[Coral-List] Sabah and reefballs

[Todd Barber]

Hi Nicolas,

Why would you think I am using Reef Balls to save the day?  We're looking at 
planting mangroves to help stabilize the beaches because Reef Balls offshore 
(8 years ago) have stopped the netting and increased the turtle nestings 
substaintially so they need as much space as possible.  Come on folks, we 
are an NGO, not a marketing company.  Sure, we use Reef Balls in a lot of 
our projects but only as one management tool of many.


Thanks,

Todd Barber
Chairman Reef Ball Foundation, Inc.
3305 Edwards Court
Greenville, NC 27858
reefball at reefball.com

http://www.artificialreefs.org
http://www.reefball.org
http://www.reefball.com

Direct: 252-353-9094
mobile: 941-720-7549
Fax 425-963-4119

Personal Space: http://www.myspace/reefball
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nicolas J. Pilcher" <pilcher at tm.net.my>
To: "Todd Barber" <reefball at reefball.com>; <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov>
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 11:57 PM
Subject: Sabah and reefballs


> Interesting to hear that reefballs are going to save Sabah's reefs from 
> erosion. Ever seen what continued man--made structures end up looking like 
> many years after being deployed in areas where shifting sands due to 
> predominant current patters persists? The Maldives might be a good example 
> of the continued need to adjust and shift these. The turtle islands have 
> been subject to a two-phase sand shift with the monsoon season for many 
> more years than reef-balls, and turtles, which require a stable nesting 
> habitat in order to successfully propagate as a group of species. Sand 
> moves one way in the monsoon season, the other in the off season. And 
> while sand is ultimately shifting slowly in one direction, the islands are 
> obviously sufficiently stable for turtles, which nest on their natal 
> beaches but require a 30 year developmental period. That is, the islands 
> are stable enough for 30 years, yet reefballs are going to save the day?
>
>
>>I am off to the Turtle Islands in Sabah tomorrow to save the turtle 
>>nesting
>>grounds from erosion for those totally protected (from humans) islands, so 
>>I
>>won't be able to respond for the next week. So if you have a comment try
>>emailing it to me directly with a catchy subject that I can pick out on a
>>slow internet connection.
>
> I am writing from Sabah with a fast broadband connection. You'll end up in 
> hotels all of which have wireless broadband access for guests - yes, right 
> here in Borneo, of all places! I'd appreciate if you would not suggest 
> that this is a backward destination, you might find in many ways Sabah has 
> a lot more to offer.
>
> Dr. Nicolas J. Pilcher
> Co-Chair IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group
>
> Executive Director
> Marine Research Foundation
> 136 Lorong Pokok Seraya 2
> Taman Khidmat
> 88450 Kota Kinabalu
> Sabah
> Malaysia
>
> Tel ++ 60 88 386136
> Fax ++ 60 88 387136
> Email: pilcher at tm.net.my
>
>