Biologists from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources have discovered at least 732 wading-bird nesting sites on Fripp, Harbor and Hunting islands.

The survey, conducted this spring, marks the first time scientists hand-counted nesting areas on the northern Beaufort County islands. The results confirm what many bird watchers long have suspected.

"What this tells us is that we have a very healthy population of birds that are nesting and raising young ones in an environment that's very comfortable and safe for them," said Pete Richards, president of the Fripp Island Audubon Society. "It's very protected."

Data collected in the survey could have many applications, including development of a baseline to compare against future counts. It also could be used to boost the region's appeal as an eco-tourism and bird-watching destination.

"We have been working on letting people know that the Beaufort barrier islands (are) an important area and a great tourist attraction," said John Albert, a Harbor Island resident and Fripp Island Audubon Society board member.

"When we're doing advertising, it won't hurt to say we have 'X number' of nesting birds here," he said.

According to the survey, Harbor Island has at least 656 nesting sites for great egret, snowy egret, little blue heron, green heron and other species. At least 20 such sites were found on Hunting Island, and 56 were spotted on Fripp.

The disparity was not unexpected. Harbor Island has more fresh water than the others, making it more appealing to the birds, Albert said.

Details about the nest count, including when it was conducted and how many state biologists were involved, were not available Friday. Christy Hand, the state's wading-bird biologist, was unavailable for comment.

In addition to confirming hunches about wading-bird populations, the survey suggests salt marshes and lagoons on these and hundreds of nearby islands remain hospitable to migratory birds, such as red knots and piping plovers.

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Survey shows healthy bird populations on barrier islands

Argentina declared British oil exploration off the Falklands "illegal" on Monday and immediately set about suing five companies for pursuing activities around the contested islands.

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Argentina 'suing' British oil companies over Falklands

June 4 | 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Always wanted to go to Italy, but don't know where to start? Join Kerri Wood of Adventure On Travel for a free seminar that will teach you the tips and tricks to create your own Italian adventure of a lifetime.

In this fun, informative session Kerri will share with you the best ways to stay within your budget and maximize your precious vacation time. Learn to experience Italy instead of just being another tourist; immerse yourself into this culturally rich country! At the seminar you will learn how to: - Plan your trip to fit your style and budget - Choose the perfect accommodations and dining - Get around Italy with ease - Pack for any length of trip - Visit the best tourist sites the easy way - Avoid pickpockets - Decide where to fly in and out of - Manage the details -- money, documents, reservations, laundry etc. Space for this seminar is limited so place your reservation before it fills up. Parking is Free at the Library. We look forward to seeing you there!

Who: Adventure On Travel Location: Kirkland Library Address: 308 Kirkland Ave. Kirkland, WA 98033

Phone: 360-303-5444 Email: kerri@adventureontravel.com Website: adventureontravel.com/toursandevents Cost: Free Ticket Website:adventureontravel.com/toursandevents

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Travel Italy - Rome, Islands and Coasts

The new dive center, to open this summer, will be bigger than any other on the archipelago.

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In the Galápagos Islands, A Bigger Center for Divers

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Islands pedestrian hit by car dies

The new dive center, to open this summer, will be bigger than any other on the archipelago.

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In Transit Blog: In the Galápagos Islands, A Bigger Center for Divers

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands A turtle farm in the Cayman Islands says it is freeing a roughly 60-year-old turtle to celebrate British Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne.

Officials with the Cayman Turtle Farm say that the creature known as "Sir Thomas Turtleton" weighs more than 600 pounds (272 kilograms) and has been used to breed for more than 30 years.

The plan is to release it on Saturday in North Sound, the largest protected bay on Grand Cayman Island. Then scientists will track it by satellite.

Originally posted here:

Cayman Islands to release turtle in honor of Britain's Queen Elizabeth

DUBAI (Reuters) - The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has visited three tiny disputed islands in the Gulf, state television reported on Friday, in a move likely to anger the United Arab Emirates which also claims sovereignty over them. Tensions rose in April between the two countries following Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Abu Musa, one of the three islands near important ...

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Iran's Guards commander visits disputed island: TV

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia were thankful to Ilija Nestorovski in Torshavn as the second-half substitute scored four minutes after entering the fray to earn a draw against the Faroe Islands.

It was cruel on the hosts, who seemed to heading for a first win in the group, but the point means FYROM's fate still lies in their own hands. If they win their final three games all away from home, against Denmark, Northern Ireland and Serbia they will top UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 4.

It seemed like that chance had been blown when Kirce Ristevski turned past Filip Gacevski and into his own goal with 54 minutes on the clock. Boban Babunski's men responded, and with the introduction of Nestrovski the tide turned. With 13 minutes to play the forward, who replaced Flamur Tairi, showed his talent, firing a first-time effort into the far corner from the left side of the box.

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Nestorovski denies Faroe Islands first group win

It makes perfect sense to rename the Toronto Island ferry terminal after Jack Layton. The late NDP leader and former city councillor fought for the right of island residents to stay in their homes. He married Olivia Chow on the islands, bicycled on their car-free paths and took his kids on island excursions. The islands held such a special meaning for him that some of his ashes were scattered there last summer.

Councillor Pam McConnell, who was part of the group that chose the terminal to be named after Mr. Layton, says the ferries were a bridge between the busy urban living that Jack loved and the tranquillity and peacefulness of the islands. For us it was a perfect a-ha moment because it embraced those two diversities that Jack loved.

The trouble is that the ferry terminal is a rather awful place. Ive been going through it for decades on trips to the islands to picnic, swim or sail and it has always struck me as dingy and depressing.

The terminal is wedged behind the Westin Harbour Castle hotel and the residential Harbour Square towers. These ugly concrete slabs, constructed by developer Robert Campeau before the collapse of his real estate empire, are a blot on the Toronto waterfront.

They block all view of the water. Standing at Bay and Queens Quay, the approach to the ferry docks, you could just as easily be at Portage and Main. Cars charge out of the underground parking lot and over the sidewalk on the south side, while, on the northeast corner, the squat bunker of the conference centre looms over the intersection. A less friendly environment for pedestrians approaching the docks is hard to imagine.

The ferry terminal itself is an asphalt slab surrounded by concrete walls and barred gates that make it feel like a cattle pen. With no roof over most of it, you stand exposed to the sun on a hot summer day, crammed together with the rest of the hordes heading to Centre, Wards or Hanlans. Getting to the lovely islands through this grim portal is like travelling to Narnia through a public washroom. What a way to welcome tourists to one of the citys main attractions.

To its credit, the city made some improvements to the terminal last year, adding new ticket booths, a canopy for shade and some new fencing. It also did over the washrooms inside. More improvements are on the way this year and next, including new benches, better lighting and a canopy for the Centre Island dock.

But, in the end, these are Band-Aids on what is a disappointing and inadequate facility, a perfect example of the sort of good-enough attitude that has often led to mediocrity in the citys public spaces.

The terminal looks especially bad considering all the great changes going on all around it. Two brilliantly designed new waterfront spaces, Sugar Beach and Sherbourne Common, lie just to the east. To the west, Waterfront Toronto is redoing York Quay near the foot of York Street by replacing a surface-level parking lot with an underground one, freeing up valuable public space. Waterfront Toronto is also about to embark on a massive redesign of Queens Quay from Spadina to Bay. Sadly, the agency says that while a better ferry terminal is on its wish list, it doesnt have the money.

But Councillor McConnell believes that naming the terminal after Mr. Layton will be a catalyst for change. I think this is just the beginning of a great transformation of the ferry docks, and thats exactly what Jack would want, she says.

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Jack, and the islands, deserve better

TEHRAN: The head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards on Thursday made a pointed visit to three islands in the Gulf whose ownership is fiercely disputed by Tehran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, accompanied by his naval commander, Ali Fadavi, went to the islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb to deliver a speech stressing they were Iran's "strategic and sensitive territory," the Guards' official news website said.

Jafari expressed satisfaction with the condition of Iranian combat units stationed on Abu Musa, it said. He also offered a message of "friendship" to neighboring Arab countries on the Gulf.

The visit was likely to be viewed as incendiary by the UAE, which claims the islands under the terms of a 1971 agreement signed when Britain ended its colonial-era reign over that part of the Gulf.

But Iran rejects any UAE claim to the islands, saying they have always been part of its territory and that it never renounced its ownership.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered the fury of the UAE and its allied Arab monarchies when he visited the islands in April to reinforce Tehran's position.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council called Ahmadinejad's trip "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands."

Iran's military has vowed to defend the islands. It maintains a permanent military base and airfield on Abu Musa, the biggest of the three and the only one to be inhabited.

The islands are at a strategic location in the oil-rich Gulf, permitting control over access to the waterway.

The UAE has won support from the United States in the dispute, with Washington urging Iran to agree to the UAE's demand that the issue be resolved through direct negotiations.

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Iran Guards chief visits disputed Gulf islands

They will however reassure the Americans that the Diego Garcia base can stay, albeit with different landlords.

Mr Ramgoolam is likely make the argument to Mr Cameron that the original decision to remove the Chagossians was unlawful.

David Snoxell, a former British high commissioner to Mauritius and secretary of the Chagos Islands all-party parliamentary group, said: "What better opportunity could there be than for the two leaders to discuss the issues face to face?

"What better way to mark the Queen's long reign, which has seen the transition of Empire to Commonwealth, than by bringing an end to this tragedy and relic of Empire in the Indian Ocean and allowing the Queen's subjects to return to their beloved islands?"

The meeting between the prime ministers comes as the Government faces multiple legal challenges over the islands.

In July the High Court in London is due to hold a judicial review on legality of the 200-mile Marine Protection Area created in 2010 in the final months of the Labour government.

Chagossians exiled on Mauritius argue that the wildlife haven was created principally to prevent islanders' returning, as it contained a ban on all types of fishing, which would be vital to returnees' survival.

In a US diplomatic cable unearthed by WikiLeaks, Foreign Office official Colin Roberts "asserted that establishing a marine park would, in effect, put paid to resettlement claims of the archipelago's former residents".

Mr Ramgoolam's government is bringing a separate case before the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in Hamburg that Britain did not have the right to declare the conservation area. Mauritius is being represented in the case by Philippe Sands, the leading international human rights lawyer.

Mauritius has tried to prove its trustworthiness to Britain and the US by agreeing to have a court to try pirates operating off the east African coast. It believes it is on stronger ground to make its arguments about sovereignty and the right of the islanders to resettle.

Originally posted here:

Fate of Chagos Islands to be decided

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Commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard visits disputed Gulf islands

Asia, Philippines By melo on May 31, 2012 1:48 pm

International television channel, National Geographic, is set to feature the Philippines through Islands Insider, a Filipino-produced 6-part documentary series that seeks to reveal cultural and historical insights on some of the countrys world-class destinations, which include the Batad Rice Terraces in Mountain Province, Coron in Palawan, Taal and Anilao in Batangas, Siquijor, and Mt. Pulag in Benguet.

El Nido in Palawan

Produced by The Extra Mile Productions, with support from the Department of Tourism (DOT), Islands Insider presents the Philippines in a different perspective and deviates from traditional travel shows by featuring stories as narrated by the locals, highlighting issues beyond the breathtaking sights, and delivering a strong preservation and conservation message.

In a special screening held last May 21, 2012 at Greenbelt 3, members of the press, blogging community, and tourism stakeholders enjoyed a two-episode preview of the Islands Insider: Batad Rice Terraces and Coron. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez also graced the screening and expressed his delight as a partner of the project.

This project came as a surprise because I was not yet the Secretary when this was conceptualized. This being a part of National Geographic means that the beautiful sights of your country are part of the world, not just part of the Philippines, and the days will come that we will have to share it with the rest of the world. We want you to see it first, we want you to protect it, before they all come rushing in, Secretary Jimenez said during his opening remarks.

Islands Insider is a title befitting the documentarys theme and in-depth look at the communities, as the featured locals the Ifugaos, Ibaloys, and Shamans in Siquijor were allowed to speak for themselves and their culture. Insider connotes a point of truth that an outsider would not know, according to the producers.

The first episode of the 6-part series, which will feature the Batad Rice Terraces, is targeted to premiere in the third week of June on National Geographic Channel. Islands Insider is directed by Gabby Malvar and hosted by Ginggay Hontiveros, both executive producers of The Extra Mile Productions.

As the Department of Tourism endeavors to boost the countrys tourism potential and elicit renewed enthusiasm for the new campaign, it hopes that this project will encourage more Filipinos to explore the Philippines, participate in preserving its rich cultural and historical heritage, and promote it to the rest of the world.

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Islands Insider : National Geographic captures Philippines

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings on the following Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA) bonds and removed the bonds from Rating Watch Negative:

--$156.47 million senior lien bonds at 'BB'; --$109.34 million subordinate lien bonds at 'BB-'.

The resolution of the Rating Watch primarily reflects the authority's improved near-term liquidity, following the sale of $69.14 million electric system bonds in April, with a portion of the proceeds used to repay working capital lines of credit and reduce the amount of an outstanding term loan. Fitch previously assigned the authority's $17.39 million electric system revenue refunding bonds series 2012A (tax-exempt) a rating of 'BB' and the $51.75 million electric system subordinated revenue bonds series 2012B (federally taxable) and 2012C (federally taxable) a rating of 'BB-'.

The Rating Outlook on the outstanding bonds is Negative, which takes into account Fitch's continuing concerns about the authority's longer-term ability to address its high operating costs, increased leverage and more limited financial flexibility.

SECURITY

The senior bonds are secured by net electric revenues and certain other funds while the subordinated bonds are secured by net electric revenues on a subordinate lien basis. Lines of credit are junior to the payment of all obligations under the senior and subordinated resolutions. Debt service reserve funds are available for both series of bonds. The senior and subordinated bonds are not subject to cross-default provisions.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF RISK FACTORS: WAPA's financial ratios have declined significantly in recent years, due to higher oil costs, a softer economy, an increased dependence on short-term debt and growing sums due from the Water System. The 2012 bond financing and moderation of fuel prices lessens near-term financial liquidity concerns, but the ability of WAPA to consistently meet its financial obligations and stabilize its fiscal position remains uncertain.

EXPOSURE TO OIL: The authority's generating plants are oil-fired, limiting the system's operating and financial flexibility. HOVENSA's decision to close its St. Croix oil refinery and end oil deliveries to the authority by year end 2012 will necessitate a change in oil suppliers; this is currently being addressed by senior management through a request for qualifications process to secure fuel supply by Jan. 1, 2013.

Continued here:

Fitch Affirms Virgin Islands WAPA Sr Lien Bonds at 'BB' & Sub Lien Bonds at 'BB-'; Outlook Negative

Ailsa James, by email

Anglesey - a place of mystery

Reading your article on Great British Islands, I was pleased to discover Anglesey amongst the top 10. Nodding enthusiastically over the authors description of the islands rugged cliffs, I recalled how it felt to walk along the edges of that same land.

Anglesey has always been a special place to me. Part of my family moved there when I was a child, and my visits are often a mix of the familiar and the strange. During one trip to the island, a friend described this feeling to me as being in a thin place, a place where the veil between the known and unknown is thinner.

My first trip to the Blue Flag Llanddona beach epitomised this feeling. Located at the eastern edge of Red Wharf Bay, Llanddonas long sandy beach is soaked in mystery, with tales of shipwrecked wanderers settling on the shores. When I visited I saw a woman leading a horse through the pebbles, and the sea was so calm it could have been a photograph. To me, Anglesey evokes a sense of wonder and peace that comes from more than the view it is born in the air and lives in the soil. Helen Cocker, by email

West Highlands peninsula

I really want to query the lack of mention of one of the most accessible yet exciting parts of the British Isles, the Ardnamurchan peninsula in the West Highlands. I admit it takes a day to get there and a ferry ride, but take it easy and stay in such gems as the Crianlarich Hotel or the Fox and Hounds pub in Cotherstone. Explore gently on the way up and enjoy clean hotels, excellent food and stunning scenery. OK, perhaps the two hour last few miles on single track roads will put you off, but you may see seals, otters, numerous RSPB treasured birds and of course, deer. Last time we were near loch Mudle we were eyeballed by over 40 deer. If you love walking, scenery and wildlife and the best fish restaurant ever (Caf Fish) go quickly before the rest of the world descends on it. Pippa Brown, by email

Isle of Man omission

Having read the article on "Islands" in last Saturday's Travel Section, I feel that, once again, you have left out one of the islands with much to offer, the Isle of Man. This is a place with beautiful glens and beaches, good walking, including a 90 mile circumnavigation of the island and other long and shorter walks. There is an integrated transport system which is run by the Government and covers steam railway, electric railway and buses. This is not only a place for the motorcycle enthusiast but has a great deal to offer the traveller, culturally and for leisure. As it is set in the middle of the Irish Sea, it is easily accessible by ferry from both sides, there are also good connections by air. All sorts of accommodation are available from hotels to campsites. If the publication of this letter encourages anyone to visit the Island, I am sure that they will not be disappointed. Robert Faragher, by email

As a committed island lover I really lapped up Nick Cranes article. Our daughter, from a young age, has always been adamant that an island is only an island if you can stand and see all the way round it. I cant go along with that, but am equally adamant that the only way to arrive on an island is by boat. I had a real tussle with my husband when we visited Skye (possibly the most beautiful place on the planet) and had to compromise by arriving by ferry and coming back over the bridge.

Excerpt from:

Britain's best islands: Readers' feedback

The commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard on Thursday visited three disputed islands in the Gulf that are held by Iran but claimed by the United Arab Emirates, Iranian state media said.

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Iran's Guard commander visits disputed islands

Solovetsky Museum-reserve of excursion routes served at its first tourist groups.

As it was reported BakuToday in the Museum, though formally the tourist season begins June 1 at the Solovetsky Islands, 25 may at the island arrived by air the first excursion team from Sam travel agency dwellers-tour . In one day the tourists have visited the Solovki monastery tours Central complex and svyato-voznesensky monastery on Mount Sekirnoj. 26-28 may, the guided tour group travel company Solovki airport tour visited not only walking tours of Solovki Museum-reserve, but went by boat on Lake-channel system b. Solovki Islands and made a voyage to b. Zackij island.

This early tourist season has contributed consistently warm and sunny weather, which stands on the solovetsky Islands in the past two weeks, explained the Museum staff.

Continued here:

The Solovetsky Islands opens summer tourist season

The bewitching twitching of the hips on the Cook Islands, takes hula to a whole new level.

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Shake your tail feather, Cook Island style

Tokyo's controversial nationalist governor said Tuesday his plan to buy islands at the centre of a festering territorial row with China was akin to locking the doors to keep a burglar out.

Originally posted here:

Japan must lock door against China: Tokyo governor