Discovery Land Company Goes to Court

Great Guana Cay is a thin, six mile island in the Northern Bahamas.

The island's inhabitants, who settled here 200 years ago, are employed in fishing and cottage industry tourism.

The island's coral reef is of international importance as one of the most intact surviving elkhorn/staghorn coral communities in the world.

The inhabitants began fighting tooth and nail to save their island's coral reef and mangroves from destruction after hearing of plans for a golf megadevelopment on their tiny barrier reef island.

Hundreds of the world's most revered coral reef scientists and marine ecologists, as well as almost every single Bahamian environmental organization, have banded together to try to stop the Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club (Discovery Land Company) from realizing completion.

The proposed 585 unit, 180 slip marina, tennis courts, hotel, destination spa and championship golf course were pushed through the Bahamian central government with no local consent and without proper permits in a land grab (including of local public land designated for use by Bahamians) of unbelievable proportion. In one of the most amazing and unique environmental stories in history, the islanders have brought the developer, and the Bahamian government, to task. The small island is now waging a bitter legal battle with the government and the developers.

Rise Up Sweet Island compiles the viewpoints of the Bahamian and international marine conservation community and presents documents, evidence and history for all interested parties.

Notes from the Road is a travelogue which covers environmental and cultural issues around North America, the Caribbean and Europe.

National Geographic Magazine supports anti-Megadevelopment movements in Abaco and Bimini in new article on shark conservation.

ReEarth
SharkLab
Restrict Bimini Bay
Mangrove Action Project
Global Coral Reef Alliance
Caribbean Conservation Corps
Notes from the Sea

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75% of Bahamians on Great Guana Cay signed a petition this winter against Baker's Bay Club. Three years later, resistance is strong.

<a href="https://erikgauger.wufoo.com/forms/rise-up-sweet-island-comments/" title="Rise Up Sweet Island Comments">Fill out my Wufoo form!</a>

February 5, 2006
On February 3, Fred Smith, representing the islanders of Great Guana Cay, stepped into the courtroom once again. This time, the Discovery Land Company was added to Prime Minister Perry Christie as defendents, and after a brutal courtroom drama, Discovery Land Company agreed to continue to halt all environmentally damaging development until the end of the trial.

This page will serve to provide information on public documents. Here are some affidavits from the trial; some of which prove that Discovery Land Company was engaged in destroying Crown Land without approval.

Representing the Government of Perry Christie

Affidavit of Deborah E. Fraser

Affidavit of Donald Cooper

Affidavit of Kayus Fernander

Affidavit of Ruth Flowers

Affidavit of Sheila Carey

Affidavit of Wendell Major

Representing Save Guana Cay Reef
Fourth Affidavit of Troy Albury
Fifth Affidavit of Troy Albury
Press Release from 2-7-2006
Notice of Motion
Application for Leave to Commit
Application Notice for Commital of Developers
Support of Application for Contempt of Court

The following 24 pages contain photographs of the developer's breaches in an attempt to build a golf course and marina on the island of Great Guana Cay.

Attourney Fred Smith's decision to sue the Prime Minister and a foreign developer is a first in the Bahamas. The entire country watches on. Preference for the islanders of Great Guana Cay is now approximately 97%, as more and more Bahamians hope that the Discovery Land Company is removed from the Bahamas, and more rights are given to those who live in the out-islands over the future of their islands.

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