AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment Bonefish Bay Dredging Notice

My favourite part of the ad is the proposed 'holigramatorium' (wtf?) proposed in their Emerald Square.

I couldn't wait for the site to load - tried a few times then gave up.

Amanda, since you were having trouble, allow me to describe some of my personal favorite/highlights of the project:

The amphitheater featured at the (no doubt soon to be completed) Emerald Square phase of the project looks particularly inviting. I look forward to spending many a leisurely evening lounging on the sprawling grass lawn in front of it. Parking does not appear to be a problem either, as the amphitheater parking lot seems like it will be VERY large.

I also like the view of the mountains across the water in the ad for Bonefish Bay (I am somewhat familiar with the inner lagoons of the island, but I must have missed the mountains.) They're quite majestic. It will certainly be serene fly casting in the flats early in the morning, watching the sunrise over the jagged green peaks (or sunset... perhaps they are on the west side?)

This is shaping up to be a spectacular addition to the island!!!

0% developer financing
0 down payment
0 payments for 31 days!!!

Sign me up!!!

Green Heart is sure trying hard to hide who they are. No directors listed, no advisors listed and the website registration information listed below.

You would think such an organization would be proud to let you know who they were.

Registration Service Provided By: NameCheap.com
Contact:
Visit: http://www.namecheap.com/

Domain name: greenheartfoundation.com

Registrant Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected ()

Fax:
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Administrative Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected ()
+1.6613102107
Fax: +1.6613102107
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Technical Contact:
WhoisGuard
WhoisGuard Protected ()
+1.6613102107
Fax: +1.6613102107
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 - 732
Westchester, CA 90045
US

Status: Locked

Name Servers:
ns1.mediatemple.net
ns2.mediatemple.net

Creation date: 30 May 2009 21:49:39
Expiration date: 30 May 2010 21:49:39

Aha! A little more digging and the IP address of Green Heart comes out as...wait for it... http://oceandevelopmentltd.com/

I love this: "Image is for visual representation and subject to change at any time without notice"

Or the drawing of Emerald Shores . . .the cut and the bridge look familiar somehow . . . oh well, it is obviously just a drawing "for visual representation"

What happened to the EIA? A project this size is required to do one, no?

The fact that these people Had to make up their own environmental organization just to tout their development shows how willingly they will lie to your face to sell you a chunk of swamp. Shamefull.

Uh... wait... Simon, Seashell, what are you saying? Should I not have already donated to GreenHeart and put $$$ down. Damn it...

Yeah, Simon, I did a WHOIS lookup too... all blocked...

So below is copied a letter I sent to the SPTB and Ministry of Natural Resources last night. I copied the ACCSB on it. I'm curious as to what the reply I receive back will be.

===============

Dear San Pedro Town Board and Ministry of Natural Resources,

I am writing to you this eve as a concerned tourism industry stakeholder on Ambergris Caye. It has been brought to my attention that an application has been submitted for the dredging of 23 acres in the Laguna De San Pedro / Laguna De Mato for a proposed development called "Bonefish Bay." The developers of the project (and evidently 3 other proposed projects) are already advertising them on the site http://www.emeraldshoresbelize.com

The area in question is lagoon and mangrove relatively behind the Captain Morgans resort. I KNOW I do not need to lecture you at ALL about the value of preserving the mangrove and wetlands of Belize. There are plenty of others and groups (Green Reef, ACCSD, etc) far more eloquent in that than I am.

That said, may I correctly presume then that the SPTB and GOB would only issue a permit to dredge and destroy sensitive mangrove and lagoon if the pros of the end outweighed the cons of the means? I then ask you, what on earth are the possible pros of approving this project? The graphic representation the developers are advertising is blatantly misleading (infinity edge pools meeting clear Caibbean waters, green lawns and ampitheatres overlooking the ocean, etc.) There is no infrastructure there. There is no LAND there. Chances are, nothing resembling the images being marketed will EVER come to fruition.

Ambergris very much stands at a crossroads as far as development is concerned. The qualities that bring tourists here hang on a precarious edge. There is already a lengthy list of projects causing much debate (South Beach, the east/west "road" across the island just north of Journey's End, etc) I have GRAVE concerns that approving the dredging of ANOTHER 23 acres for a project such as this, is going to send this island in a wrong direction it can never recover from.

I look forward to your reply,

Best Regards,

Jeff Spiegel

Good for you Jeff!
I too wrote to the SP Town Board and the Minister of Environment.
PLEASE - everyone needs to send a message on this.