In 2004, Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey's husband wrote a letter to the Bahamas Tribune. In emails to me, Sealey has attempted to prove that she was independent of the developer. But then you should ask, why did her husband write the letter below? I have inserted comments into the letter, which are depicted in underlined text. As I update the notes on this letter in April 15, 2006, I can confirm that nearly everything stated in Neil Sealey's letter is false, and his scientific reputation should be questioned because of it.

It should also be mentioned that Neil Sealey does indeed have a direct financial relationship to Discovery Land Company as well, since his Bahamasmedia.com website is listed as the owner of saveguanacay.com, the developer's website.

My comments are in orange.

Dear Editor,

Passerine Development on Guana Cay

Your recent letter from Mr Bonds (Saturday 18 December) and front-page report (Monday 20 December) refers to a residential development on the northern end of Guana Cay.

Although I have no direct connection with this development

Mr. Sealey is Kathleen's husband, so this is false. Actually, in the field of journalism, stating this is incredibly unethical. If you are the husband of the ecologist who holds the power to 'approve' this project and you willingly veil your association with the project, you are committing highly unethical behavior.

I have been privileged to see the plans

From Kathleen

and visit the Cay twice this year, and I would like to reassure your readers, and also anyone else exposed to some similar remarks about Passerine in other newspapers, that this development has followed all the correct procedures for safeguarding the environment,

But this does not address the end result of the project. Greenpeace, in backing the residents of Guana Cay, says that "Too often, people get caught up in discussions about industry best practices or mitigation schemes, and lose sight of the fact that some types of development are just not appropriate for all locations. "

The world's coral reef community appear to be strongly against this project, so how can someone simply state that they are following the correct procedures as if no one is watching?

has held public meetings, and has presented an EIA to the BEST Commission. I should add that government restricts the developers from promoting their own projects and therefore they cannot reply directly to these published criticisms. Which is why Neil Sealey has to say he is not associated with the development. It should be added that the BEST Commission practices have been highly criticized in Sealey's own Bahamas Journal of Science.

This northern section of Guana Cay is unoccupied at present, but was previously used by Disney as a cruise ship destination which they subsequently abandoned for Gorda Cay. The remnants of this operation, which include a decaying jetty, a large number of service buildings and amenities onshore, and a dredged channel and island formed from the spoil heap, are all eyesores and existing blights on the environment. As Neil's wife also says, the damage to the reef was the main environmental problem associated with Disney. It is convenient for the development to not mention this publicly. As renowned marine ecologist Dr. Bjorndal said in a phone interview , "if (the damage to the reef) could be shown, that would make a great case against this development."

The 3.5 mile dredged channel was considered one of the biggest environmental disasters to reefs by reef biologist Dr. Judy Lang, who opposed its construction in 1988.

This statement is correct, although Dr. Lang did not directly oppose the construction in a meaningful way - she has never been to the Abacos. In fact, not only will dredging take place all over again, but the massive terraforming of the entire Disney lands will make the Disney effort look like playing in the sandbox. Disney never built anything on the reef side of the island besides, as I remember, a small road and possibly a flimsy 'papapa' construction on the beach.

Major disturbance to the Baker’s Bay shoreline included the bulldozing of sand dunes.

September 29, 2005, construction crews are photographed on the Atlantic coral reef side of the island, where sea turtles nest during the months of September and October. They are allegedly removing casurina trees.

which has resulted in massive casuarina invasion which is causing beach erosion, and unless checked will continue to destroy native plants and cause shoreline retreat.

Dr. Risk refuted this, a major statement which the developer has refused to answer. He writes, "

Australian Pines (Casuarina sp.) have been introduced on coastlines worldwide, in many cases to arrest soil erosion. The EIA is dead wrong when it suggests Casuarina's  cause soil erosion (Fig. 6.1). The misconception seems to stem from the belief-unsupported by any data-that aeolian sand transport is the dominant method by which sand is advected out of the foreshore into the backshore. (This theory-that Casuarina causes erosion-needs to be subjected to the normal scientific peer-review process.) Most sand removed off the beach by storms and hurricanes is stored offshore, and moves back to the beach via wave transport. On the beach, it is retained by Casuarina roots.

  To illustrate that this wheel has already been invented: Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, suffered episodes of coastal erosion in the past, and imported Casuarina's. Now they are everywhere on the coast. Their rootballs stabilise the beaches, and the trees provide shade to people holidaying on the shore. Ministry of Environment wants to remove them and replace them with native species of beach vegetation-the Beach Protection Agency has recommended a slow, careful, phased-in replacement program, whereby no pine is cut until the replanted native vegetation has taken hold enough to protect the beach. This is the preferred approach (recommended in the Baird &. Associates and M. Risk Report on Shoreline Erosion).

To remove all the Casuarina from the Cay would  be truly a Herculean task, taking years and destabilising the shoreline. To replace them with palms would  be truly stupid. As the EIA states (p. 16):  "The overuse of palm trees eliminates any visual identity with the Bahamas."

The Passerine development intends to restore all these contaminated and disturbed areas and replant native vegetation.

February 2008 comment: Baker's Bay Club has removed, for good, huge sections of the islands only remaining mangrove habitat.

The channel and spoil island are not part of the development and this problem should be the focus of any “save the reef” effort.

In fact, over 100 coral reef ecologists and even members of the environmental groups who the developers PR site (saveguanacay.com) say the golf course and marina are bad for the reef. No coral reef personality has said otherwise to my knowledge.

The spoil island continues to erode and destroy valuable fish habitats in the Sea of Abaco as well as increase sediment on the adjacent reefs.

Then why does the developer have no plan to help with Disney's spoils?

As far as the reefs are concerned there is absolutely nothing in the development that will impact them on either shore,

February 2008 comment: to date, the developer has made no provisions to save the coral reef, nor have they refuted any of the concerns made by dozens of the most highly regarded coral reef scientists who oppose their project.

and they have been surveyed for the first time and will continue to be monitored by a professional.

His wife. Ecologists around the world oppose this project because it will impact both shores in extreme ways.

The Joe’s Creek area of wetland is by no means as pristine as is suggested in the reports as Disney had impacted it, Same as their cultural inferiority argument, the Development company needs to show that the quality of the island and its people are of low value. Joe's Creek was harmed by Disney, but it is also a valuable area both to the ecology of the island and to residents and bonefishermen.

as well as visiting yachtsmen who proliferate in the area. Unlike the many parts of Guana Cay that have already been haphazardly developed, and which continue to damage the shoreline,

Notes from the Road repeatedly references this as an exaggeration, although it is clear that Orchid Bay on the southern half of the island is engaged in poor construction techniques, including an alleged case of ripping out black mangroves.


this area has been the subject of close scrutiny, as part of it will be used for the proposed marina.

It's incredible how the developer needs to constantly remind everyone how other parts of the island are not environmentally perfect. True, but this development is much, much, much larger than the mom and pop bars and homespun developments on the island. It reminds me of the dune riders of Sand Mountain saying they will best defend the wildlife of Nevada, while also arguing that the wildlife of the area are not worth saving.

The purpose of the marina is to provide boat slips for the residents who will not be permitted to build any shoreline structures including docks. As these are mainly small slips there are a relatively large number of them,

In their own website, Discovery Land Company mentions large yachts being welcomed to the area, despite bonefishing and mangroves in the very near vicinity. In their promotional pamphlet, "Land and Sea Pursuits", the Discovery Land Company states, "...deep water marina supporting water craft from 35 feet to 200 feet...the marina will accommodate large yachts...with a maximum draft of 10.6'..."

Here, in an article written by Mark Pazdur in Executive Golf Magazine, Carter Redd reveals that they are indeed allowing mega-yachts in their marina.

but the marina itself will only cover about 33 acres.

Critical 33 acres that is being proven to be essential to Guana Cay.

However, Passerine has negotiated an agreement with the government to the effect that a larger acreage (89 acres) will actually be preserved and managed by an independent trust, funded buy a levy on the residents, so that it will remain an area preserved and protected for research and recreation by all Bahamians and visitors. In addition to this some 16 acres of mangrove mediation

Important mangrove areas will be ripped out

will be undertaken, and the setback for residences will preserve a further 53 acres of dunes. In total there are 158 acres designated “Eco” area, some 25% of the total 600-acre development.

The ignorance of those complaining about this development

Few people understand how conflictive the DLC is with the people of Guana Cay. But the statement above further proves it. But how can you say the people of Guana Cay and the hundreds of scientists worldwide are ignorant?

The ignorance of Dr. Karen Bjorndal, renowned sea turtle conservationist?

The ignorance of Dr. Michael Risk, world renowned marine ecologist?

Dr. Judith Lang, marine ecologist?

Greenpeace

Alfredo Quarto and the Mangrove Action Network

The ignorance of Michele Perrault, IVP of the Sierra Club?

The ignorance of the staff of the Global Coral Reef Alliance?

The ignorance of the Biology Dept of the University of Miami?

is particularly apparent when they complain that Passerine will increase the stress on utilities and waste management.

Just a note from 02/25/07. The phones are not working today after a Baker's Bay accident.

The fact is that the other developments have not addressed the solid waste and sewage issues and Passerine has undertaken to build and operate a solid waste transfer station for the whole island. This will involve modern technology to sort the solid waste so that some 30% can be recycled as compost, glass, metal and paper can be separated, and the balance compacted for shipment off the island. Sewage will be treated in a central sewage plant similar to those in use in the Florida Cays.

Similarly the remarks about doubling the island’s population being doubled are way off. Passerine if fully settled would have some 450 homes, while the Guana Cay settlement has 250, Orchid Bay 300 planned, and Kent Smith’s development 550 planned.

I have had the opportunity to visit many developments in the Bahamas over the last 25 years and can frankly find nothing better than this development, which has a low housing density and has employed the most conservative measures to enhance and protect what is left of the natural environment. Most of this land is privately owned and can be sold for development to someone else if not to the Passerine developer.

That is what the people of the Bahamas want.

I have also visited the other private developments that are at present building houses on Guana Cay and cover a much larger area that Passerine. Critics would do well to examine some of these properties now under construction, which from direct observation are clearing natural vegetation unnecessarily, replacing it with exotics including the invasive Scaveola, and undertaking alteration of the shoreline, no doubt without the knowledge or permission of the authorities.

The well-attended meeting in August, patronized mainly by native Abaconians, raised hardly any of these issues, and the matter of Joe’s Creek when explained was accepted with approval. Perhaps the mostly anonymous critics of this development would help their cause if they were to identify themselves and their specific interests and investment in Guana Cay, and approach the developer with constructive suggestions about their areas of concern.

Hi, my name is Erik Gauger, I am not anonymous.

The critics are not anonymous and it is the developer which did not invite the community to discussions and wishes this project to be as anonymous and as closd as possible. Discovery Land Company's Carter Redd (general manager of Bakers Bay) failed to show up to the interview times he had scheduled with me twice.

Livingston Marshall asked that I ask all questions to him in one single email, which is unacceptable for any journalist or non-fiction writer to accept. He said he was too busy for anything else. But isn't he in charge of community affairs?

The new design (found in April 2006) for the Marina includes slips for megayachts of 250 feet or more, from this concept map given out by Bakers Bay Club salespeople.

Neil Sealey, Editor, Bahamas Journal of Science
21 December 2004