This letter from Harbour Village owner, Frank Gonzales was recently sent to a colleague:

"Dear Pauline,

I appreciate your love for nature, which we share the same passion. I don’t know you and you certainly do not know us. Your insults are out of line.

It is unfortunate that those who knew where these nest where, did not acted and marked them so they could have been spared. In fact as of today, we never knew nor saw the nest. Mrs. Pauline, we are civilized people and have a great respect for nature, in fact the works being done are in coordination with the Department of Public Works of Bonaire (DROB) and it is false that we are destroying nature.

A word of caution before you embarking into a defamation campaign, making false accusation with the intention to damage Harbour Village good reputation, would be to educate yourself of what are the plans for developing the area. If you look at what we have done in Bonaire for over 20 years, and the amount of flora we have introduced creating a habitat to the birds, it all should speak for itself.

You will witness once we complete to improve the salina area in conjunction the the local authorities, the amounts of birds and flamingos that will come the area to enjoy a new and wonderful habitat will amaze you. The overall plan is to convert this salina into a bird sanctuary, similar to those found on the Northern part of Bonaire.

I trust to have inform your accordingly, and what ever damaged caused, it was for shear ignorance of not knowing about the location of the nest, and I assure you it had nothing to do with greed or callousness.


Kind Regards,

Frank Gonzalez



Frank, Frank, Frank... "It is unfortunate that those who knew where these nest where, did not acted and marked them so they could have been spared. In fact as of today, we never knew nor saw the nest."

BECAUSE OF DEVELOPERS LIKE HARBOUR VILLAGE, HONEST GOVERNMENTS REQUIRE EIS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS.) BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT HARBOUR VILLAGE DID NOT REQUIRE ONE. OILS SPILLS JUST DON'T HAPPEN, DO THEY, AND DEVELOPERS JUST DON'T DESTROY THE ENVIRONMENT, DO THEY.

Because this government and all the committees they have implemented over the years to protect nature do not require an invironmental study (??), the hotel/developper is the bad guy because they apply the rules and regulation/limitations set by this government??? Such regulations/limitations are probably stated in the licence obtained for such development. I am assuming here that they have one and that they applied these. I don't know that and neither do you!! Such info can be found at DROP and/or DEZA and without that, this could easily be seen as slander.

What I do not know will not destroy protected species. Slanderer?? so be it.

Speaking to a few Dutch citizens living on Bonaire over the last few days, it seems that the consensus of opinion is that the transition that is taking place in October will bring with it great changes.

I say great, not good as many people expect that development will flourish and the population will increase by 10,000+ over the next decade.

Maybe the future of Bonaire is already written and it is more likely to become a doppelganger of Aruba. The Netherlands has said on many occasions that the Antilles are a drain on finances and it is time for them to pay their way. These coming proposals seem to fit in with that rhetoric.

That is a way of looking at it and proves a lot. Stupidity and ignorance rules!
There is always a possibility to apologize afterwards so who cares........

From Amigoe English:


BC must allow construction of apartment complex
8 Jun, 2010, 08:34 (GMT -04:00)


A bulldozer is preparing saliña Vlijt for building while the government and nature organizations oppose such.
KRALENDIJK — The Board of Governors (BC) should allow the preparation of the saliña (‘wetland’) Vlijt opposite luxury hotel Harbour Village to construct an apartment complex on that location. If the island territory does not allow such, it will be fined 50,000 guilders per day, says Deputy Jopie Abraham (PDB).

The judge determined that Harbour Village must receive a new long lease agreement from the government. The previous agreement, issued by the former UPB Board of Governors was based on the layout of a golf course. The judge determined that as the plans had meanwhile changed, Harbour Village should be granted a different agreement. The government is lodging an appeal against that judgment but must execute the judge’s decision in the meantime, in other words, not obstruct Harbour Village in any way on penalty of 50,000 guilders per day. The BC first wants to have an Environmental Effect Report (MER) drawn up prior to building on the saliña, but Harbour Village claims that has already been done. Only, that MER no longer complies with the current criterion, says Abraham.

The saliña is currently a water buffer for a large part of the surrounding. During downpours, the water flows into the saliña. In the case of construction, floods are surely not inconceivable. In the zoning plan, which for that matter is not effective yet, saliña Vlijt will remain ‘water storage’. On the side of the Kaya Amsterdam is the green belt. Apart from a function as water buffer, the saliña is of great importance for protected birds, which live and bread in the nature area but are now being bulldozed, while a part of the saliña is being filled up with rocks. According to nature lovers and nature organizations, an ecological disaster – witnessing the videos on YouTube. UPB responds to the commotion surrounding saliña Vlijt by stating that Harbour Village indeed wants to build an apartment complex, which is good for the employment and the tourist facilities on the island, but with preservation of the saliña. The apartments should be built on the edge of the wetland. That part could be strengthened with rocks, while the saliña remains intact as nature area and water buffer and would even be strengthened by for example mangrove plantations. “Harbour Village has repeatedly requested the current BC to define the lines within they may build. When they received no respond, Harbour Village was fed up and that’s when they started preparations”, says Elvis Tjin Asjoe on behalf of his party. The plans for building in or alongside the nature area between the Kaya Gobernador Debrot and Kaya Amsterdam go back to late eighties. Harbour Village was granted the terrain in long lease in February 2000, coupled to a ‘development agreement’.

Quartermasters of the Ministries of VROM (Public Housing and Physical Planning and Environment), LNV (Agriculture, Nature and Cattle breading) and V&W (Transport and Public Works) have advised Drob to first submit the consequences of Harbour Village’s construction plans to a thorough research. It regards the affect of the nature value, the water storage and the good environmental planning of the area. These ministries together with Drob and Stinapa are currently drawing up criterion and recommendations, in particular to guarantee the water storage capacity of the saliña. That advice will be presented to the BC within short. Quartermaster Manfred Beckman Lapré: “In the Netherlands, one would first ‘take a water test’ to determine the affects of building. In the case of building, the silt that currently enters the saliña with the water, for example should be continuously removed to prevent floods.” That means Harbour Village will burn its fingers by building apartments there.

Abraham states that saliña Vlijt is not the only inheritance from the former BC, which the government has to deal with now. “There are still two other hotel projects, in which the judge inflicts high penalties on us now, because the UPB had granted those terrains and unjustly re-claimed such afterwards. It even regards millions of dollars.” Abraham refers to Playa Marina opposite the airport and Costa Esmeralds at Punt Vierkant.

I can tell you that a golf course is a disaster for the reef. The things are intensely fertilized to produce the green grass and the runoff is obviously fertilizer for algae.

Essentially golf courses and coral reefs don't mix!

How can one improve on a precious wetland full of creatures and birds some of which are indigenous only to Bonaire while others are protected under International law?

Call it a mudflat and build a "sanctuary" using all the correct buzzwords to win public approval!

Nature has her own ways and a reason for being what it is. A natural flood plan is essential during the rains in the same way the mangroves protected some islands from tsunami's.

Visualize too the effect this will have on the diversity supported at Something Special when the silt comes flooding through when it rains.

BTW, there are actual photographs of the construction foreman having been shown a nest, looking at it and then motioning the bulldozer operator to go ahead and plow it under.

When the lease was initially granted EIS was not required. When this went to trial in March the court sided with Harbor Village and ruled that they use the earlier proposal which did not require such an impact statement.

I do not understand how a International law protecting a species has no validity because the island itself has not adopted those laws.

The (Nature Plan) Marine Park and Nature Conservation Island Resolutions which have this kind of legislation plus and other important items including the protection of parrot fish, ban to snorkel fishing, etc sit for over 2 years now on the desks of the government. With the confusion of 10-10-10 this may yet be one more area to be forgotten with major consequences.

Please write to the government NOW and make your feelings known.

The bulldozers must be stopped and we must have the tools so that this does not happen again.

The (Nature Plan) Marine Park and Nature Conservation Island Resolutions must be passed!



Jopie.abraham@gmail.com

Nollie.Oleana@gmail.com

Anythony Nicholaas

Glenn Thode

Help with these emails please.

(Message edited by sporter on June 10, 2010)

Corrected

nolly.oleana@bonairegov.com

From: stcb@bonaireturtles.org
To: ;
Subject: Aliansa press release Salina di Vlijt
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:49:58 -0400


Dear Media Members,

Please find attached Aliansa's press release about the Salina di Vlijt situation. For immediate release. It is written in Dutch, English and Papiamento for your convenience.

Thanks for your support in this important matter

Warm Regards,

Mabel Nava
Secretary
Aliansa Naturalesa Bonaire



Mabel Nava
Manager
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire
PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 780 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org
website www.bonaireturtles.org

Here is the Press Release in English. I can post it in Papiamentu and Dutch if requested.:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Conservation Organizations Urge Government to Save Valuable Saliña

Aliansa Naturalesa di Bonaire, the alliance of Bonaire nature organizations, calls Saliña di Vlijt a natural asset that may be worth more in its natural state than as a development. Aliansa calls on the government to take immediate steps to halt the saliña’s destruction and assess the potential consequences before it is too late.

Saliña di Vlijt is a critical asset for Bonaire, and its conversion to a development could result in a significant financial and environmental loss to Bonaire, according to Kris Kats, aquatic eco-technologist of Progressive Environmental Solutions and president of Aliansa.

“The site is an important wetland, recognized for its functions of flood control and run-off catchment during heavy rains,” adds Kats. “It is an essential natural ecosystem that nurtures rare and endangered species.”

Harbour Village Development N.V. obtained a long lease for the saliña and has begun work to turn it into a waterfront condominium development. According to the plans, houses will be built along the edges of the saliña, and the saliña itself will be kept full of water by pumping sea water in.

The work has already destroyed important areas of the saliña, including, according to observers, nesting habitats, eggs and at least one chick of the Least Tern, an endangered species protected under the international SPAW treaty. Such destruction is a criminal offense under national law.

The saliña is extremely important as a buffer between land and sea. After heavy rains, pollutants in run-off settle in the wetland instead of going into the sea. This is a critical function for the health of nearby coral reefs, which are very sensitive to fine particles (of dust, sand and organic material). The saliña also provides flood control by absorbing high water flows during spring tides, and provides food for both saliña and reef wildlife.

“The loss of the Saliña di Vlijt in its natural state will not only mean the loss of species of plants and animals that you will not find anywhere outside a saliña, but it will also have serious effects on Bonaire’s struggling reefs,” says Mabel Nava of Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire.

STINAPA director Elsmarie Beukenboom points out that if the saliña is permanently flooded with pumped-in seawater, the entire ecosystem will change. “A thorough assessment needs to be done before we can understand whether flooding the area is a responsible decision. For instance, we are also aware that the saliña has become full of sediments over the years,” she says. “I think it’s far more likely that, for Bonaire’s long-term interests, the saliña needs to be restored, not further degraded, but before anything is done, a thorough assessment ought to be the first step.”

Aliansa cautions that allowing development of the saliña before a careful assessment has been made of health, infrastructure and environmental effects leaves Bonaire open to a host of expensive problems. Taxpayers will ultimately bear the financial and social burden of any damages to Bonaire’s infrastructure and resource assets.

The best course for the government, short and long-term, is to find a way to back up, implement a full environmental impact assessment of the possible impacts of this development, and safeguard one of Bonaire’s critical natural assets. "

Dutch: Press Release:

Natuurbeschermingsorganisaties Vragen Bestuurscollege de Waardevolle Saliña te Redden

Aliansa Naturalesa di Bonaire, de vereniging van natuurorganisaties van Bonaire, denkt dat Saliña di Vlijt van grotere waarde zou kunnen zijn in natuurlijke staat dan wanneer het ontwikkeld wordt. Aliansa vraagt het bestuurscollege om onmiddelijk stappen te ondernemen om de destructie van de salina een halt toe te roepen en de mogelijke consequenties te bepalen voor het te laat is.

Saliña di Vlijt is van groot belang voor Bonaire en ontwikkeling van dit gebied zou kunnen resulteren in een significant verlies op zowel financieel als milieu gebied, volgens Kris Kats, aquatisch eco-technoloog van Progressive Environmental Solutions en voorzitter van Aliansa.

“Dit belangrijk wetland heeft als functie het opvangen van regenwater gedurende zware regenval en het natuurlijk reguleren van overtollig zeewater bij hoogwater”, voegt Kats toe. “Het is een essentieel natuurlijk ecosysteem dat zeldzame en bedreigde soorten huisvest.”

Harbour Village Development N.V. heeft de saliña in erfpacht gekregen en is begonnen het gebied om te zetten in een waterfront apartementencomplex. Volgens de plannen zullen er apartementen gebouwd worden aan de rand van de saliña en zal de saliña zelf constant onder water gehouden worden door zeewater naar binnen te pompen.

De werkzaamheden hebben al belangrijke gebieden van de saliña vernietigd, inclusief, volgens ooggetuigen, het nestgebied, de eieren en tenminste één jong van de Amerikaanse dwergstern, een bedreigde vogelsoort beschermd door het internationale SPAW-verdrag. Dergelijke vernietiging is strafbaar volgens de nationale wetgeving.

Een saliña is een wetland dat extreme belangrijk is als buffer tussen land en zee. Na zware regenval zinkt al het vuil in het water naar de bodem van de saliña, in plaats van dat het in de zee terecht komt. Deze functie van de saliña is van essentieel belang voor de gezondheid van de nabijgelegen koraalriffen, die erg gevoelig zijn voor fijne stof, zand en organische deeltjes. De saliña heeft eveneens als functie zeewater op te vangen in geval van hoog water bij springvloed.

“Het verlies van Saliña di Vlijt in haar natuurlijke staat betekent niet alleen het verlies van planten- en diersoorten die je nergens anders buiten een saliña vindt, maar het zal ook serieuze effecten hebben op de riffen van Bonaire, terwijl deze het al zwaar hebben,” zegt Mabel Nava van Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire.

STINAPA director Elsmarie Beukenboom wijst erop dat als de salina permanent onder water wordt gezet door zeewater erin te pompen, het hele ecosysteem zal veranderen. “Er moet een grondig onderzoek gedaan worden, voor we kunnen bepalen of het onder water zetten van het gebied een verantwoorde beslissing is. Bijvoorbeeld: het is ons bekend dat de saliña door de jaren heen dichtgeslipt geraakt is met sediment,” zegt zij. “Ik denk dat het voor het lange termijn belang van Bonaire veel belangrijker is dat de saliña hersteld wordt, en niet verder gedegradeerd wordt. Maar voordat er ook maar iets wordt gedaan, is de eerste stap het uitvoeren van een grondige evaluatie van de huidige situatie en de mogelijke consequenties van ingrepen.”

Aliansa waarschuwt dat het toestaan van ontwikkeling van de saliña voordat zorgvuldig onderzoek gedaan is naar de effecten op gezondheid, infrastructuur en het milieu, ervoor kan zorgen dat Bonaire talloze kostbare problemen krijgt. De belastingbetaler zal uiteindelijk opdraaien voor de financiele en sociale lasten van schade aan de infrastructuur en natuurlijke rijkdommen van Bonaire.

Het beste dat de regering van Bonaire kan ondernemen, voor korte en lange termijn, is een manier vinden om een stap terug te doen, een volledige milieu effect rapportage uit te laten voeren om de mogelijk effecten van deze ontwikkeling te onderzoeken en één van Bonaire’s meest belangrijke natuurlijke rijkdommen veilig te stellen.

Press Release in Papiamentu:

Organisashonnan pa konservashon ta urgi gobièrnu pa salba saliña valioso.

Aliansa Naturalesa di Boneiru, e aliansa di organisashonnan di naturalesa na Boneiru, ta yama Saliña di Vlijt un propiedat natural ku lo ta bal mas den su estado natural ku komo un desaroyo. Aliansa ta hasi un yamada riba gobièrnu pa tuma pasonan inmediato pa pone un paro na e destrukshon di e saliña i kalkulá e konsekuensianan potensial promé ku ta muchu lat.

Saliña di Vlijt ta un propiedat kritiko pa Boneiru i su konvershon den un desaroyo por resultá den un pèrdida ambiental i finansiero signifikante pa Boneiru, segun Kris Kats ku ta un tékniko eko akuátiko di Progressive Environmental Solutions i presidente di Aliansa.

“E sitio ta un ‘tera muhá’ importante, rekonosé pa su funshon nan pa kontrolá inundashon i ta sirbi pa fangu awa durante yobida pisá,” Kats ta añadí. “Ta un sistema di eko natural hopi esensial ku ta nutri espesie raro i peligrá.”

Harbour Village Development N.V. a optené un hür pa término largu pa e saliña i a kuminsá trabounan pa kombertié den un desaroyo di kondominium kantu di awa. Segun e plannan,lo konstruí kasnan na rantnan di e saliña. I e saliña mes lo keda yen di awa dor di pòmp awa di laman den dje.

Ya e trabou a destruí áreanan importante di e saliña. Inkluso, segun opservadornan, habitat di traha nèshi, webunan i por lo ménos 1 polèchi di e Least Tern kual ta un espesie peligrá ku ta protehá bou di e tratado internashonal SPAW. Semehante destrukshon ta un ofensa kriminal bou di lei nashonal.

E saliña ta sumamente importante komo un bùfer entre tera i laman. Despues di yobida pisá, shushinan koriente ta establesé riba e tera muhá na lugá di bai den laman. Esaki ta un funshon kritiko pa e salú di refnan di koral serkano, ku ta masha sensibel pa partíkulanan fini (di stòf, santu i material orgániko). Tambe e saliña ta proveé kòntròl riba inundashon dor di apsorbé awanan haltu durante di primavera i ta proveé kuminda tantu pa saliña komo pa bida feros di ref.

“Pèrdida di e saliña di Vlijt den su forma natural lo no solamente nifiká pèrdida di espesie di matanan i animalnan ku lo bo no haña niun kaminda pafó di e saliña, pero tambe esaki lo tin efektonan serio riba Boneiru su refnan ku ta luchando,” Mabel Nava di Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire ta bisa.

Direktor di STINAPA Elsmarie Beukenboom ta indiká ku si e saliña ser inundá permanente ku awa di laman ku ser di pòmp den dje, henter e sistema eko lo kambia. “Un balotashon dor en dor mester ser hasí promé ku nos por komprondé si inundá e área ta un desishon responsabel. Tambe nos ta na altura ku, por ehèmpel, e saliña a bira yen di sedimentu den transkurso di añanan,” e ta bisa. “Mi ta kere ku mas bien na interes di Boneiru a largu plaso, e saliña mester ser restorá. No mas degradashon. Pero promé ku hasi algu, un balotashon dor en dor lo mester ta e promé paso."
E spièrtamentu nan di Aliansa ku si permití desaroyo di e saliña promé ku un balotashon kouteloso ser hasí pa ku salú, infrastruktura i efektonan ambiental, Boneiru ta keda eksponé na un multitut di problema karu. Pagadónan di impuesto lo karga últimamente e peso finansiero i sosial di kualke daño na Boneiru su infrastruktura i propiedatnan di rekurso.

E mihó programa pa e gobièrnu, riba tèrmino kòrtiku i largu, ta di buska un manera pa sostené, implementá un balotashon kompleto pa ku un impakto ambiental di e posibel impaktonan di e desaroyo aki. I salbaguardiá un di Boneiru su propiedatnan natural krítiko.

Very well done. Very, very well done.

Good job everyone! Let's just hope the pressure will work. Press release is very persuasive and articulate. However, if money is your bottom line, as it seems Harbour Village's is, nothing will persuade them. They need to be stopped by the authorities.