{"id":24822,"date":"2012-08-20T07:39:47","date_gmt":"2012-08-20T11:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/?p=24822"},"modified":"2012-08-22T23:34:20","modified_gmt":"2012-08-23T03:34:20","slug":"coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches","title":{"rendered":"Coastal Awareness On Berry Islands Beaches"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-24823\" title=\"Garbage\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Garbage.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"540\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Garbage.jpg 540w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Garbage-150x69.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Garbage-250x115.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/>The National Coastal Awareness Committee is passionate about its mission.<\/p>\n<p>And keeping the Bahamas clean, green and pristine is a cause to which they are ardently dedicated.<\/p>\n<p>Joined by corporate supporters, volunteers, local government representatives and a goodly amount of youngsters, they descended on beaches on Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands last weekend (August 18 -19) with the zeal of a crusader.<\/p>\n<p>And when they left they carted away piles of debris that were washed ashore or left by careless picnickers.<\/p>\n<p>There were plastic items, oil containers, iron products, 55-gallon drums, ropes, nylon lines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCare of our environment is firstly our responsibility,\u201d said Earleston McPhee, head of Coastal Awareness. \u201cIf not us, who? We are the beneficiaries of it so we have to do it. If not now, when? When it is too late?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Berry Islands is a cluster of 30 cays lying about 50 miles northwest of New Providence,\u00a0 a short hop from Grand Bahama, Abaco and Bimini. They rest on the eastern edge of the Great Bahama Bank, starting with Great Stirrup Cay and extending to Chub Cay in the south. It attracts international sports fishermen.<\/p>\n<p>Great Harbour Cay, the administrative centre and home to most of the islands&#8217; local population, is the largest of them at 8,300 acres. It was once a major golf resort where the rich and famous came to play. Winter residents and second home owners flock there.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-24822 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/children-2'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"102\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Children-150x102.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Children-150x102.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Children-250x170.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Children.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/gather'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"97\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Gather-150x97.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Gather-150x97.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Gather-250x162.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Gather.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/join'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Join-150x100.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Join-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Join-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Join.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/note'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"129\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Note-129x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Note-129x150.jpg 129w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Note-215x250.jpg 215w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Note.jpg 431w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 129px) 100vw, 129px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/pile'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Pile-150x100.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Pile-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Pile-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Pile.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2012\/08\/coastal-awareness-on-berry-islands-beaches\/trees-2'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"100\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Trees-150x100.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Trees-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Trees-250x166.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Trees.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The Berries boast many miles of pristine beaches nestled along horseshoe coves. It has one of the best protected harbours in The Bahamas, Bullock&#8217;s Harbour, adjoining Great Harbour Cay.<\/p>\n<p>The National Coastal Awareness Committee is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It was established to create awareness and an appreciation of the social and economic value of the country\u2019s coastal resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a country of over 100,000 square miles we are very, very blessed,\u201d said Mr McPhee, \u201cbut the environment with which we have been blessed, our heritage, is very fragile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile sometimes we take it for granted, if we don\u2019t manage it properly, we can actually lose quite a bit of it. We need to have a better appreciation of it and take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Half of the visitors selected The Bahamas over competing destinations because of \u201cpristine beaches and crystal clear waters,\u201d a Ministry of Tourism survey showed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf these beaches become inundated with garbage it will take away from the beauty of our beaches and therefore impact our tourism product,\u201d said Mr McPhee.<\/p>\n<p>He is satisfied that the message is finding fertile acceptance, especially among young Bahamians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are targeting mainly our youth because they are the future and if we do not educate our children today to manage our resources we are going to be in trouble,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bahamian beaches bordering international shipping lanes tend to be more polluted, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInternational vessels dump a lot of debris which end up washing up on our beaches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph A. Dargavage, Sr, island general manager of Great Harbour Management, welcomed the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe waters of The Bahamas and around our island are extremely important. If we don\u2019t protect it today it would not be there for us in the future,\u201d he said. \u201cHere in The Bahamas, we have some of the most amazing waters found anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He told of more development coming to the Berry Islands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are working on our new project which will bring a new 30-room boutique hotel to the island and restore our golf course to its original status by bringing a partner of (golf icon) Jack Nicklaus to help us redo the course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Jan Knowles, manager of public relations and communications represented the Royal Bank of Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe company has a focus on the environment,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, it is a pleasure to help and support these coastal cleanups. The Bahamas is known for its beautiful waters and anything we can do to keep this pristine and beautiful and wonderful we are happy to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Royal Bank, which has had a presence in The Bahamas for more than 100 years, also supports the Bahamas National Trust, the Andros Conservancy and Trust, the Friends of The Bahamas, and the Blue Water project to protect and preserve the fresh water lenses in the west side of Andros.<\/p>\n<p>By Gladstone Thurston<br \/>\nBahamas Information Services<br \/>\n(BIS Photos\/Derek Smith)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Corporate supporters, volunteers, local government representatives and a goodly amount of youngsters descended on beaches on Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands like zealous crusaders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_10223285771444175_51037792744":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[330,133,76,59],"class_list":["post-24822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-beaches","tag-community","tag-environment-2","tag-islands"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}