The following article written by Janis was published in the Shelburne Falls Independent.  It offers a summary of our research in Haiti and Costa Rica.

From Hilltown ridges to Caribbean reefs: part 2

On April 27^th, our family left Salem harbor, Massachusetts aboard our research vessel Llyr, a 53′ sailing ketch, on the first leg of a ridge-to-reef expedition. The “ridge” component of this expedition references our farm in Heath where, for the past 14 years, we have been building and operating Berkshire Sweet Gold maple farm as a family-scale, direct-market agroforestry. The farm has grown into a successful business, and yet we are well aware that our forest is changing and our ecosystem faces new threats. Combining our experience as farmers with our social science training, we are drawn to the growing field of social entrepreneurs who develop new market models that seek innovative solutions to pressing social and environmental problems. Over the years the farm has come to function with a simple overriding mission: to design direct market structures for harvesters, processors and consumers of foods from wild, perennial zones which are better insulated from destructive commodity markets-of-scale and more able to stabilize or build biocultural diversity.

The “reef” component of this expedition concerns our interest in working on behalf of tropical coastal communities and coral reef regions. Coral reefs are arguably the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, similar to rainforests. Among the many aesthetic, scientific, and economic benefits they provide, they are considered nurseries for much of the ocean’s fisheries thereby feeding millions of people worldwide. However, coral reefs and our oceans at large face many threats. In the past 35 years, an estimated 85% of coral reefs in the Caribbean have died. Because many of the world’s reefs are located in poor countries, all too often environmental protection and alleviation of poverty are posed as dichotomous interests. This false dichotomy is exactly where we seek to target our work and research.

Fewer Fish, Smaller Fish

Our voyage has taken us from Salem, to Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Haiti, the offshore islands of Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. Throughout this journey, we have been exploring common threads of economic pressures on biocultural diversity. Following our certification as Reef Check Trainers in the Dominican Republic with marine biologist Dr. Ruben Torres, we sailed on to Haiti where we volunteered Llyr, crew and dive services to work with Reef Check surveying the southern coastline. Reef Check (RC) is a non-profit working in 90 countries measuring reef health and supporting conservation efforts. Working with Dr Greg Hodgson, RC’s executive director, and two of his associates, we were investigating the coastal reefs of Haiti for the potential establishment of marine protected areas. Readers will be familiar with many of the tragedies that the people of Haiti are dealing with. You may be less aware that a significant percentage of the population depends upon fish for food and income, and yet fish stocks are seriously depleted and a typical fisher’s catch is now much reduced and consists of undersize, juvenile fish. Scientific research has proven that marine protected areas help revitalize fish populations; however around the world, many MPAs have failed to thrive because they have not been established in participation with local communities, have ignored local knowledge, and have offered no alternative means of livelihood.

Ile A Vache, Haiti

On Ile a Vache, a small, hill-covered island off the southern coast of Haiti, dozens of small communities subsist on fisheries and the sale of mangoes to the nearby city of Les Cayes. Ile a Vache is surrounded by reefs and our surveys discovered that many of them still have some vitality. There are a couple of small “resorts” that cater mostly to wealthy Haitians and workers with non-profits and UN personnel who need a break. There is no public electricity on the island, no cars and no roads.

Ile a Vache is also home to L’Oeuvre Saint Francois, an orphanage and school run by Sister Flora Blanchette, a French Canadian who has spent the last 35 years on the island. Some people who have met Sister Flora and learned of her works compare her to Mother Theresa. She radiates passion and pragmatism, with an eye towards what is necessary for her community to grow and flourish. We brought school supplies, powdered milk, and our youngest son contributed a collection of Legos. Sister Flora sat down with us to tell us of the challenges that she and the island communities face.

Our visit took place on a rainy day after a long dry spell. We walked several miles along the coastline and through the hills on slick, mud-heavy paths to reach the orphanage. We met many villagers along the way as it was market day on the island. People were selling their produce, livestock, fish-traps, and supplies like candies and toiletries brought from the mainland. At the orphanage, Sister Flora was glad for the rain to fill the water cisterns, but concerned because cholera thrives in rain and the cooler temperatures it brings. In December, she lost 6 children to cholera.

The orphanage and school receive little help from the government. Sister Flora is grateful for charitable contributions she receives to continue with her mission, but she is less in favor of charity as a way to help the communities of Ile a Vache and Haiti overall. It comes down to economics, she stressed. People need to earn their living in meaningful and sustainable ways and she is well aware that the fisheries are in trouble. While Sister Flora’s hands are full with her operations, she spoke of her vision of bringing pistachio farming to the area, a crop with strong intrinsic artisanal value that keeps and transports well. She was in full agreement with us that innovative, locally-based, and socially and environmentally responsible markets are necessary for the region and are the only way that the community could work collaboratively with the creation of a marine protected area where fishing would be off-limits.

Critical choices for Haiti’s future

Haiti has been characterized as the republic of NGOs. There is no question that Haiti is in a real mess and a lot needs to change; sadly, there are a plethora of projects introduced by NGOs that lie strewn about the country with broken parts, abandoned goals, and people still suffering from a lack of basic provisions . Means of subsistence are most sustainable if they come with long term vision that supports biocultural diversity. An example of just the opposite is occurring in the northern Haitian town of Caracol. There, in a region formerly slated for a marine protected area, the government, in concert with USAID, has opted to remove local farmers from the land and build a massive compound of factories for sale to offshore businesses. Promising tax free business, cheap labor ($3.25 a day!) and weak environmental regulation, the development is being marketed to Haitians as a tremendous opportunity. But already, there is plenty of social and biological evidence that this commodity of scale action has little sustainable development to offer Haiti and Haitians in the long run. The United States is putting 25% of its aid to Haiti into this unfortunate project.

Creating Responsible Fisheries in Costa Rica

Further on in our expedition and in a very different setting, we had the opportunity to visit with an artisanal fisheries project that is working actively to build responsible and sustainable practices for their community. Tarcoles is a small fishing town located on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Costa Rica enjoys a reputation as a premier eco-tourism destination and as a safe and pleasant place to retire. They have an extensive national park system and have successfully promoted their green image abroad. In fact, marine conservation is a fairly recent concern in Costa Rica, and published research has shown that the established MPAs are not achieving their goals. Local communities report that they have not been consulted in project development, have no co-management opportunities and see no economic benefit coming their way.

CoopeTarcoles is the last remaining fisheries cooperative in Costa Rica that is pursuing an integrated model that supports both biological and cultural sustainability. Seeking consultative and technological support from a professional organization called Coopesolidar that aims to empower these types of community projects throughout Costa Rica, the town has developed a dynamic model. The government granted them an experimental protected fisheries zone from which industrial shrimp trawlers were excluded and which stipulates subzones for specific artisanal fishing methods (eg long lines, nets, diving). The cooperative has allowed the community to cut out the middle men and secure a better price for their catch; they have found innovation and greater resilience in managing their resources and understanding how different practices improve or hinder their long term interests. They have built a modest and compelling fisheries-tourism model which offers visitors valuable knowledge about the processes and activities of bringing fish to the table.

Direct-markets for the public good

CoopeTarcoles is a great example of small-scale and locally-based economic development. Our visit was both educational and inspiring. We discussed with members of the cooperative where their next steps might lie. We observed that they had not yet made the conceptual and practical leap to move themselves more fully into a direct market model that would help protect them from commodities-of-scale that are never favorable to artisanal harvesters and their habitats. At this point, they continue to sell their fish at the same wholesale rates as the industrial producers. While they have improved their pricepoint by eliminating the middlemen, they are not yet securing a better price for the fish which should reflect their more sustainable practices.

Around the world, commodity markets have lengthened food chains, obscuring relationships between production and consumption. When consumers think of food more as product than process, their understanding of food as relating to particular communities and cultures, histories, economies and ecosystems is lost. Establishing a different pricepoint for their fish would reflect their efforts to rebuild and stabilize biocultural diversity in the Tarcoles region as a public good for all Costa Ricans.

Next month, CoopeTarcoles and its protected zones come before the Costa Rican government for review. There are powerful forces operating to remove the protected fisheries zone and allow the shrimp trawlers back in.

Biocultural Diversity & Social Entrepreneurs

Direct-market models will not solve the world’s problems, nor are commodities-of-scale about to defer to small-scale production. But increasingly, we hear stories of people around the world who recognize that both biological and cultural diversity must be built into our market prices wherever and whenever possible. The hidden costs of our industrial systems end up being paid by us all in the health of our communities and environment.

Berkshire Sweet Gold Maple & Marine is committed to this interlinked project from Ridge-to-Reef. Many people ask us how we can afford to undertake this activity. We are fortunate to have started with perennial forest farmland as a family resource, and from that we have been able to build a successful family-scale agriculture (EDIT) that is now capable of supporting, through leveraged debt, the early phases of this expansion of our work and research. Like many Americans today, we have no retirement savings, no educational funds for our children, and our full share of indebtedness. In the near future, we must begin to see new ways to recover some of the costs of this pursuit or fail. Jumping in before insuring we are well and fully resourced is part of our commitment to the larger goals, and part of what defines this as a social entrepreneurial effort.

Social entrepreneurs are growing in numbers worldwide such that they are now generally recognized as sharing several characteristics. In their book, The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the World, (Harvard Business School Press, 2008), authors John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan’s list includes the following:

Social entrepreneurs

• Identify and apply practical solutions to problems, combining innovation, resourcefulness and opportunity.
• Focus first and foremost on social value creation and, in that spirit, are willing to share their innovations and insights for others to replicate.
• Jump in before ensuring that they are fully resourced (See above!)
• Have an unwavering belief in everyone’s innate capacity, often regardless of education, to contribute meaningfully to economic and social development.
• Show a dogged determination that pushes them to take risks that others wouldn’t dare.

We are inspired by countless examples of people worldwide and we hope to contribute in our small ways to supporting realistic and visionary efforts to preserve and enhance biocultural diversity. To learn more about these projects, ways that you can become involved or trained, and the expedition’s blog, please visit www.berkshiresweetgold.com and let us know what you think

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With little rest from our night threading our way through lightening, we came towards Bocas del Toro in the daylight hours, racing more storms. As we entered the channel to Almirante Bay, the weather was upon us with blinding rain and winds gusting above 20 knots. Fortunately, we could see the depths were good and the bay was large enough for us to move about while keeping well away from any shoreline, as well as the many small motor launches and boats working the bay despite the weather.

The weather cleared fairly quickly, however, and we were able to drop anchor just off the town. The port captain found us and told us to stay put until he returned with the various officials for our check-in to Panama. However, staying put turned out to be a little harder done than said. Though we had made two attempts to set our anchor, we appeared to be dragging and we were now concerned that there wasn’t good holding for our 30 tons, especially given the winds we’d experienced upon arrival. We radioed Bocas Marina while awaiting the port captain’s return and arranged to come in to the dock once we’d cleared in.

Brooks has become a real master at bringing Llyr into tight docking spaces. From Salem to Bermuda’s customs and fuel docks, to a crazy-tight spot between megayachts in Casa de Campo, DR, to bow-in at Boca Chica, and now a narrow slip in Panama right next to the mangroves: at each site he has deftly maneuvered Llyr into place with nary a bump (this includes the time our motor died as we were coming off the dock in Casa de Campo because our idle was set too low!).

Anyway, we settled in for the weekend at Bocas marina, anticipating Connor’s friend Tess’ arrival one week hence, doing laundry, getting to know Bocas town, and preparing for our trip to Costa Rica. Bocas is a small town experiencing oversized tourism. A popular backpackers’ destination, it is also a big surfing mecca as well. The town seems to be experiencing some growing pains as it makes adjustments to the influx.

By Monday, we’d decided to leave Llyr at the dock for the month of July while we traveled inland. Looking forward to the next steps of the expedition, we were struck by tragic and frightful news. A sailboat at the anchorage just off the marina (where we had tried to drop anchor a few days before) had been boarded by two men in the middle of the night. The couple on board, who are in their sixties, were tied up and the wife was violently assaulted. As the news spread around the community, everyone was horrified by this brutal attack. The expat and cruising communities quickly came together to raise funds for a reward. One man has since been taken into custody and the second man has been identified but is still at large. Aboard Llyr, we moved into a highly defensive and alert mode. It took some time for us to recover our equilibrium and feel that we and Llyr could be relatively safe here.

On a brighter note, we’ve met some great people here in Bocas and had the opportunity to learn a lot, from how to transit the Panama Canal and sail the Pacific, to gaining new tips on boat maintenance. Among this cast of self-sufficient and knowledgeable characters is Chris. Chris sailed here from Mexico aboard a Polynesian outrigger sailing canoe he built himself, known as a Pacific Flying Proa and named Desesperado. It has no bow or stern; rather Chris can “shunt” the sail from end to end so that he does not have to tack. Chris has ideas of traveling all the way to Brazil. It is a beautiful craft and we’ve all enjoyed a turn aboard. More than that, we enjoy Chris’ sharp wit and philosophical musings. Below are some photos of Desesperado.

-Written by Connor and Brooks

When it’s summer north of the equator, Panama is located in the path of a global band where Southern and Northern hemisphere winds meet and then slacken. This zone has a technical name: the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The northern side of the ITCZ forms the Monsoon trough– known as the doldrums to sailors stuck with no wind–where high humidity and strong sun force convective lift and produce thunderstorms. In Spanish, they are fittingly called “tormentas.” Hot days, high humidity and no wind result in daily rain and torrential thunderstorms. As lazy winds are reformed by the force of uplift, their strength and direction changes frequently, causing sailors to go out to sea expecting poor weather and winds from any quarter.  Leaving Providencia, Colombia, bound for Bocas del Toro, Panama we knew we were entering a new weather zone known for thunderstorms.  What we were not familiar with was the unique ways such storms can operate in the monsoon trough.

The first day out was smooth sailing and we made 6-7 knots in brisk 15-20 knot winds. By the second day the winds died and we started the motor, we could already see the cumulus clouds building in the distance. With darkness falling fast, as it does at this latitude, radar began to pick up rapidly building squalls that were moving southwest like us. Wind became shiftier as the shields of multiple storms passed over us and we brought the mainsail down to its second reef and the mizzen to its first, thus reducing sail area in case of increasing winds. As the sun set behind towering clouds we could see rain cells all around us casting deep shadows on the rolling sea.

By 10 pm, 7 to 8 large thunder cells had passed over or nearby our rhumb line and  we watched them on radar merge and expand into a heavy  line approximately 15 miles wide moving towards Panama. Our winds were 10-15 knots in the same direction and we enjoyed the lack of rain as this big and growing system moved towards land ahead of us and faster than us. Around midnight, and half-way through The Wall by Pink Floyd, the storm wall abruptly stopped advancing West and began rotating to our left developing the distinct and nasty look on radar of a vortex. The rest of the crew was roused and evasive action was taken to starboard with plans to slip out the western side of the storm where it looked to be lighter. The ITCZ had other ideas though and a sudden wind reversal from the west brought the brunt of the storm crashing down on our heads. We braced ourselves for the plummet in air pressure that would lead to high winds.

Some have compared similar experiences to being inside a neon light bulb. Lighting was striking multiple time a second causing small explosions on the water’s surface all around Llyr. Cloud lightning was also continuous in tangled fillamets. Torrential rain made each flash glow like everything around the boat was going critical. Confused by what we were experiencing we turned away from the core of the lightning ahead and towards a slot in the action hard to port attempting to power out the East side of the system with Llyr’s motor and storm-reefed main and mizzen; but wherever we moved, turn after turn, the winds shifted and  slots closed and opened elsewhere as new rotating formations kept us in the epicenter of an exploding meteorological bomb. At about 1am the wind built to over 30 knots, and continued through numerous direction shifts.  The wave state became confused or lumpy, as conflicting winds pushed from all points of compass.  With sails reefed down, Llyr’s heel was around 25 degrees, sometimes more. We were trapped in that every evasive decision we made only put us right back in the middle of the storm, frustrating us and exhausting our meteorological knowledge.  Cornered,  it did not feel to much of a stretch that the storm was actively targeting us.  At about 3 in the morning lightning intensity began to back down and shift more to crazed tangles of cloud lightning as the system appeared to be ripping itself apart.  Winds set in a steady 30 knots with higher gusts from from the West, or offshore.  We made a final course decision to end maneuvers and return to our rhumb line—towards Panama–which put the winds on our bow. The reefed main kept fine form close-hauled and under motor power but the mizzen began flogging heavily and had to be brought in. With heavy wind blasting sea spray and rain across Llyr’s heaving decks Connor and Brooks donned safety gear to go and bring the mizzen down. On deck, absolute darkness alternated with explosive light often now more distant and illuminating a ghostly, electric horizon. The operation went smoothly and on returning to the cockpit, shaky smiles and deep breathes went around as everyone returned to the task at hand of making forward progress. Lightning was already beginning to slack as the storm rained out yet the strong headwind held for many hours, well into dawn, before winding down 20 miles off Panama.

On reflection in harbor, we all appreciated the strength and design of r/v Llyr who, with her high, beamy transom, Spray designed hull and heavy full-keel ,  over-sized rigging, heavy-weather sails and fine electronics, took this adventure in remarkable stride. She never pitched or rolled dramatically, split waves assertively with her bow and no wave ever broke onto her aft deck.  Doyle’s full-battened and reinforced mainsail holds our admiration. From dockside, we now feel that some of our evasive maneuvers successfully avoided cores of heavy lightning in the merging cells. However, they did not maneuver us out of the complex developing system.  As we maneuvered the worst of the cyclonic development blew itself out. In hindsight we might have ended evasive maneuvers somewhat sooner to return to course and perhaps shortened our nighttime drama.

That was our introduction into the ITCZ and the monsoon trough.  Practically every day here in Bocas Del Toro, through all of July, you can see flashes and explosions of similar slow-moving, swirling or stalled action offshore and inshore, sometimes for three days or more with minimal interruption.  In the Domincan Republic and Haiti we often watched building thunderstoms be torn apart by trade-wind shear shortly after emerging.  Not so near the ITCZ.   Infra-red Satelite images and GOES water vapor loops confirm that in the monsoon trough the tormentas often control the winds.

The more we experience the weather, on the farm and at sea, the more we learn and the more refined our questions become for those more experienced than us. We are humbled before the sometimes terrible magnificence of this planet’s energy systems. It is in the background all the time that it is at the behest of these intensities that we enjoy our world and with our industries alter her forces into an unknown future.