The Tribune

SIXTEEN Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Rangers have successfully completed the first phase of the Bahamas National Trust’s (BNT) Navigators Programme and their graduation took place on Saturday at the Rand Nature Centre in Freeport.

The Navigators programme is the senior level of the BNT’s Discovery Club environmental education network for young people. It provides a more research-based learning experience for older students with the objective of developing environmental leadership.

The 16 Rangers who graduated were Addison Bethel, Alexander Demeritte Jr, Claude Vilburn, Deaion Sherman, Dereko Moxey, Fabian Laing, Joshua Cartwright, Justin Dames, Kiara Sands, Leigha Campbell, Paul Wildgoose, Razhena Arthur, Ron Lewis, Samuel Mackey Jr, Tyler Bain and Tyriq Forbes.

According to Navigators Co-ordinator Stefan Evans, “with 32 national parks covering 2.2 million acres, the BNT values this partnership with the Defence Force. Participants learn to be more environmentally aware while studying the land and sea life of The Bahamas. This provides opportunities that many in our country unfortunately do not get,”

Cheri Wood, outreach officer for the BNT on Grand Bahama, instructed the 16 Rangers with the aid of a small group of volunteers, including Jim and Cathy Lacombe, Toio Mazzoni, Dr Andrew Moxey, Nina Sanchez and Steven Thair. Ms Wood said the Rangers were very committed to the programme and participated fully in both the classroom lectures and outdoor experiences.

“They were so enthused, and their personal growth over the last six months is their biggest accomplishment. They pushed themselves to the limit and were able to learn way more than you can from a textbook,” she said.

The Rangers studied four Bahamian ecosystems: sandy shores, blue holes, coral reefs and wetlands. Their final presentations included posters, photographs and talks. A short video was also produced to show family and friends the sites they were able to visit.

Lieutenant Delvonne Duncombe, of the RBDF, presented the graduation certificates and pins, while expressing appreciation for the opportunity the Rangers had to learn about the Bahamian environment.

Three special awards were also presented: Razhena Arthur was Most Outstanding Navigator, Kiara Sands was Most Improved Navigator and Tyriq Forbes was Most Dependable Navigator.

Herbert Marshall, senior education officer at the Ministry of Education, congratulated the graduates and urged them to pass on their knowledge to others. He also encouraged them to consider careers in marine science.

According to BNT Education Director Portia Sweeting, the Navigators programme is aimed at helping senior students with their schoolwork and giving them marketable skills. She said all the Discovery Club programmes were designed to produce environmental champions for The Bahamas.