Legislators defeat environment with animal law
(CNS): On the eve of the implementation of the Bill of Rights, which formally enshrines the protection of the environment, a bill removing protection from an important natural site on Cayman Brac sailed through the Legislative Assembly on Monday afternoon without the slightest question or complaint from any of the MLAs present. Neither the minister with responsibility for the environment nor any member of the opposition spoke out for Dennis Point Pond, also known as Salt Water Pond, on the Brac, which has now been stripped of its designation as the island’s only animal sanctuary. The law is being amended in order to allow a nearby hotel owner to address an unpleasant odour that sometimes occurs as a result of the decomposition of natural material.
A bill to amend the Animals Law to remove the protection was brought by Juliana O’Connor-Connolly as the minister responsible for agriculture and second elected member of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. It passed through its second reading yesterday, the stage of the process which allows members to debate the bill, without anyone questioning the future of the birds that call the pond home, including the endangered West Indian Whistling ducks.
Moses Kirkconnell, the opposition member for the Brac, gave his support to the bill and asked if the loss of the protected area could be re-designated elsewhere.
Premier McKeeva Bush was particularly enthusiastic about the amendment and said it was about giving up something to gain something as he spoke about how being able to clean up the pond, which would get rid of the smell and assist the owner of the Alexander Hotel, Cleveland Dilbert.
“Our tourism product is one of the most important things to us in terms of our economy and in Cayman Brac, being as small as it is, it’s difficult to keep the economy going," he said, adding that they should do everything possible ot help and offering his support.
“We have to give up something to get something … but that’s not what people want to understand — that we give up something because we need to get something. And so, as much as birds or whatever it is they want to protect there … it needs to be cleaned out.”
He said that there had been plans to develop the area but he did not know how people could live in the prevailing winds in the area when the pond smell was at its worst. Bush said the amendment to the law was an opportunity to help a Caymanian who had invested his money in a good hotel.
“We as a government … need to be able to help a local entrepreneur to invest when they have as Mr Dilbert has,” Bush added.
O’Connor-Connolly thanked the members and noted that the removal of the protected status would be welcomed by people living nearby as it would allow the government to clean up the rotting vegetation and pump in saline water when the area is at its smelliest.
However, it will also remove any legal barrier to the work that was originally proposed by the developer of the hotel, which is to construct a marina and dredge the pond to create a canal from the sea to the inland water, a project which the premier has said he would approve.
Category: Science and Nature
Ya know, Ya know………..
Dig the hole in the pond. Sell the excavated fill for big money.
Scare the wildlife away.
Build a Marina. Rent the slips for big money.
Scare the wildlife away. Wouldn't want bird poop on my boat.
But get a couple of electric cars…………"because we care and are eco friendly"
xxxxx
The smell isn't that bad…and like some other posters, I believe this isn't the real issue. It's probably what was planned all along. Beware Cayman Brac! All of this development is taking away the charm of the Island. Leave Cayman Brac just the way it is and stop with all of the development already – please don't let it become like Grand Cayman!!
Still so funny that many act so surprised! Past time to face reality and join the rest of us. Caymanian leadership is ONLY interested in itself. Caymanian people actually have NO representation here. The big joke is everyone knows it but them. Like taking candy from a baby mutiplied by 2 billion.
Every where in the world is promoting Eco Tourism, but the Cayman Islands is well on the way of promoting Destructive Tourism.
The Salt pond has been a great educational tool in teaching children about ecosystems, flora, funa, and envirnment which they live in. They are taught how important it is for this ecosystem in susteaning life and offering protection. As I have learnt a lot from this one pond as a student, a member of the natural trust. The pond goes through its changes as nature does the Cayman Islands have two seasons wet and dry and so does the pond. The scent of the pond is a natural change and goes with the season. So how can one control nature.The change is inevitable, it must happen in order to accommodate migrating birds who find SANCTUARY to produce the next generation. To highlight on the scent, this is caused by the decay of plants, animals, and micro-organism which live in the pond, and is smelt only once a year. To complain about this is to complain about the reef at low tide and how it reeks. Do we see anyone doing anything to change or better yet "clean up" the reef to stop this from taking place every day at every lowtide all year around. The answer is NO!!
To add to this certain people of the community took it upon themselvesto start pumping salt water into braccish water changing its chemical making, destroying the ecosystem that once therived. This only added to the scent making it smell just as bad or worse as the reef at lowtide. As it was mention above the fact that a hotel or residences are allowed to be built by a sanctuary, home owners understood and lived in harmony not complaining as they knew that this was a natural process which takes place. The hotel owner must have known of this "problem" before hand as those who inhabit the island knew of the pond's natural scent. To me it was a poor development plan on his part. First, to place a hotel between a residential area and small businesses complex. Second, to build on a small peice of property with no where to expand to accommodate any type of growth. Last but not least to not have done any research about the natural surroundings. Was this a well thought out business plan?
People think about the here and now too much, and forget about a sustainable future for our future generations. Why must they suffer or why must we suffer. We need to change our ideology of life and the life we would like to live with in the Cayman Islands. If tourism is our second main industry them we must listen to the consumers (tourist) of that industry. Cayman Brac offers the nature aspect of our tourism industry an untouch getway. Travel is to get way from the norm to experince something new and different. The Brac offers the chance to get in touch with nature. Doing this only takes away from what we have or had to offer. Lets promote Eco Tourism, a "smart" tourism industry.
It is scary to believe that this government, all of them, would let such a thing happen without any input from the public. Shame on all of you, if this is how thing will be done for us here on the Brac, then we have no representaion in the LA. To both of the Brac members, you have lost my vote for sure, but I guess you do not care, one is rich already and the other is just about there, thanks to our votes over the years. Come May, we will vote you out if it is the last thing we do, you both cant have the bare face to campagne for our votes next election, we will be there to Boo you off any stage in the Brac for sure. We are not stupid, too many things happening all at once, airport expansion, distruction of saltwater pond, sounds like you all are paving the way for all of the developers demands, and we the people do not have a say, a discrace is what it is.
Wow !!!!!! They pass this b@#$hit !!!!! What about the conservation bill that has been sitting there collecting cobwebs???? No hope of that passing ?? Cleveland XXXX knew bout the scent before he built the hotel ?? If he had common sence he would 1) during the dry season that the water level is at its lowest bring in the big back hoe and gently dig out the mud from the pond. The mud can then be used as fertilizer or fill 2) set up a small cabana or 2, with with birding scopes 3) go green and be the first hotel in the cayman islands to go completly solar or wind or both
this lake has been there long before the hotel, so why did he build a hotel there in the first place?
Many tourists come to the Brac for ecotourism.
So they build hotels and destroy the enviroment the tourists are coming to see, doesn't take a genius to work out that you will end up with a ruined enviroment and a lot of empty hotels> Then Mr Dilbert will be back asking for governmnet assistance for his empty hotel.
WHy do we even have a minister for the enviroment, what is he getting paid for?
We need a clean sweep of these rotten corrupted cesspools known as our MLA's
This is so sad, are we now forasaking the natural habitat of our wildlife for the 'almighty dollar'?
This hotel owner KNEW of the wetland located on the South side and it's proximity to his proposed hotel site and he WILLINGLY built his hotel there depite that. I hope the animals are at least going to be safely relocated first!
If we much give up something to gain something, then let give up Bush and gain a decent and smarter government that help all people and animals intead of just one man.
What you people don’t realize is there is plenty of protected ponds on the Brac. Plenty of pond for the small amount of wildlife that are protected. We never needed paved roads, we need the marina. We need some type of investment here so we can stop depending on the big island to support us. Please Mr. Cleveland, make that deal for the fill and get started on the marina.
If there's "PLENTY" of appropriate alternatives, then why couldn't Moses identify any of them to be an immediate replacement / substitute?
Besides, just take a look at how that marina will have to connect to the sea – – no, not just the blasting through the road – – out into the SEA. That's on the windward southside and will require groins & jetties to run out to deepwater … and how far out is that?
And who's going to pay Scott Development for all of that fill?
And with it being to windward, it will take regular damage that will need repairs to be paid for.
It will be a constant "Money Suck", and the slip fees of a Marina won't be high enough to pay for itself…
Shame on Moses and Juliana and the rest of the MLAs. You are fools if you think this is good for Brac or will have a positive impact on Brac tourism. I know many families and friends who frequent Brac who have been in opposition to this and have spread the word among their friends who visit Brac. Not only to never stay at that abominable eyesore the Alexander but to voice objection over this insane project.
If tourists come to Brac BECAUSE of the lack of development, the preservation (such as it is now) of the environment, and the slower way of life, do you honestly believe they will view this as positive? As a reason to bring their money and business to Brac? Dilbert chose to build his monstrosity where he did; the pond has been there who-knows-how-many centuries. Now his gain is everyone's loss. Everyone who cares about Brac and the environment. I'm quite certain that Moses, Juliana, and Mac will benefit from their myopic, single-minded advocacy, though. $$$
The pond and the smell were there when the hotel was built. Why build next to,it if it is so offensive! Shame! Wish Michael Gore was here now.
Meep – Not the whole story. Clearly posters on this site know the goal isn't 'improving the smell'. Its so they can turn the pond in to a marina. This is just the first step in a massive environmental degredation plan for that corner of the island. I'm not sure which is worse: that they think we're fools for believing their excuse for this action (which is so weak as to be laughable – anywhere else in the world a hotel on an animal sanctuary is a marketing gld-mine, here its just smething they planned to remove even as they were building the hotel) or that they think we're fools for not actually knowing what they really have planned. What is most telling, however, is that no one spoke for the environment. So no matter which side is in next year, nothing will change on that front. It already is a lost cause. How very sad.
Everybody knew what that pond smelled like in the dry season if Mr cleveland was intersted in building a proper hotel why didnt he build on the beach side for example he couldve tried to buy the old Buccaneers Hotel site and have built there but thats not whats confusing me here they are pushing to expand and create more marine parks but yet at the same time youre going to strip the brac of its only animal sanctuary whats next selling the parrot preserve?
This is a national disgrace that Caymanians are ignoring? This is not just a Brac issue and sets an extremely dangerous precedent. What will happen if they try to remove the Sanctuary status of Meagre Bay Pond or Colliers Pond will it worry us then?
Why are we so quick to discard and devalue everything that makes us unique? Cayman Brac is able to offer a unique eco trouism product and unless greater care is taken they willl have no tourism product at all.
Shame on both elected members for not finding another way around this so called problems. It is now incumbent upon you both to mitigate this loss quickly.
Mr. Moses, you've lost my vote. If JuJu and him are the only people running in the Sister Islands next year, I won't be voting at all.
That pond has been there from the beginning of time. If the owner of Coral Isle couldn't dredge it out, then how can Cleveland? What about all of those home owners who will now be exposed to the hurricanes through the canal? What about all of the whistling ducks that are there? When the next hurricane hit, it will make Ivan and Paloma look like a thunder storm.
Moses would have had no say in this. The UDP always vote together.
Read the article. Mr. Moses agreed to this. There was no opposition whatsoever. Whether the PPM would win aganst the UDP is not the question. If the PPM say nothing or agree with the UDP, they are the same as the UDP and they will never get another vote from me.
Quote: “We as a government … need to be able to help a local entrepreneur to invest when they have as Mr Dilbert has, Bush added."
Why does the government, using the peoples money, need to help someone who knew exactly what was there before he built? Why does the government want to throw money at rich people? Oh, I know…… It's the old "I'll help you, you help me".
Dear Premier, Ms. Juliana and the rest of the MLA’s (and I do mean every single one of you)
You will all have the satisfaction of going down in history as the the Government that, if we are lucky, almost brought about the total downfall of these islands because of your greed, ignorance, corruption, nepotism, complete total and utter disrespect for the Cayman Islands and all who live here.
You are an embarrassment and a threat to these islands and its people.
I declare you all traitors.
I know the small hotel. I stayed there one time visiting the Brac. It is right next to the animal sanctuary. I mean right next, adjacent to the sanctuary. I just have to wonder, why we have laws permitting hotels and residences to be built right next to a protected sanctuary? To me, it is like permiting hotels to be built alongside West Bay Road, eliminating and/or narrowing people's access to the public beach! Such permissions are wrong. Nature untouch belongs to everyone! It is the fault of our poor laws and legislatures without vision that has us in this mess now! This small hotel in the Brac should not have been allowed to be built right next to this sanctuary in the first place! Can you imagine the hotel owner complaining about a stench that was there before he was born! My respects to the hotel owner. He is a good man and I'm sure it is not his fault, but authorities should have never allow him to build right next to a animal sanctuary no matter what! And what is real messed up, is the fact that not one of our 15 MLA's object to the removal of the protection law! I just hope the MLAs are thinking prevention and thinking on how they can change the law into a better one, before we have other owners and big shots trying to tell government what to sell-out for their interest. We need some real reforms in our certain of our laws and it will take politicians that have vision and love for our ecosystem.
This does not surprise me in the slightest.Our MLA;s are a bunch of wimps who dont understand nature and what our environment is all about.Surely there must be ways of dealing with that pond without destroying it?
Salt ponds are always kind of nasty. Saw a couple of whistling ducks in the ponds at the end of Owen Roberts runway the other day. Those used to have cattails so they must be fresh.
I smelled that before, but I just assumed the stink was developers.
Actually, it was most likely caused by the presence of Currupt Politicians.
I do not like the way most animals smell. They don't take care of themselves or their surroundings. As far as I'm concerned, we would do good to get rid of all of them. Fish too! Have you ever smelled a fish?! If it wasn't for the water cleaning them up and covering their smell, lord knows what this place would smell like. We could kiss all that developement money good bye. Money. Now there's a smell I like. At first sniff it's kind of, meh…big deal, but have you ever given money a really big sniff? Try it.
Animals take care of themselves, it's in their nature even bird s have water baths, unlike some humans who chose not to bathe at least twice per day or wear deoderant, guess you might be one them. Fish are raw because their habitat is the sea- ever smelled the sea before? Surprise, it's raw!
Grrr, ignorant comments. Every article has at leats one.
Bring on the damn marina already!
This is actually great news for the Brac! They are in despreate need of a proper safe harbour. This will create many new opportinities for them. Congratulations Cayman Brac!
Really!!!! So Cayman Brac needs a safe harhour for what exactly? Grand Cayman, which is suppose to be our capital, has yet to develop their own. To strip a natural habit of its protection in order to develop something that will cause other problems in the future, does that make any sense? The land located behind the protective barrier which separates the pond and the sea will be subjected to the change of the tides,tropical storms, and hurricanes. Paloma and Ivan have shown how that protection is of great importance in minimising damage. Just think about what would happen if that was no longer there. Plus the way things are planned and developed in the Cayman Islands are without thought for future consequences; most designs take away and never add.
Can we have another source of smell removed? By which I mean the Premier?
caymankind
So what's wrong with this.. there were very few animals in that pond and OMG the smell was just horrid!
Get to work Cleveland!
Why are we paying the Opposition?
On a lighter note, the Brac Asphalt Duck is flourishing.