To the People of the Bahamas, especially the People of Eleuthera

Submitted By Prof. Pieter T. Visscher (University of Connecticut)

(Letter To The Editor) - As a group of deeply concerned scientists from the United States, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Switzerland, with over sixty years of research experience and authorship on several hundreds of scientific papers, and over $20 million in combined research support, it is our professional responsibility to warn you about the potential loss of yet another truly unique Bahamian natural resource.

One of the most beautiful and pristine environments, Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera, could possibly turn into a construction site that will alter the surrounding coral reefs, beaches and perhaps most importantly, the hyper-saline pond near Bannerman Town. Granted, economic development is critical in securing jobs, improving infrastructure, etc., but at what cost?  
Gorgeous patch reefs and golden beaches where turtles breed aside, the hyper-saline lake, Big Pond, harbors many answers about the origin of life, climate change, and even offers windows in deeply rooted medical research questions. 

This environment is truly UNIQUE, unrivaled in the entire world! Its sediments may appear slimy with thin crusty layers inside, but they are in fact time capsules of microbes and environmental conditions under which they are constructed. 

These ecosystems are similar to the earliest life forms we know of on Earth, going back over three billion years in time.  If ever we want to unlock the secrets of what happened to life, and to our planet over the billions of years that shaped it, we need systems like Big Pond. 

The success and survival of these sediment ecosystems through thousands of millions of years will undoubtedly lead to discovery of new chemicals, potentially with medical applications (for example, new antibiotics).  Space scientists at NASA (who sponsored part of the research to date on Big Pond) believe that the mud of Big Pond may help in interpreting rocks on Mars and beyond. 

Others believe that changes in climate are recorded in these layered sediments. And there are only a handful of ecosystems like this that remain on Earth today, all slightly different, each with its own unique characteristics.  We need to keep Big Pond in tact otherwise the Bahamian people and the world in general could lose this in the near future, and it will not come back.

A month ago, we sent letters to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Tourism, and the Minister of the Environment, expressing our concerns and pointing out that developing Lighthouse Point as presently proposed would be a big mistake. 

There are viable alternative solutions where the Bahamian people can enjoy economic development and have sustainable jobs, it just requires some thoughtful planning.

The Bahamas is an ecological paradise on Earth. We hope that a development can be designed using the unique ecological properties of Lighthouse Point while preserving the scientific integrity of Big Pond so that the Bahamian people will retain this for generations to come.  We are more than happy to help with free advice.

Prof. Olivier Braissant (University of Basel, Switzerland and University of Connecticut), Dr. Guillaume Cailleau, Saskia Bindschedler, PhD candidate, Ms. Xavier Alexis Walter, PhD candidate, Ms. Stéphane Westerman, PhD candidate, MS. Melody Stein (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), Dr. Jacob Zopfi, Dr. Christina Glunk (Univeristy of Neuchatel, Switzerland), Prof. Alan W. Decho, Prof. R. Sean Norman (University of South Carolina), Ms. Zamara Fuentes, PhD candidate (University of Puerto Rico), Prof. Christophe Dupraz , Ms. Kimberley L. Gallagher, PhD candidate, Prof. Pieter T. Visscher (University of Connecticut), Dr. Laura K. Baumgartner (University of Colorado) - concerned scientists
by Prof. Pieter T. Visscher (University of Connecticut)