Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1275149
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 AUGUST 2020 CULTURE NATURE Way back in the 1980s us naturalists used to read that up to the early 20th century turtles nested regularly on our beaches. And we used to shake our heads and sing nostalgic songs – to put you in the picture the 1980s were the infamous BDA years when the building sprawl exploded in Malta, so nesting turtles seemed a distant closed chapter. Yet here we are today, the expectant 'mothers' of no less than three loggerhead turtle nests. What happened? Malta has hardly become a green paradise and reverted its sandy beaches to nature. It could be several factors. Quieter, less busy shipping lanes due to the pandemic have certainly reduced disturbance to marine wildlife. Also, the loggerhead turtle (M. fekruna tal-bahar) has been protected since the early 1990s, which must account for a few hundred more of them today that would have otherwise long ago become soup. Whatever the reason, we are not complaining. May they keep coming. Text and Photo: Victor Falzon 722. LOGGERHEAD TURTLE Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 615 Find out more about this activity on our facebook page or via this link: www.foemalta.org/event/sustainablecooking-2 Sustainable Cooking Class – Summer Edition This workshop is open for people between the age of 16 to 30 who are passionate about good food. You do not have to be a vegetarian to participate. Come and try out exciting recipes that you can prepare as part of #MeatlessMonday! You can even follow the workshop online. The conservation of the main dome of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St Dominic is now concluded Calì conservation completed THE conservation project of the main dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Porto Salvo and St. Domi- nic has just been concluded and will be unveiled in the evening of Monday, August 3 during an inau- guration ceremony. The dome paintings are by Giuseppe Calì while at his best. The works are a cycle of eight paint- ings representing the seven virutes and the Ho- ly Spirit themselves documenting the original inauguration that happened on the January 1, 1898. Having suffered from extensive deterioration due to water infiltration, the paintings were in dire need of conservation. Studies towards understanding the needs of the Cali' paintings started in late 2018 when the work was entrust- ed to Agatha Grima Conservators. The consevation project started with the gath- ering of information through research and sci- entific documentation which consisted of high resolution imaging, non-invasive physical-op- tical investigations, testing and analysis. This shed light on the original manufacturing tech- nique, the fragile and unstable condition of the works and the previous interventions executed by Cali's own son, Ramiro, years after his fa- ther's death. This information empowered the team in for- mulating and tailoring specific treatment that was directed towards the structural strengthen- ing of the original material itself, the removal of any foreign damaging materials, and the aesthet- ic presentation as defined through Giuseppe Ca- li's own original. In this way, Cali's works have been brought back to life and now complement the decorative stucco work in the dome that has itself been restored. Rev.Fr. Michael Camilleri O.P. defines his commitment in view of the restoration in the Basilica and would like to invite the public for the unveiling and viewing of the dome during an inauguration ceremony with presentations of historical finds and the conservation project, on Monday, August 3, 2020 at the Basilica of our Lady of Porto Salvu and St. Dominic, Valletta, starting at 19:30.