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February 22, 2008
Turks & Caicos
Residents say Dredging Harming Coral Reef
The Leeward Marina, a new development
in the Providenciales that includes a Miami-style Nikki
Beach resort, condos and yacht club, involves dredging
thousands of tons of sand from the sea-bed to allow
200ft vessels to pass through. According to residents
and tour operators:
"Not only are the works destroying
the habitat for myriad seabed marine life but they
are also causing silt to settle on the coral and
smother it."
"Divers say the ocean floor now looks more like a
building site than one of the most valuable
ecosystems in the world."
"Tour operators say they fear for their livelihoods
while people living nearby say they have suffered
with noise and dust since the project began last
autumn."
“As a seasoned diver I have seen a
marked drop and decline in the quality of coral all
over Grace Bay."
Environmental officials respond by
saying the project is being monitored, and dredging is
halted if a problem occurs. Officials also say that
normal weather patterns move sediment around and can be
blamed for some of the conditions in the Bay. The
development company stated that they have all the
permissions and permits necessary to do the job and
numerous environmental impact studies have been
completed. “We are opening the country’s first
mega-yacht club and that is why the Government is
completely behind us."
February 18, 2008
Orcas
Spotted in the VI Last Week
A resident of St. Croix who is also a
local fisherman reported seeing a family of about 15-20
Orca Whales, commonly referred to as "Killer Whales".
The Fisherman reported seeing adult Orcas that were
about 20ft long and babies measuring eight or nine ft
about eight miles off the coast of St. Croix on February
11.
An official from the VI National Park
in St. John stated Orcas are rarely seen in the area but
it's not unheard of.
Dominican Republic Wedding Scam
According
to a report by the Dominican Today
Update 2/22/08:
Dominican Republic officials will honor weddings and
couples will receive official marriage license.
Dominican Republic officials have
uncovered what they suspect is a wedding scam involving
more than 200 British and Canadian couples who paid
hundreds of dollars for Dominican marriages that were
never officially recorded. The allegedly fraudulent ceremonies
took place from July 2007 to present at resorts in the
eastern Dominican Republic.
Take a walking tour of the Miami Beach
Art Deco District
The Design Preservation League offers walking tours
of the Art Deco District. Visitors are provided a
detailed map and an iPod to help guide the tour.
Learn more
February 16, 2008
Plans
to Build Miami Port Tunnel Keeps Moving Forward
According to an article in today's
Miami Herald
The
Florida Department of Transportation formally announced
it will award the 35-year contract to a consortium
headed by the French construction giant Bouygues Travaux
Publics and the global investment bankers Babcock &
Brown. The company will finance, design and build the
tunnel with a completion date as early as 2012.
February 15, 2008
Emissions Ratings for the Americas
According
to a report today by the Caymannetnews.com:
The US Department of Energy has ranked
the Cayman Islands at number 55 on a list of 207
countries, for global carbon emissions per person. The
statistics are for 2004, the year of Hurricane Ivan.
Trinidad and Tobago, Netherlands
Antilles, and Bermuda are the only Caribbean islands
ranked above the Cayman Islands in the US Carbon Dioxide
Information Analysis. See emission rates for
North, Central and South America.
February 13, 2008
Turks and Caicos Officials Sign Agreement
With The IRL
This week government officials signed an agreement with
the Indy Racing League (IRL) to put on an Indy Turks and
Caicos Grand Prix in Providenciales. Construction of a
race track located in Blue Hills will begin soon.
The Indy Turks and Caicos Grand Prix
scheduled for February will kick start the year of
events for the IRL and will include up to five hours of
non-stop racing related activities which will be
broadcast live on ESPN, NBC and ABC.
The race will become a yearly event and will help to
promote the TCI as a high-end tourism destination.
Bonaire Officials Worry About Residents Gambling
Habits
According to a report by a
local news source, Lt. Governor Herbert Domacassé may impose some casino
visitation restrains on the local population. The Governor made a statement of
concern regarding residents zest for gambling. "The casinos are mainly for the
entertainment of tourists. It is the responsibility of the government to
prevent addiction. I am therefore of the opinion that I need to take
measures.”
Effective Friday, February 15,
2008, Casino Inspectors will register all the local visitors of casinos and have
the authority to ask visitors for ID. “When we notice that a person is visiting the
casinos was too often, we will mention this to the person. If he/she still
continues to go to the casino, we will take measures”, said Domacassé.
Captain's Note:
Bahama Officials had the same concerns and banned all
Bahamians from Casinos many years back. This doesn't
mean that some Bahamians don't partake but officials
will question anyone in a casino who doesn't look like a
tourist.
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