FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bridgetown, Barbados
MONDAY, February 10, 2009
Email Contact: graemehall@gramehall.com
Backup Letters, Art and Archives: www.graemehall.com/press.htm
An official at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary confirmed Monday that there was still no agreement with the Government of Barbados to negotiate the means to transfer the Sanctuary and create the 240-acre National Park at Graeme Hall.
“I have been available to them, but have not heard or received any indication of what they (government) will do,” said Stuart Heaslet who represents Peter Allard, owner of the Sanctuary.
In the last two months Heaslet has made two trips to Barbados from his home in Oregon in an attempt to reach a formal agreement to negotiate with government, but with no success.
Employees who were laid off in mid December will be formally severed from the Sanctuary in early March if no agreement is reached to re-open the nature facility.
The Sanctuary closed on December 15th last year, after years of providing educational and environmental programmes to tens of thousands of children and adults. A small maintenance and security staff is now maintaining the bird aviaries and providing minimal ecosystem services at the Sanctuary.
In 2007 over 6,000 Barbadians signed a Friends of Graeme Hall petition in favor of preserving the approximately 240-acre green area at Graeme Hall in accordance with the 1988 Barbados National Physical Development Plan. This would protect its RAMSAR wetland and wildlife reserve with low-density open and recreational upland buffers.
Much of the information needed by government to develop a “Master Action Plan” for creating the 240-acre Graeme Hall National Park has already been produced and consolidated by Coastal Zone Management Unit staff.
More information can be found at www.graemehall.com/press.htm and www.graemehallnationalpark.org .
Barbados Underground 
I can not think of any good reason why the DLP Govt. would want to buy the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary.
With the world economy tanking, there are better areas for the Govt. to be putting taxpayers money.
The DLP Govt. has already been more than generous to the rich horse racing fraternity, writing off $19 million dollars in unpaid taxes and penalties which in my considered opinion they should have been made to pay. Now the Govt. is begging Cuba for money to fix the Public Library, that $19million dollars could have fixed the Public Library and many more projects in Barbados.
I do hope that they are not going to make the same mistake with the
Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary by relieving the owner of the mill stone around his neck and saddling the people with another white elephant.
If it was not profitable under the current owners stewardship it will hardly be profitable under anyone else.
CCC would you prefer a foreign interest come along and but it just like they did the BNB shares?
Well said David, in fact the Library and the Sanctuary is where money should go, not for BTC!
The Turf Club has many resources from which to recoup its losses, such as a levy on its own members if they wish to keep playing at the Garrison…
Perhaps you’d like for CLICO to come and buy these wetlands to destroy this last oasis of greenery for housing, and we end up as a concrete desert like Cancun?
If they have nowhere else to develop they may come and start at Eagle Hall next, how’d you like THAT?
It would hurt my heart to see the DLP create their own “Gems Of Barbados” only this time it would be called Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary.
@CCC
One thing we have sadly realized since starting BU is the rabid partisan politics which many of us bring to bear on almost all decisions we make in Barbados.
DAVID
Don’t think that the poor taxpayers in Barbados have suffered enough.
They have had 14 years of bad use of their tax dollars by the BLP, and now under a new administration you are seeking to continue the same trend.
Have a heart for the poor taxpayers of this country. The Govt’ just can not jump in and bail out every one with a sad story.
Enough condos, limited access to beaches, boardwalk used like a garbage can, take away a Nature Santuary…….
are there reasons left to come to Barbados?
Carson C.
Mawnin, me dear, can’t believe that I’m agreeing wid you.
Poor we. Cuh’ dear.
BONNY PEPPA
“Mawnin, me dear, can’t believe that I’m agreeing wid you.”
Maybe I should buy a lotto ticket today.
oh get rid of the stupid place nasty wetlands , fill it in and provide housings for the poor
And then what?
Only Me would have Barbados slums just like Mexico City. Good one man.
Cadogan logic is stellar. Spend money on the unprofitable library, but don’t spend money on the unprofitable bird sanctuary. What is the solution Cadogan? As investments they both suck. Don’t tell us what they shouldn’t do, tell us instead your opinion about what they should do. Allard gone, gates are closed. Library barely working, books are rotting. Books and no nature? Nature and no books? What gonna be?
Only you
“Spend money on the unprofitable library”
The library is a most worthwhile investment in the future of Barbados, especially our youth.
I spoke to the Minister Of Culture after my daughter complained to me about the difficulty she was having with her studies as a result of the closure of the Library. He apologised but he was up against some real problems getting the Library reopened but I won’t go that now. The bottom line is, we finally got the Library opened. This was never anything of importance to your Barbados Labour Party.
I have noticed that over at Barbados Free Press they have taken on the role of Real Estate agent for Peter Allard and the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary. Let’s hope they get their 5% commission whenever whoever is foolish enough to buy it buys it.