Volunteer While You Visit

The Aruba Reef Care Project has become one of the most ambitious environmental events in Aruba and throughout the Caribbean. Along the coast from Baby Beach in Seroe Colorado all the way north to Arashi Beach beyond the high-rise hotels, refuse such as glass, rubber, metal, paper, wood, cloth and plastic are retrieved as reefs, public beaches, and shallow waters are cleaned. Volunteers include tourists, locals, environmentalists, schools, resorts, dive operators and water sports companies, and many other local businesses. Supported by island sponsors, each person receives a T-shirt, box lunch and is eligible for raffle prizes.

The Aruba Reef Care Project was launched in 1994 as an initiative of the Aruba Tourism Authority and specifically Castro Perez, Ecotourism Project Manager and Dive Market Specialist. Castro continues to organize this event every year. “I am very gratified to see not only an increase in ARCP participation but also a marked decrease in the amount of refuse recovered annually,” he reports.

This annual clean-up of the island's beaches ensures that they remain healthy and pristine. It is the island's largest volunteer environmental initiative and attracts locals as well as volunteers from around the globe. About 800 participants snorkel, scuba dive or comb the beaches in an effort to give back to our beautiful natural environment.

TO PARTICIPATE: For more information about the annual Aruba Reef Care Project, contact the Aruba Tourism Authority at tel (297) 582-3777 or 1-800-TOARUBA / fax (297) 583-7403 / c.perez@aruba.com

Save the Donkeys (Salba nos Buriconan) was founded in 1997 as a non-profit and completely volunteer-run organization. Though not originally native to the island, donkeys existed here for five hundred years and were once the main mode of transportation. Their numbers steadily decreased with the advent of automobiles. In the 1970’s, an illness left only 20 surviving wild donkeys. Today, thanks to a safe haven where they receive food and water, shelter, quality medical care and lots of love, they number almost 100.

According to Salba nos Burico, “Donkeys are sweet, yet stubborn at times. Many love to be petted and all love to be fed from the safety of the enclosed porch. They especially love apples and carrots, so feel free to bring some along. There is no admission fee, though your generous donations are greatly appreciated and are what continue to allow us the ability to care for our donkey family, which has approximately 90 members at the moment. Our volunteers will be more than happy to show you around and answer your questions. And if you get there earlier enough, you can even help with the daily chores of feeding and caring for the donkeys. Observers are welcome to grab a seat on our covered porch, have a snack, or visit our gift shop. It is also possible to adopt one of them for only $ 15.00 per month. Entrance to the Donkey Sanctuary is free of charge.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.arubandonkey.org, call (297) 593-2933 or e-mail email@arubandonkey.org

Each year, Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association sponsors an unusual art competition utilizing recycled materials found around the island to create beautiful and unique works of art. Visitors to the island can not only visit the exhibits but can also they also help to set up and man the exhibits, thereby experiencing a rich element of island life and culture! For more information, contact Vanessa Rasmussen / tel 582-2607 / vanessa@ahata.com

The Eagle Beach Area Coalition for Aruba's Sustainable Tourism participates in the Sponsor-A-Mile Program, a monthly drive that usually takes place on the third Wednesday of the month to keep the beaches of Aruba clean. Visitors can temporarily “adopt” a mile-long stretch of beach to clear of debris and garbage, ensuring that it remains safe for people and coastal animals.

Participating Eagle Beach resorts include the Divi Phoenix Beach Resort, Costa Linda Beach Resort, Amsterdam Manor, La Cabana Beach Resort, Bucuti Beach Resort & Tara Beach Suites, and Manchebo Beach Resort. After the clean-up, a breakfast is offered to participants at their host hotel or at one of the others in the Eagle Beach group. Hotels in Palm Beach such as The Mill Resort, and Aruba Marriott Resort, and, in the downtown area, Renaissance Aruba Resort, also participate in beach clean-ups.

Do visit the resort website or contact the concierge to find out when and how you can participate. Many resorts have a sign-up sheet.

Aruba holds an annual Coastal Clean-Up Day as part of the international event in which 60 nations worldwide participate. Public and private sectors join together in this national environmental activity organized for the past eight years by the Environmental Committee of the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association.

The goal is to keep coastal areas free of litter and trash that washes ashore from South America and passing ships and is also left behind by sports enthusiasts, tourists and residents. This is a massive concerted effort to clean up the coastal areas around the island that involves almost 1000 volunteers from clubs, church groups, schools, businesses, resorts, activities and restaurants. Fundraising takes place through placement of ads in a special Aruba map of the beach and coastal areas covered.

Activity is concentrated on the area from Surfside to Wilhelmina Park, beaches of Arikok National Park, California sand dunes, Wariruri, Baby Beach, Bachelor’s Beach, Boca Grandi, Zeewijk Beach, Mangel Halto, Santo Largo, Arashi, Anaboei, and the open area between the former Bushiri Hotel and the Tamarijn Beach Resort. This event usually takes place in September or October.

TO SIGN UP: Contact Vanessa Rasmussen, coordinator for the AHATA Coastal Clean-up at 582-2607 / vanessa@ahata.com

Turtugaruba is a volunteer organization which is part of WIDECAST, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. All species of sea turtles are endangered and need protection. On Aruba, dedicated volunteers search daily for turtle nests during the spring nesting season. During the summer hatching season, they stand guard to protect hatchlings and guide them to the sea. Red and white barricades on the beach may mark these nesting areas.

Hawksbill, green and loggerhead turtles can be seen throughout the year. During the summer they are joined by giant leatherbacks. The tiny hatchlings scramble back to the sea, where they will live for years until it is their turn to lay eggs at the place of their birth.

What can you do to help?

• Nighttime activities and artificial lighting may deter adult females from nesting and disorient emerging hatchlings, leading them inland where they may well die. If you see them, please keep all lights off, including flashlights, flash photography and video equipment.;
• Please do not drive on beaches. Vehicles compact sand and make it difficult for turtles to dig in or out.
• Please do not litter. Balloons, plastic bags and other non-degradable litter can kill sea turtles who mistake it for food.
• Watch a nesting turtle from a distance so as not to disrupt the process. Let hatchlings crawl to the water on their own, allowing them to imprint on their home beach.
• IMPORTANT: If you have a turtle sighting, please call the 24-hour turtle hotline at 592-9393.