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Wetlands are Wild
Primary School Puppet Show
Written by Lynn Gape, Monique Clarke Sweeting and Karen St. Cyr
© 1997 The Bahamas National Trust and West Indian Whistling-Duck Working Group of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds. Wetlands are Wild Primary School Puppet Show may not be reprinted or posted on electronic networks without permission and acknowledgement of the West Indian Whistling-Duck Working Group of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds.
Characters: Whitney and Will - two children who have learned about the importance of wetlands
Harry the Hunter
Eddie the Environmentalist (The Environmental Ninja) - Wetlands activist and naturalist
Whistler - West Indian Whistling-Duck
Pinny - The Bahama Pintail
Blue - The Little Blue Heron
Gary Grouper
Tommy the Turtle
Dan the Developer
SCENE 1
Whitney and Will are listening to Environmental Eddie who has taken them on a tour of the Adelaide Creek Wetland. Eddie explains why wetlands are important, nurseries for groupers, crawfish, roosting areas for white crowned pigeons, habitat for ducks etc. Whistler, Pinny and Blue are in the background listening.
SCENE 2
Whitney and Will return to Adelaide to look at the ducks and other wildlife. They see a bulldozer and then overhear Developer Dan talking about how he is going fill in and make the wetland into homes for people. Whitney and Will meet Whistler, Pinny, Blue, and the other mangrove animals who are upset about loosing their homes. Whitney and Will suggest they go to Environmental Eddie for help.
SCENE 3
Environmental Eddie’s Office. All the animals and Whitney and Will tell him about the proposed development and ask for his help. They all leave and Environmental Eddie shakes his head and says that it is now time for the ENVIRONMENTAL NINJA
SCENE 4
Animals, Will and Whitney led by the Environmental Ninja meet with Dan the Developer convincing him that mangroves (wetlands) are good, and that it will enhance his development to have a natural area for Birdwatching etc. as part of his development.
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Interaction with Audience:
Every time the audience hears “Mangroves are useless” they will respond with a chant:
No, they are not!
Mangroves are nurseries for crawfish and conch,
They give us protection from storms that knock.
Homes for birds and ducks that fly,
Places of beauty to soothe our eyes
Mangroves are useless? - That’s the silliest thing we’ve ever heard!
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SCENE 1
Will and Whitney are listening to a lecture by Eddie the Environmentalist on the importance of mangroves and wetlands.
Eddie:
Good morning boys and girls. Today I am going to introduce you to one of my favorite places - a place where I grew up - - a mangrove wetland. (Insert a wetland in your area). This area is important for wildlife - birds, fish, turtles, crabs and other creatures, but it’s also very important for humans as well. Be sure and ask me questions as we go along.
Will:
What are those funny looking plants? They look like they are on stilts!
Eddie:
Those plants are mangroves. Those stilts are really arching roots, which capture debris and sediment and build land masses.
Examples of each type of mangrove will be held up as they are talked about.
There are four types of mangrove:
The Red Mangrove which lives in salt water and is the farthest from the land;
The Black Mangrove which lives in the periodically flooded tidal areas;
The White mangrove in saline mud; and the
Buttonwood which lives in dry, but salty soil.
As each of these types of mangrove (species) colonize an area, it makes more solid ground and the area becomes a better place for a different type of mangrove to live - this process is known as “ecological succession.”
Whitney:
What are those things sticking up in the mud - that stretch of beach looks like a “ bed of nails?”
At this point “magic pneumatophores” rise up
Eddie:
Those roots are something called “pneumatophores.” They act like snorkels for the black mangrove - the mud they live in has very little air, so the pneumatophores or snorkels give them life saving access to air.
Will:
Mr. Eddie - you said that mangrove wetlands are important to humans - how can that be? They look like a big swamp to me.
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Eddie:
Will, mangrove wetlands are very important to humans. They create new coastal land and help prevent shoreline erosion. Do you remember Hurricane Andrew?
Will:
Boy, who doesn’t remember that horrible storm?
Eddie:
A great deal of damage was done to homes on the coast, because there was a big tidal surge.
Whitney:
My Grammy lives in South Florida, but her area did not have much damage, and they have mangroves in front of her house. Did they protect it?
Eddie:
Yes, the mangroves scattered the big waves that swept ashore. Mangroves are also important because they act as a nursery area for young crawfish, groupers and conch. The mangrove roots are ideal places for these young creatures to hide from hungry predators!
Will:
The mangrove must also be important homes for many special birds, and ducks as well as other animals. This place has more birds and animals than I have seen any place!!!
Whitney:
But some people say, “mangroves are useless.”
Audience:
No, they are not!
Mangroves are nurseries for crawfish and conch,
They give us protection from storms that knock.
Homes for birds and ducks that fly,
Places of beauty to soothe our eyes
Mangroves are useless? - that’s the silliest thing we’ve ever heard!
Will:
Mr. Eddie! Look over there! What are those creatures looking at us?
Eddie:
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Boys and Girls have a look. The tall beautiful duck is a West Indian Whistling-Duck. They have become very rare in the Bahamas and the rest of the West Indies, partly because they were hunted too much, but also due to habitat destruction.
The smaller duck is a Bahama Pintail. It is one of our prettiest ducks and they also are
threatened with habitat destruction.
The taller wading bird is a little blue heron. He roosts in the mangroves at night and feeds on the fish and crabs that live on the shore and among the mangrove roots.
Whistler, Pinny, Blue say Hi to your new friends!
The birds wave and move around in friendly fashion
Whitney:
They sure are beautiful. Why do people want to destroy their homes?
Eddie:
It’s sad, but many people forget that we need to leave wild places for our animal
friends. They feel its more important to build more houses, and hotels. We need both, but all of us can live together if we will only take the time to learn about our natural areas and why we need them. Many times the homes or houses could be placed in better places.
Will:
Thank you, Mr. Eddie for showing us the ______Wetland. We hope it will always be here for birds like Whistler, Pinny and Blue.
Eddie:
Don’t worry Will, as long as I live here nothing is going to happen to this wetland!!
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SCENE 2
Will and Whitney return to Adelaide to go Birdwatching wearing binoculars around their neck.
Whitney:
Hurry Will! I don’t want to miss seeing the birds.
Will:
Don’t get so excited Whitney. They’re not going anywhere. Remember Mr. Eddie told
us that as long as he’s around ______will always be here!
Whitney:
Oh look Will! Aren’t they beautiful? They just take my breath away!
Will:
Whitney look! What is that bulldozer doing here?
Whitney:
It can’t be. No one would want to destroy this beautiful place, would they?
Will:
Man, don’t joke! They can’t be thinking of such a thing
Developer Dan:
Mangroves are useless.
Audience:
No, they are not!
Mangroves are nurseries for crawfish and conch,
They give us protection from storms that knock.
Homes for birds and ducks that fly,
Places of beauty to soothe our eyes
Mangroves are useless? - that’s the silliest thing we’ve ever heard!
Developer Dan:
Now that may be true, but this swamp isn’t doing people any good. We need this land
to develop. I can build many homes here. You know what they say: “Give the land to Developer Dan and he’ll have plenty of money in his hands” Ha! Ha!
Will:
But, Mr. Dan, this wetland is already a home for herons, ducks, groupers and even crawfish. Where will they live if you build your houses in their home?
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Developer Dan:
Who cares! They’re just a bunch of birds and fish. They can find somewhere else to live!
Whitney and Will leave Developer Dan. They are very sad - soon they run into the wetland animals.
Whitney:
Oh Whistler, Pinny, Lil Blue, What can we do? Developer Dan has plans to steal your lands.
Lil Blue:
It’s very sad, but humans always think they are so important; that we animals have no rights.
Whistler:
Well, its wrong, wrong, wrong! We have to do something!
Pinny:
Well I don’t know about you, but animals never win. I am going to round up my little Pinnys and find someplace else to live.
Tommy Turtles:
I’m with you Pinny. Its time to move on.
The animals begin to move away.
Will:
Wait! We can’t give up. We have to find a way to stop the destruction of your homes. Don’t you see - soon there won’t be anyplace for you to move to if this keeps up!
Whitney:
I know! Let’s go see our friend Environmental Eddie. He will be able to help us.
You know when he’s not touring the wetland he’s a lawyer - he’ll be able to talk to
Developer Dan.
All the Animals, Will & Whitney:
Let’s go!!!
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SCENE 3
Mr. Eddie’s Office
Will, Whitney & Animals:
Mr. Eddie, Mr. Eddie!! You have to help us!
Mr. Eddie:
Hold on guys! What’s got you so upset? Now calm down and tell me what has happened.
Whitney:
Developer Dan has a bulldozer at the ______Wetland.
Will:
He says mangroves are useless and he can make it a better place by building houses.
Whistler:
He thinks it’s OK just to destroy our home as if we have no rights!
Harry the Hunter dashes in.
Harry:
Hey Eddie, Guess what that sneaky Developer Dan is up to? What are all these kids and birds doing here?
Eddie:
Well Harry, it seems they are here for the same reason you are. The ______Wetland is being threatened with development.
OK everyone! Give me some time to think about what we can do, and I’ll call a meeting with Dan at the Wetland tomorrow afternoon. Everyone plan to be there!
Everyone leaves but Harry the Hunter
Harry:
Eddie, what are we going to do? That wetland is one of the last ones left on ______. Without that area as a nursery for fish and conch - our fisheries will die out, and it’s so important for migratory birds as well as our resident birdlife. I know most people think hunters are bad, but without their habitat all that wildlife will disappear.
Eddie:
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I know Harry - this is heartbreaking news! But give me a couple of hours I’ll think of something and I’ll call some other people who care- members of the ______( insert name of your conservation organization). You call the other hunters - they will want to stop this as well.
Harry leaves and Eddie stands and looks at the audience.
Eddie:
You know sometimes you just have to stand up for what’s right! I have lived and loved that area all my life - hunted in it as boy, fished along its shores, watched birds hunt and raise their young there - I’m afraid that it time for the ENVIRONMENTAL NINJA!!!!
A BIG DRUMROLL AND CYMBAL CLASH!!!
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SCENE 4
The animals, kids, hunters and Eddie meet with Developer Dan. Developer Dan is standing next to his bulldozer.
Developer Dan:
Where are these environmental fanatics? Don’t they know time is money? They can’t stop me anyway - I’m only here so I can say I met with them and tried to be reasonable.
The group arrives carrying signs “Save the Wetland” Environmental Eddie has become the Environmental Ninja.
Mr. Eddie:
Good afternoon, Developer Dan. Thank you for meeting with us.
Developer Dan:
Cut the conversation, Eddie - what do you want?
Mr. Eddie:
I have come on behalf of these concerned citizens and the animals of the wetland to plead with you to think again before you destroy this beautiful mangrove wetland. This area is important for our fisheries, our birdlife ......
Developer Dan:
Forget it - I already told them this area is useless unless I develop it for people to live in - Mangroves are useless!!!!
Audience: Shout real loud!!
No, they are not!
Mangroves are nurseries for crawfish and conch,
They give us protection from storms that knock.
Homes for birds and ducks that fly,
Places of beauty to soothe our eyes
Mangroves are useless? - that’s the silliest thing we’ve ever heard!
Developer Dan stops looks at the audience. He turns back to Environmental Eddie
Developer Dan:
OK. OK why are you so upset? I plan to build beautiful houses for people to live in. People need houses.
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Environmental Eddie:
Dan, you know you’re not wrong, but people need natural areas too. This wetland is one of the last areas of its kind on our island. It’s important to fisherman, and it’s an important habitat for endangered species like the West Indian Whistling-Duck. If you destroy it this wildlife will disappear from our island forever.
Developer Dan:
What do you propose I do? I have lots of money tied up in this project. I can’t just throw it away.
Environmental Eddie:
Don’t you own the property all around the wetland?
Developer Dan:
Well, yes.
Environmental Eddie:
Well build your houses on the solid land around the wetland. You’ll save money by not having to fill in the wet, swampy areas. Put in some boardwalks and paths so the people who live in your development can walk and enjoy the wildlife.