Bonefish National Park: Where Kids Meet Conservation

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – It’s a summer camp with a mission, teaching the next generation of Bahamians the value of their natural environment.

The Community Affairs Division at the Department of Social Services is hosting a two-week camp, Climate Action 2025, aimed at showing kids that everyone has a role to play in protecting the environment, starting with their communities.

Leading the charge is Niosche Bourne, a case aide and life transformation coach with the Community Affairs Division who says the camp is all about empowering kids to take climate action.

Niosche Bourne – Case Aid, Department of Social Services

“…We want every young person to be aware and to know how can we protect, how can we help, what can we do to make a difference in the climate? …So we brought them out here…so that they can see nature at its best, and we want them to know that everybody can play a part,” she said.

Bonefish Pond National Park, nestled off Cowpen Road in Southern New Providence is more than twelve hundred acres of coastal wetland area.

This park is where students got to see and learn about different ecosystems that call Bonefish Pond home.

Education Officer at the Bahamas National Trust, Shawn Saunders, says places like Bonefish Pond are essential for protecting marine life and sustaining local fisheries.

“ This is very important because these guys serve as a nursery to a lot of the fish that we consume here on the island. Stuff like grouper, crawfish, and snapper, they start off their life here in these parks, so these are mangrove ecosystems that are connected to the ocean,” he said.

Also on site is Katherine Colbey, an education officer with the Bahamas National Trust.

She says Bonefish Pond isn’t just rich in biodiversity, it’s a natural barrier against storm surges, especially as hurricane season ramps up.