The Free National Movement (FNM) government and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) have turned a blind eye to what is going on at Bell Island - in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park - and turned their backs on the Bahamian people ...all for a few helicopter rides, $1m, and who knows what else...

CALL TO MONITOR ISLAND DREDGING


By MEGAN REYNOLDS
Tribune Staff Reporter
mreynolds@tribunemedia.net


DREDGING around Bell Island must be monitored with urgency to limit the destruction it is causing in the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Senator Jerome Fitzgerald said in a press conference yesterday.

The PLP candidate for Marathon, the seat currently held by Environment Minister Earl Deveaux, cried shame on the FNM government for approving the development in the world's oldest land and sea park.

He also criticised the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) for failing to prevent the development from going ahead.

Dredging is now well underway, and Mr Fitzgerald said 13 acres, or 600,000 sq ft, of sea bed have been excavated from Conch Cut south of Bell Island, to make way for the inland marina, and destroyed the habitat of hundreds of conch.

Measures taken to limit the environmental impact, such as silt curtains, are inadequate, he said, and should be monitored.

"Silt can be seen spilling onto the nearby coral and vegetation lining the sea bed," the senator said. "And there appears not to be a full-time on-site environmental manager. Yet neither the government, nor the National Trust, is taking any action to correct it."

Mr Fitzgerald called on the government to ensure the dredging and excavation is done in accordance with requirements set out by the BNT and the Bahamas Environmental, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission.

An application from Islands of Discovery Ltd, the Aga Khan, to excavate over 12 acres of land and sea bed at the 349 acre island was approved in September last year.

Environmental Minister Earl Deveaux was ridiculed for accepting a free ride in the Aga Khan's helicopter from Nassau to Abaco, and then to Exuma, to do a survey of Bell Island while the planning application was before his ministry.

Conservationists criticised the Bahamas National Trust for allowing the development in the park, and Tribune sources alleged the BNT accepted a $1m donation from the Aga Khan.

"The FNM government and the BNT have turned a blind eye to what is going on at Bell Island and turned their backs on the Bahamian people, all for a few helicopter rides, $1m, and who knows what else," Mr Fitzgerald said before a group of reporters and party supporters at the PLP headquarters in Farrington Road yesterday.

"The FNM has talked about the importance of eco-tourism but instead of preserving treasures like Bell Island for Bahamians, they are allowing foreigners to destroy it."

Images of the 30ft cliff from the inland excavation, and of silt spreading from the dredging of a 14ft channel leading into the yacht basin being excavated from a natural salt pond were shown in a short video featuring interviews with local tour guide Wayde Nixon and activist Terry Bain.

Mr Bain, spokesman for the Save the Exuma Park (STEP) Committee, said the endangered Bahama Duck frequented the salt pond, and that photographs of the birds at the site had been ignored by authorities.

The 176 square mile park established in 1958 has been guarded by the BNT since 1964 and is a strictly no-take zone.

"We believe it is a criminal action for a minister to approve development in a national park in the same way that it is a criminal act to take anything from the park," said Mr Bain.

By putting the environment under threat, Mr Fitzgerald said the development also threatened the livelihood of locals who rely on the park to maintain healthy stocks of fish and conch.

"Bahamians are working on the Bell Island project, but whatever work they are doing is short-term," Mr Fitzgerald said.

However, former PLP MP for Exuma George Smith told The Tribune Prince Karim Aga Khan has been a great benefactor to the local community in Black Point by creating jobs for people of all ages and abilities, and leaving the dredged sand landfill for them to collect. He also pledged to fund the development of a health clinic in Black Point and a new hospital in George Town, Mr Smith said.

"Although some people might not like the dredging, we have to look at the bigger picture," Mr Smith said. "The Aga Khan is not a villain, he's a great benefactor. He has employed a reasonable workforce and he's endeavouring to employ people from Black Point."

But whatever his good deeds may be, they cannot erase the environmental damage, said Mr Fitzgerald. "I don't care how much he spends, or what he donates; no amount of millions of dollars can mitigate the destruction," he said. "There is no way the government should have considered approving this."

Environmental activist Sam Duncombe agreed the damage cannot be undone. She said: "The National Trust should have put rules and regulations in place a long time ago, to warn anybody who owns land in the park what they can and cannot do, and I think the fact that they have failed to do that in 50 years is disgusting. If we can't protect the world's oldest national marine park, then we have failed miserably."

Calls to Gail Lockhart Charles and Co, representing the Aga Khan, were not returned before press time.

October 07, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

...dredging at Bell Island... in the Exuma Land and Sea Park

Bell Island dredging in the Exuma Land and Sea Park!
By PIERRE DUPUCH


LAST week I appeared on the radio show, Hard Copy, hosted by Steve McKinney on Gems 105.9 FM radio at 5 p.m. The show was all about the recent permission given by the Government to conduct dredging at Bell Island and, in particular, the Exuma Land and Sea Park, which was established by law as a preserve in 1958.

The discussion was lively and interesting. One caller suggested that the purchaser of Bell Island, who was recently given permission by government to dredge a large area of the reserve and who is descended from the Middle East, should be requested to ask the Egyptian Government the following simple question: "What would their answer be if a Bahamian investor promised to make a multi-billion dollar investment in a five star hotel, with all the amenities, theme park, etc, that would create mega employment and foreign investment in the heart of Egypt?"

I am sure they would love the idea. But there would be just one catch, the location of the resort. In order to make the investment, the Egyptian Government would have to allow the investor to demolish one of the Egyptian pyramids to make space for building. The Egyptian Government would ask if the Bahamian investor had taken leave of his senses, and the Aga Khan would be asked politely ... or not so politely ... to leave.

But that's Egypt where they have pride in their history, their environment and themselves. I believe the Bahamian people do also; however, I don't think our leaders do.

Later in the show there was another caller, Mr. Brensil Rolle, advisor to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Secretary, and Member of Parliament. He seemed to be all bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to defend his government's position on the granting of permission to dredge in the Exuma Land and Sea Park. I thought he had called to prove us wrong. What he did, however, in my opinion was to demonstrate that he was arrogant and rude.

He reminded me of years gone by when well trained "hecklers" refused to let anyone speak. Every time I tried to get a word in edge-wise his mouth would start running like a Gatling gun, twice as fast as his brain. I recognized the tactic so I said nothing.

Most of what Mr. Rolle said was that he was born in Exuma and that the area had been dredged many times before and that there were examples of this everywhere and he couldn't see why we were objecting now.

Mr. Rolle said that pictures that Mr. McKinney had taken recently were "old." If they were "old," as Mr. Rolle claims, what happened to the rock and fill that had been mined "long ago." The Prime Minister said the rock and fill would be "adequately disposed of." Maybe Mr. Rolle, or the Prime Minister, would care to tell us what "adequately disposed of" really means? Does it happen to mean, "sold on the international market?" If so, by whom? Has this been a part of the "strip mining" operation reported to be going on in The Bahamas? Just asking.

Recognizing his tactic, I backed off and let Mr. McKinney handle, what appeared to be, a raving idiot. Mr. McKinney rightly told him that we were discussing the recent approval for land to be dredged in a reserved area, and that what had happened in the past had nothing to do with the discussion.

And Mr. McKinney was correct. Just because people have fished in the park, does it mean that they should not be arrested if found fishing there illegally? According to Mr. Rolle's logic, anyone should be able to fish in the park and not worry because, after all, people have fished there illegally before.

Should the bank robber not be arrested for robbing a bank? After all, banks have been robbed before.

Mr. Rolle's logic was incredible. And he's one of the Prime Minister's advisors?

Now back to the discussion. It is said that a man has to be given reasonable access to his property. This is correct. In fact, I don't think you're able to sell a property unless you can guarantee reasonable access to it. But reasonable access means just what it says, "reasonable." It does not mean that, having bought an island which is surrounded on at least two sides by shallow water and is in a Land and Sea Park, the purchaser is able to buy the Queen Mary and expect to use "reasonable access" as a reason to dredge in one of our most important marine reserves.

Bell Island, as I understand it, is on the edge of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park with deep water on one side. But this is on the ocean side, they say. Well isn't this an ocean going yacht he proposes to bring here?

But, of course there's the famous helicopter. Or is it too busy flying our leaders around?

The Prime Minister says that the Aga Khan is a nice man. I am sure he is. The Prime Minister says that his grandchildren play with the Aga Khan's children.

Great. So what's that got to do with the price of tea in China? Am I hearing some kind of complex coming with such a statement?

The Prime Minister says that he has taken the advice of "advisors" and agrees with their advice regarding Bell Island. Maybe the public would like to know the names of these "advisors."

After all, a man is often judged by the company he keeps ... and so are his decisions.

The Prime Minister says that the objection to dredging in the Exuma Land and Sea Park is just "noise." Maybe.

Maybe the riot in Bain town was just "noise" too?

Maybe the town that has recently gone crazy with killings everywhere, is just "noise" too?

Maybe the cries of twelve year olds being raped by paedophiles are just "noise" too?

Maybe the recent "Tea Party" in the U.S. was just "noise" too.

We'll see. I have faith in the Bahamian people.

December 02, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International