earth Day and International Coastal Cleanup for the greater community, as well as other environmental holidays including World Water Day, National Wood and Water Day, and aids NEPT in the celebration of holidays such as World Wetlands Day and International Ozone Day.  NCRPS staff makes presentations to schools that make a request on a variety of different environmental topics, from coral reefs to endangered species to global warming.  Also, many times school groups and others come to our headuarters where a presentation on coral reefs is given and then we will make arrangements for the group to go out and see the reef on a glass bottom boat tour with one of the local operators.
We also present and hold boots at special events, as well as posting and distributing information regarding good environmental practices.

         
_____________________________________________________________________

Junior Rangers Programme
The Junior Ranger Training Programme is one of the forefront education programmes of the organization, and was initiated in 1995 at the celebration of International Earth Day.  The programme involves twelve schools within the Environmental Protection Area and has enrolled each year 180 Junior Rangers.  Since 1995 over 800 Junior Rangers have graduated.  Junnior Rangers go through specialized training programmes and complete a Junior Ranger Manual and other requirements for graduation.  The programme also entails a summer programme which offers swimming and CPR/lifesaving lessons as well as reinforcing positive environmental practices.  The Junior Ranger Manual as well as the camp cover a variety of different topics: coral reefs, endangered species, wetlands and mangroves, CPR, watershed protection, pollution, garbage management, the marine environment, and environmental laws such as the NRCA, the Wildlife Protection Act, and others.
Funding for the programme has been provided by a variety of different sources over the years.  Currently the programme is less active because of a lack of funds, but still plans on having a variety of different big sessions/workshops in which all schools and children involved will be able to come out and participate.

         
________________________________________________________________________________

Swimmer’s Lane Expansion
The Swimmer’s Lane is marked with white buoys that have a red tape across their diameter.  This is an important aspect of the park, helping to maintain the safety of all those choosing to partake in the wonderful waters of the NMP for recreation.  Many buoys have been lost in past storms, and more buoys are to be added to those already in the NMP.  Also there will be more red buoys added to the NMP that mark the Non-motorized craft zone, running parallel to the Swimmer’s Lane, farther out from shore.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Water Hyacinth Pond
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a natural way of purifying water by removing nutrients.  It is a fast growing plant that quickly absorbs nutrients, especially phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) which are of particular concern, especially to the health of coral reefs.  Nutrient pollution is one of the biggest issues facing our coral reefs, espcially in Negril.  The effects of this nutrient pollution can be seen in the massive amounts of algae growth on what used to be healthy live coral.  Coral reef ecysystems are characterized by h aving warm, nutrient poor waters.  The creation of our proposed water hyacinth pond as a tertiary treatment of wastewater from the Negril area currently being treated at the Wasttewater Treatment Facility would drastically decrease the amount of harmful nutrients entering the South Negril River, and then out to the sea.  Construction of the pond has not yet commenced as NCRPS is awaiting grants that are being considered by the EFJ and TEF.  Once the ponds have been constructed and water hyacinth begins its removal of nutrients, NCRPS is also planning to lead an intensive organic farming programme with local farmers, using the organic material of the water hyacinth being produced as the main source of the compost, thus creating a dual benefit.

______________________________________________________________________________

New Educational Visitor Center and Gift Shop
The Negril Marine Park Headquarters houses a Visitor Center and Gift Shop which will both be getting redone from March-April 2008 as a project proposal has been approved and will be funded by USAID.  Once completed, this project will yield a much more interesting space for all visitors to the NMP and NCRPS to enjoy.  There will be a life sized coral reef diorama (16ft wide) and the rest of the walls being covered in an undersea mural.  There will also be an educational section with an aquarium andmicroscope to see all the life that is out in the sea, from the big to the microscopic.  It is the hope of NCRPS to expand the selection of merchandise in the gift shop, as well as providing other services like snorkel rentals for those wishing to see the underwater world up close.

         
______________________________________________________________________________

Coral Reef and Water Quality
In 1992, an international workshop entitled Water Quality Issues brought presentations from local agencies, government representatives, marine biologists and other scientists on the state of our coral reefs and water quality.  As a result, it was determined that deteriorating water quality was the most significant negative impact affecting the coral reef ecosystem in Negril.  Short, medium, and long-term recommendations for action were made, including the implementation of a comprehensive, ongoing coral reef and water quality monitoring programme within the area.  Because of the obvious impact of land based pollution such as fertilizer run off from agricultural lands, improperly treated sewage and other effluents and sedimentation from soil erosion, it was recognized that whole watershed planning was the only way to adequately protect the coral reefs in Negril.  In December 1997, the Society initiated a vigorous coral reef and water quality monitoring programme through funding from the European Union within the boundaries of the then proposed Negril Marine Park.  Noted coral reef scientists extensively trained the NCRPS rangers.  A small nutrient monitoring laboratory was set up at the NCRPS Headquarters with technical assistance, scientists and volunteers.  A baseline study of coral reef communities on shallow reefs in proposed zones within the Marine Park was done in late 1997.  In this study, rangers were trained in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coral reef monitoring techniques, acting as principal investigators.

______________________________________________________________________

Social and Economic Monitoring
This social Monitoring Program (SocMon) was a set of guidelines to provide a prioritized list of socioeconomic variables useful to coastal managers.  This socioeconomic information provided an understanding for the social, cultural, economic and political characteristics and conditions of individuals, households, groups, organizations and communities.  It helped coastal managers identify potential problems and focus management priorities accordingly.
To do this, NCRPS needs to obtain social and economic information on the uses of the Park and the people (local and visitor) who use it.  Therefore, NCRPS conducted a series of interviews with the users of the Negril Marine Park, discussing the management of the Park.  Interviewers simply asked people questions about how they use the park and told them how their information would be used.
This is an international programme funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, done in collaboration with the World Commission of Protected Areas, Center for Resource Management and Environmental Studies at the University of the West Indies (CERMES) and the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. 

______________________________________________________________________________

Mesh Exchange Programme
This programme, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, allowed fishermen to receive a 2 for 1 exchange of mesh wire to replace fish pots that frequently catch juvenile fish.  When fish are caught in this intermediate stage of development, they are not given the chance to mature and reproduce.  Therefore, this programme is considered essential to help promote sustainable fishing.
The Mesh Exchange Programme is part of an ongoing project within the Negril Marine Park.  Five fishing beaches were selected to participate in this program: Negril, Little Bay, Orange Vay, Davis Cove, and Green Island fishing beaches.

______________________________________________________________________________

Irish Moss Propogation
Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus) is a kind of a seaweed that is often used to make Irish Moss Drink.  In Little Bay, a section of the NMP, NCRPS has begun an Irish Moss propogation project where we are growing the algae and providing seed to others interested in growing the algae for an economic supplement to fishing.  The variety of Irish Moss used in our project is the St. Lucia variety.  It grows to be between 8-10 inches in diameter in a ball, and takese 6 weeks to grow to a harvestable size from the time the small seedlings are attached to the rope to grow.

         
______________________________________________________________________________

Wildlife Rescue
The Negril Marine Park rangers are all trained in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.  On numerous occasions, the Rangers have been called upon when there is a crocodile on a property and must be removed.  They also often work with snakes and sea turtles.  Generally the wildlife being transplanted are taken to the Great Morass, sometimes to the Royal Palm Reserve.

______________________________________________________________________________

Signage Within the NMP
Signs have been made and placed at strategic locations within the Negril Marine Park.  These signs alert people to the fact that they are within a declared National Park of Jamaica.
Many signs also tell people of good environmental practices with the spokesman “Eric the Eel.”  These posters tell people about how fragile coral reefs are and why it’s important not to touch them, to not remove anything from within the NMP, as well as other things.  Other posters show the different zoning of the NMP and what each zone means.