Top 10 Coolest Caribbean Creatures and Where You Can See Them

Enjoy the first in our new e-guide series about the Caribbean region, EPIC’s “Top 10 Coolest Caribbean Creatures!” E-guides are a fun way to learn, appreciate, and share information about the region’s most interesting natural and cultural heritage. We hope it will inspire YOU to support and respect the unique Caribbean.
Dogs – Helping and Harming Petrels on Dominica

A recent expedition to Dominica, as part of EPIC’s ongoing efforts to find new Black-capped Petrel nesting locations, was aided by a sniffer dog named Africa and her handler. Sniffer dogs can be trained to find all sorts of things, including burrow-nesting birds like petrels. Yet, two hundred years ago in Dominica, pet dogs used by colonists led to the disappearance of petrels who were hunted for food. Will dogs that once hurt the petrel population on Dominica be the helpers that discover their elusive nesting grounds so that they can be protected in the future?
Sint Maarten Pelican Team Makes a Difference

The Caribbean Brown Pelican is the national bird of St. Maarten. There have been alarming reports of sick and dying birds, along with declining numbers in recent years. Concerned about the health of this important seabird, EPIC is researching the status of the island’s Pelicans and promoting their protection.
Expedition Begins! Seeking Black-capped Petrel Nests on Dominica

An exciting expedition to Dominica, using a sniffer dog for the first time, to try to discover nesting Black-capped Petrels, which so far have only been found to nest on Hispaniola.
First U.S. Virgin Islands Project Announced

Safe, clean, and affordable drinking water is not readily accessible to school children, or the wider community, in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) due to a complex set of factors. Children must bring single-use plastic water bottles to school daily to stay hydrated in the warm climate, which is costly and further exposes them to […]
Discover our 2022 Annual Impact Report

Read our impact report here.
The Caribbean Seabird Webinar Continues with Natalia Collier

A step-by-step will be helpful for figuring out how best to monitor seabirds from land or sea in a variety of habitats. A team of experts will be on hand to answer your questions. Register at bit.ly/CaribSeabird-Webinar3.
Hike Sint Maarten!

Upcoming Hike Dates and Locations:
*Sunday 4th September – Naked Boy Hill – Map
*Sunday 2nd October – West Coast Trail – Map
*Sunday 6th November – hike to be determined, Watch this Space!
*Sunday 4th December – hike to be determined, Watch this Space!
Teaching Environmental Education in Haiti

It’s a bit dark in the classroom as there is no electricity for lights in the village of Boukan Chat, Haiti. The children have settled into the small school building at the center of town. Dressed in their school uniforms, sitting on wood benches, they wait for the teacher to start class. They hear a commotion from the back of the dark room and turn to see a six-foot tall Black-capped Petrel walk into the room flapping its wings.
Naming the Many Seabirds of the Grenadines

A seabird identification workshop in the Grenadines archipelago is helping to increase the capacity of law enforcement to protect important seabird populations on remote offshore islands. During the two-day training, participants learned to identify species in the field and familiarized themselves with local conservation threats, they may encounter in their work, such as poaching.
EPIC to Collect Data on Littering Habits of St. Maarten Residents

A new awareness campaign titled “Why do we litter? – Sint Maarten” was kicked off in May by Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) Sint Maarten Foundation and includes more than a dozen neighborhood clean-up events during 2022. With the collected data the researchers aim to formulate sustainable and actionable follow-up steps to prevent litter on the island.
Free Hike-Guide Training Offered on Sint Maarten

EPIC Sint Maarten invites people interested in becoming volunteer hike leaders to participate in a free two-hour training session this Sunday April 3, 2022, at 9 – 11 a.m. at the SFC/R4CR office (the old WIB branch) on AT Illidge Road.
EPIC Caribbean Trivia

Entertain, educate and enliven your day with EPIC’s weekend social media Caribbean trivia, starting up on February 5, 2022, and posted weekly.
Conservationists Pen Action Plan to Protect Extremely Elusive and Endangered Seabird

“Conserving the Diablotin” informed by a decade of exploration and research January 28, 2022—The Endangered Black-capped Petrel is a seabird so secretive that ten years ago, only one active nest had ever been located and monitored. Despite this tremendous gap in knowledge, the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group created an action plan in 2012 to […]
A Path of Partnership

The Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds has been a vital supporter of the EPIC Sint Maarten Foundation since 2013, awarding our non-profit more than $80,000 for eight conservation projects including…
Taking to the Air to Protect Seabirds

This is the season when migratory seabirds, such as terns and gulls, return to the Grenadines islands to nest. This abundance of birds, that may number in the thousands, unfortunately attracts poachers who collect eggs and chicks from these nesting colonies.
How Pride Protects Wild Places

Conserving wildlife and wild places takes many forms. Research is important to understand what is going on with a species. Conservation stewardship activities are vital to slowing down and reversing harm to plants and animals. Education plays a valuable role in explaining to people why wild things and wild places are important. But another aspect […]
Burning of Protected Areas and Seabird Harvesting Illegal

As we enter the dry season, the public is reminded to not set fires on offshore islands as fires have negative effects on natural areas, both on land and in the ocean. Many islands in the Grenadines are refuges for wildlife, including globally important populations of nesting seabirds, and all are sensitive to fires and […]
Amazing Seabird Art Made from Waste

A great way to fight litter is to create something beautiful out of it! Artists did just that during our Waste to Art competition held under the theme “Amazing Seabirds: Our Birds, Our Islands, Our Future,” which was a project of EPIC and Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education (SCIENCE). The contest was held […]
Send Us Your Caribbean Water Story in Celebration of World Water Day

One of our greatest challenges is in the preservation of our beautiful blue ocean waters and safeguarding clean freshwater for all. Help us elevate the importance of safe, clean, and healthy Caribbean waters. Share your Caribbean water stories and photos with us highlighting the importance of Caribbean water from now through March 22 which is […]
Waste to Art Contest Winners Announced

The winners of the Waste to Art competition held under the theme “Amazing Seabirds: Our Birds, Our Islands, Our Future” were announced by Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) and Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education (SCIENCE), who were pleased and excited about the event. The contest was held on islands throughout St. Vincent and […]
Sunset Kayaking with EPIC Sint Maarten

We finally got out on the water on Saturday, November 7, with a group of 18 adults and older children who kayaked out of Simpson Bay Lagoon, Sint Maarten, and into the sunset. The waters in and around Sint Maarten were gorgeous! Kayaking out with the sunset was serene as the sun’s hues deepened above […]
Black-capped Petrel Resiliency, Leadership, and New Islands

EPIC continues to be a leading advocate for the conservation of the endangered Black-capped petrel in the Caribbean region. Our program for the species touches on all aspects of conservation for this seabird including searches for new nesting areas, monitoring of known nesting areas, working with communities to preserve petrel nesting habitat, incorporating petrel natural […]