Jim Toomey Creation, Fillmore, Draws Attention to Tagging Program
Fillmore is a green sea turtle quipped with a Mark 10 satellite tag that shows his global position. These tags are extremely high tech: costing $5,000, they can last for over a year of continuous submersion!
Fillmore is adventuring at Cocos Island National Park and his tag will show his swimpath around the island!
Jim Toomey, the author of Sherman's Lagoon cartoon, is working closely with the Sea Turtle Restoration Project using his popular character Fillmore to illustrate the sea turtle's Cocos Island travels.
Currently, Filmore is swimming south and is nearing the 12 mile border of the Cocos Island protected area. There he will encounter a deadly danger zone full of longline fishing hooks.
Carlos Hiller is a man of restless energy, and an unrelenting drive to get things done. It is apparent in the undertones of his soft voice, the steady of his piercing blue eyes, but most of all it can be seen in his art.
"I have two passions: art and the ocean. The majority of my art - all but three pieces, I think - are depictions, interpretations of the sea. It wasn´t one that came before the other, either. My love for the ocean has always manifested itself in my artwork, and my love for creating, for painting and sculpting, has always found a subject in the ocean.
I do a lot of education work, too. I take my two passions to schools in coastal communities, and try to generate an interest in the ocean, try to create a passion for the marine world. I go to these schools, and paint a mural of a marine scene. To get the kids involved, what I usually do is paint the background, the marine landscape, and a shark, or a whale, something big. And then I paint the outlines of a school of fish, and all of the kids get to paint these fish. And to accompany the mural painting event, we do educational workshops. We teach the kids marine biology, and the importance of marine conservation.
Carlos Hiller explains the relationship between the species portrayed in his mural
The students fill in the blank fish with their own artwork
We focus our energy on coastal communities, fishing communities, where fishing is as much a way of life as it is a source of income, where the same fishing methods have been used for decades. I focus my education and outreach efforts on these communities to create a genuine love for marine life in the next generation, in the youth of these towns. If we can reach the next generation, we can break the cycle of harmful fishing practices handed down from generation to generation. We can turn these communities into part of the solution, not part of the problem."
"Apart from my education efforts, I also donate a mural to a poor, coastal community in Costa Rica every year. I´m just trying to get the ocean in the eyes of the people, trying to show them that it is so much more than a flat horizon line, waves against the beach, a source of food. I´m trying to show the world just how beautiful and complex the underwater ecosystems are, trying to raise awareness, generate interest. At the very least, I feel like I´m doing something to better the poor communities in Costa Rica, making the spaces within those communities beautiful. But I think it has a larger impact than that. I hope it does.
Last year, I also donated the murals at Wafer Bay, the one of the whale shark and the cloud forest up in the main complex, and the underwater scene along the north and west walls of the Casa de Voluntarios.
That was one trip to Cocos Island. Counting this last one, there have been two others. This most recent one was primarily a diving trip. I took a lot of pictures, soaked up the experience. I plan on using the material from this trip for future paintings.
Delivering on it's commitment, the President Chinchilla officially responded to the campaign by the team of Leonora Jimenez, David Chacon, Andres Jimenez and Randall Arauz, on the official letter she presented a plan to form a committee to review the marine agencies of the country with the purpose of recommending actions to improve marine management. The plan was officially launched by the President on November 14, together with the Environment Minister Rene Castro. In the letter, the officials make clear that this government's commitment to marine resources is reflected in the National Development Plan 2011-2014, among whose goals is the management and promotion of fisheries and the development of a national plan for coastal and marine management, this Commission is thought to be very useful in reaching their goals.
In the executive summary the approach aims to create a Presidential Council, with a limit of three months to assess marine institutions.The same must diagnose, assess and recommend the necessary adjustments to the marine governance."We consider is necessary to appoint a group of leaders and intellectuals to analyze marine institutions, hoping that from the results and the recommendations of this commission we can strengthen the institutions responsible for marine management and control of the country," Proclaimthe proposal.
The document appoints the envioronmental lawyer Maria Virginia Cajiao Jimenez as the coordinator of the group, currently she is an advisor and coordinator of the National Environmental Council (presidential environmental council). Due to this position she will serve as the bridge to ensure communication and coordination with the Presidency of the Republic, the MINAET andother public institutions involved.The group is going to be integrated by an expert in oceanography or marine biology, a representative of government institutions, one of the artisanal fisheries sector and other industrial fishing sector, all of which have yet to be appointed.
"We consider of vital importance for the expert in biology or oceanography to be a leading academic from national universities. Alsofor the inclusion of a representative of high credibility among national NGOs, seeking greater equity among sectors represented in the commission as experience in different topics," said Andres Jimenez."In addition in desire to avoid bias we expect for the represent of government institutions not to be from the Incopesca (from its name in Spanish translated to National Institute for fisheries and agriculture) otherwise we could unbalance the commission to the side of fisheries."
"We will be vigilant in the process, and report promptly to the civil society on the progress," said Randall Arauz.."We are proposing to the Minister Castro to take us into account as a tool to link with the public."
"We are optimistic, as the President Chinchilla has shown great openness to the call of Costa Rican citizens who want better management of its precious marine resources," said Leo Jimenez."We are killing the sea, and it is our responsibility and nobody else’s, to do something about it, and fight to demand reforms in the country's marine institutions we need."
Written by: Andres Jimenez
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