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Bahamian Environmental Organizations Call for Monitoring of the Impacts of Golf Course Development on Coral Reefs
From:
Abaco CARES [mailto:abacocares@yahoo.com] Hello to all those who have said that they care about what is happening in Abaco. That is the reason Abaco CARES was started, to show that there are people who CARE about Abaco, whether it is the environment, the use of harmful petroleum products to run our power plants, or protecting the blue holes of Abaco -- and the list can go on and on. One thing is clear, that we have a duty to protect the beauty of Abaco because that is the main reason why people come here: the beautiful water, parks, cultural events and, not to be forgotten, the wonderful people of Abaco. All of us -- "locals" by birth, Bahamians that have fallen in love with Abaco and moved here, second homeowners who have chosen to invest in Abaco, visitors to our beautiful Abaco, and most important, the resorts of Abaco that employ so many of us -- need to take a look at ourselves and see if we are doing all we can to protect what we love so dearly, the environment of Abaco. If the clean water is gone, our tourists will be gone too. There has been a study that shows that the reef at Guana Cay is being damaged by the golf course at Bakers Bay . We feel that it is important for those who love the reefs and the water that people flock here to see, to take a look at these reports and make their voices heard to whomever is responsible. We need to take action to eliminate the problems and fix what has gone wrong. If in fact it is the golf course, we all need to know; and most of all, Bakers Bay and Discovery Land Company need to know, so they can honour their word to the Bahamian people. This can only be accomplished with scientific monitoring of the reefs. This costs money. The monitoring of the reef was stopped, and we are asking Bakers Bay to recommence their monitoring of the reefs, and to use an independent company that is reputable and is agreed on by all involved. Please, be open with your findings and please keep your promises to your neighbors, the people of Guana Cay and the Bahamian people. There are many opinions going around and we feel it is time to take a stand and to have the proper scientific studies done, so that there is the "scientific proof" that is so needed to see what is causing harm to that portion of the reef. We all need to live together and work together for the betterment of our environment and Abaco. Let us begin again by researching a problem that has been identified and find a solution to it. We can do it, if we all CARE. Abaco CARES and so should you. If money is needed to fund this study and Bakers Bay will not fund it, we should all find a way to accomplish this much-needed task. So take a look at what is said to be happening and if you feel that something needs doing, do it! We received this request from our member, Troy Albury and ask that you read it, study it and then form your own opinion. It has been a rough road for the folks of Guana and one thing is for certain, they ALL LOVE their Island . Thanks for CARING Abaco CARES Concerned Abaco Residents "You are receiving this email because I consider you to be one of my friends and a person that truly cares about Guana Cay Many of you may have seen this video. http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/sgcr/ Watch the video at the very top It tells the entire story. If your internet is slow you can watch it in a lower resolution as it is 8 minutes long and in hi def so it will load faster if you watch it in low resolution And then the response of the developers http://www.tribune242.com/business/01242012_Corals_business_Page1-5 They actually state that they have stopped monitoring!!!!!! Many of you have emailed or called and asked if there is any way you can make donations to Save Guana Cay reef. At this time we are going to begin some fundraising to fund monitoring, testing and travel expenses for our scientists. Tom Goreau of the global coral reef alliance has worked with us from the very beginning at no charge but his non profit organization has very little funds to continue to do this very important work .Travel expenses and testing are expensive . The Global Coral Reef Alliance is a small, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to growing, protecting and managing the most threatened of all marine ecosystems—coral reefs. Founded in 1990.Please visit their website www.globalcoral.org and make a donation - no matter how small (or large ) - to help us with further monitoring of the reefs at the north end of Guana cay . If you go to the home page there is a link at the bottom for paypal or credit card donations and the donation will be tax deductible . You can make a note on the donation page if you wish the funds to be earmarked for the Guana cay project Please pass this on to others that might be willing to help as this will help us to get some solid scientific testing done that will assist us in making the developers do what they promised . This is not about liking Bakers Bay or not it is about protecting our reef. Thanks for any help you can provide
Troy Albury |
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