Cabrits National Park, Dominica
We learn of the world through our interpreters who inspire us with exquisite tales of intricacy. The best of guides can then weave these threads into whole cloth. So it is in the details that a bigger picture forms. Lindblad Expeditions has long sought out such people both for its staff or for local expertise.
During a morning hike in the rainforests of Morne Diabloton National Park, we meet so remarkable people of passion and vision. Honore talks excitedly about “his forest,” explaining how one tree was good for paddles, another for canoes, another for pitch. He knows, because he constructed them as a young man. With uncanny skill and what can only be called artistry, he can imitate every call of each bird in the park. Often, a pair of Plumbeous warblers flit to within a few feet of us in response to his mimetic whistles. He developed these skills as a young hunter. But when he realized that the birds were disappearing, he began to lead conservationists to these forests to assess populations of Dominica’s two endemic parrot species. He then helped organize school children to help protect the mountain tracts of rainforest. Honore was joined by Stephen Durant, who took another route to the same end. He traveled to several countries and universities to study tropical forest ecology. Returning to Dominica, Stephen applied this knowledge to develop management programs for its two endemic parrot species. He was to soon travel to nearby St. Lucia to help their forestry department protect its parrot populations.
During the afternoon, we were met by local historian and longtime friend of Lindblad Expeditions, Dr. Lennox Honeychurch. A Dominican native and Oxford educated, Lennox walks us through the partially restored British battlements of Fort Shirley. As we pass through a park entrance, we are greeted with a mural of the fort’s early days, painted by Lennox. Everywhere we turn there are examples of his passion and efforts; be they murals, school textbooks, trail guides or scholarly papers.
All of these interpreters want us to know their country, its history, its landscape, and its peoples. They are also their country’s instigators of change, as Dominica, like so many other Caribbean countries, cautiously transitions from subsistence to self-sufficiency. They help infuse the next generation of their country with pride of their history and unique biota. We feel fortunate to be enveloped by their passion and knowledge. And we see in their lives how the future of the Caribbean may be assured.
Now the cannons of Cabrits, which were never fired in anger, protect a harbor’s serenity. The gaudy raucous Imperial and red-neck parrots fly over a protected national park system and are emblazoned on the country’s flag. And we feel fortunate to be touched by some of the special people who made all this possible.
We learn of the world through our interpreters who inspire us with exquisite tales of intricacy. The best of guides can then weave these threads into whole cloth. So it is in the details that a bigger picture forms. Lindblad Expeditions has long sought out such people both for its staff or for local expertise.
During a morning hike in the rainforests of Morne Diabloton National Park, we meet so remarkable people of passion and vision. Honore talks excitedly about “his forest,” explaining how one tree was good for paddles, another for canoes, another for pitch. He knows, because he constructed them as a young man. With uncanny skill and what can only be called artistry, he can imitate every call of each bird in the park. Often, a pair of Plumbeous warblers flit to within a few feet of us in response to his mimetic whistles. He developed these skills as a young hunter. But when he realized that the birds were disappearing, he began to lead conservationists to these forests to assess populations of Dominica’s two endemic parrot species. He then helped organize school children to help protect the mountain tracts of rainforest. Honore was joined by Stephen Durant, who took another route to the same end. He traveled to several countries and universities to study tropical forest ecology. Returning to Dominica, Stephen applied this knowledge to develop management programs for its two endemic parrot species. He was to soon travel to nearby St. Lucia to help their forestry department protect its parrot populations.
During the afternoon, we were met by local historian and longtime friend of Lindblad Expeditions, Dr. Lennox Honeychurch. A Dominican native and Oxford educated, Lennox walks us through the partially restored British battlements of Fort Shirley. As we pass through a park entrance, we are greeted with a mural of the fort’s early days, painted by Lennox. Everywhere we turn there are examples of his passion and efforts; be they murals, school textbooks, trail guides or scholarly papers.
All of these interpreters want us to know their country, its history, its landscape, and its peoples. They are also their country’s instigators of change, as Dominica, like so many other Caribbean countries, cautiously transitions from subsistence to self-sufficiency. They help infuse the next generation of their country with pride of their history and unique biota. We feel fortunate to be enveloped by their passion and knowledge. And we see in their lives how the future of the Caribbean may be assured.
Now the cannons of Cabrits, which were never fired in anger, protect a harbor’s serenity. The gaudy raucous Imperial and red-neck parrots fly over a protected national park system and are emblazoned on the country’s flag. And we feel fortunate to be touched by some of the special people who made all this possible.
