Lighthouse Point will be Hugely and Irreversibly Damaged says letter

Lighthouse Beach at the Southernmost tip of Eleuthera - Photo by Ian Langworth http://flickr.com/photos/statico/tags/eleuthera

Dear Editor,

Most Bahamians are unaware that the entire southern end of Eleuthera, a whole 925 acres of exceptional and stunning, unspoilt beauty, is scheduled for "development." This place is without doubt the Bahamas' best kept secret- the extraordinary Lighthouse Point.

Eleutherans and readers of The Eleutheran newspaper in the Nov/Dec 2009 edition were provided with 2 informative articles and an editorial on the the topic of development and its dangers in Eleuthera, specifically designating Lighthouse Point.

The paper summarised and included commentary on an article from November's National Geographic's Traveller Magazine commending the island on its " out island feel," and describing Eleuthera as a "Place Doing Well," but panelists for the magazine also warned against further new development and present construction which is "not taking into consideration the environmental impact."  

Bimini too has been congratulated by National Geographic , "highlighting the fantastic eco-tourism opportunities and locally run hotelsand praises the Bahamian government for declaring Bimini's Marine Protected Area, a huge step forward in preserving the ecology of the island, as well as the growing eco-tourism industry. " I suggest we need to think of the development of tourism in the Family Islands in the context of eco-tourism.

In addition to the article above, there is also a letter to the editor in The Eleutheran signed by no less than 15 concerned international scientists stating that Lighthouse Point, this 'beautiful and pristine ' area with "unique and ecological properties" must be protected from destruction. "The Bahamas is an ecological paradise on earth," they write. "We need to keep Big Pond intact otherwise the Bahamian people and the world in general could lose this in the near future, and it will not come back."

Unlike the Cliffs or Glass Window Bridge, this amazing place has not been signposted or designated as a National Heritage Site, yet it is ranked number 1 in the book, The Elusive Beaches of Eleuthera and described by the authors as "our favourite beach in Eleuthera...without doubt the best." For many visitors to Eleuthera it is, in fact, the highlight of their Eleuthera experience.

Lighthouse Point, the place in question is much, much more than a beach; it is a huge area- 925 acres- of pristine beauty full of native plants, flowers, butterflies etc, a place where seabirds and turtles breed and with a fascinating hyper-saline lake, Big Pond, all of which is of tremendous interest and value to the naturalist, scientist and lovers of beauty. Unfortunately, we are in danger of losing this glorious place for ever. Apparently Lighthouse Point is slated for development as a marina, golf course, helipad, condos, boutique hotels and casino for the mega-rich, which means that canals will be hacked out, much of the land will be bulldozed and large areas completely destroyed. Of course it will be a gated community and we can expect never to see this wonderful place again. Wooden survey posts are already to be found along the beach so there is no time to be lost if we are to save this gem for posterity. Indeed, this issue is of tremendous importance, as in Lighthouse Point, we may have a secret piece of paradise worthy of the designation, World Heritage Site. Criteria for these Unesco sites applicable to Lighthouse Point include, "to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance."

Situated-indeed hidden- at the end of a rocky track road, Lighthouse Point is truly one of the Bahamas' best kept secrets. Yet it is hard to imagine why it has been decided that yet another upscale marina is needed when there is already a marina nearby- Cape Eleuthera- which was started in the 60's and intended as a large development [a lot of land was cleared] but has remained fairly small ever since, despite the pretty location. So why destroy most of Lighthouse Point when there is no guarantee that this development project will be a success or will even be completed? In fact, look at the number of other such developments in which Bahamian land and even whole cays have been razed to the ground, utterly destroyed, then the investors run out of money, or turn to a more lucrative project elsewhere [Royall Island, The Ritz on Rose Island,etc ]. Of course, the damage caused is irreversible. I beseech the government not to let this happen to this extraordinary place.

In The Tribune newspaper of Friday January 29th, columnist Adrian Gibson writes a powerful and heartfelt article entitled ,"Tourism depends on us preserving environment." Rather than environmental vandalism, he proposes the furtherance of eco tourism as a viable source of income for the Family Islands whilst at the same time preserving 'Our already fragile environs as they are being raped, vandalized and torn down on a daily basis." The type of tourist who comes to a Family Island wants trails to hike, kayaking etc, in an unspoilt environment where they can experience nature- an eco tourism  experience essentially. He concludes, "Surely there is an urgent need to strictly enforce environmental laws. We must wake up and limit the number of investors who are given licenses for marinas."
   
The Lighthouse Point brochure shows that this beautiful place will be hugely, irreversibly damaged. Is this the sort of "development" the island needs? What legacy are we going to leave our grandchildren? Surely just as we have a large sign outside the Nassau airport advertising "Clifton- National Heritage Site" we should have at least the same, "Lighthouse Point- National Heritage Site"? Or as In Eleuthera at the Hatchet Bay caves- National heritage Site?

Thus I believe that many, including our government, will realise the benefit of creating Lighthouse Point as a park for Bahamians and tourists to enjoy alike. With a proper road, trails etc, this would most definitely be a wonderful tourist attraction. As I mentioned earlier, it is already being advertised in a travel book as the best beach in Eleuthera. Lighthouse Point, if it is preserved as a park, will literally be priceless to generations unborn.

Now this would be a real investment in our future! How can we make this happen? How can I help?

Yours
Angela Darville