COMMENTARY: Save the nature isle by Hampstead Tourism Committee

We are very proud of our NATURE ISLAND status and take it seriously. We are really concerned that whilst many of us in Dominica also take it seriously most of us don’t. However, to merit and retain that reputation and title, we are requesting that all Hampstead River users abide by some basic rules so that we can maintain the natural environment free of litter, pollution and other forms of environmental degradation which are negatively impacting our reputation, health, business and economy.

According to Catholic church leader at Our Lady of Fatima Church, White City, London just yesterday, (Sunday 13th February ,2022) “the beauty of creation is God’s vision for us as a planet” and if the planet’s inhabitants are going the opposite way as evidenced in the bad treatment of the environment, it has to be pointed out. In fact, environmental groups worldwide have tried different types of protests and campaigns to correct environmental abuse, and have been unpopular with many – as in the case of the Douglas sisters at the Hampstead River. But the church leader went on to say that in fact he had “deep respect ” for those people (like the Douglas sisters) who are willing to do what some might consider radical things to say “No, Enough is Enough”.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION /DETERIORATION AT THE HAMPSTEAD RIVER IS VERY EVIDENT FOR EXAMPLE:

1. When we were children, we used to get lots of veeyo and crayfish in the river; this is now rare. Pollutants in the                   water kill aquatic life.

2. Some complain that they itch after bathing in the river. Some of our guests who bathe there say: “it’s too dirty”

3. We used to do river tubing, which we call the “River Drift” and routinely meet garbage along the route.

4. We sought to do a major coconut project there with a foreign company. This would have been of immense benefit to the community and to us. The project would have involved washing the coconut kernels in the river; but scientific testing of the water showed too much pollutants in the river water so we lost the project.

5. Some of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 was filmed at Hampstead. To do it, a man had to risk his life and go down by rope down steep ravines to retrieve the garbage – fridges and stoves included – dumped there routinely by the public who place their garbage in vans and dispose of it on our land in Hampstead – even up to this day.

6. EVERY DAY, one of the Douglas sisters who lives at Hampstead makes it her duty daily, to pick up garbage by the Hampstead River and the public witness vehicles being washed in and by the river all the time.

So how long should we AND Dominica continue to condone this; and we call ourselves:  “The Nature Isle”? Why should we continue to tolerate action which negatively impact our reputation, our economy, our health and our entertainment? In this era of Climate Change prominence, can we afford to ignore these issues?

Just look at our cancer rate…one of the highest in the world. Our neighboring islands Martinique and Guadeloupe have a similar picture; they used Chlordecone akin to Gramoxone. Their extremely high rate of cancer per population size is attributed to this weedicide in their soil. The Martinique and Guadeloupe government has since stopped the use of this dangerous contaminant and has even stopped the public from fishing in the correspondent water area.

HARMFUL ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES CANNOT BE ALLOWED AT HAMPSTEAD.

We provide good examples of our commitment to the adherence to sound environmental  guidelines and the  preservation of Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

We have been observing sound and responsible environmental principles and historic preservation for a long time.

Since our business started at the Batibou Beach, it has been acclaimed one of the top 10 secluded beaches in the world , the only Caribbean beach so noted and also number 34 in the best beaches of Latin America and the Caribbean; its cleanliness was key in securing its reputation.

Since 2000, Hampstead Estate has been a CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARM. Hampstead has been the biggest certified organic farm in the Windward and Leeward islands. We were certified by the Soil Association of the United Kingdom.

We are bio diversity conscious too; this is why we do not even encourage wild life hunting;

We also avoid the practice of clearing land by burning because burning releases black carbon which is a very potent greenhouse gas; that is what causes the earth to heat up…. that’s why the earth is gradually warming.

We have painted many attractive, artistic, beautiful anti-litter and anti- pollution signs by the river, to no avail.

We still have to clean the river from public litter DAILY; and it is NOT the NEP who cleans the riverside. The DOUGLAS SISTERS and others WHOM THEY PAY, clean the Works area and riverside.

The Water Wheel by the Hampstead River is the best preserved of its kind on the island so we cannot condone its desecration. We see the Works area as a heritage site and treat it with pride and care. We have approached a few funding agencies in the past regarding the Works restoration. Success in this would be of benefit to the entire community . It would be an outstanding addition to the tourism product in the north of the island especially as it has been lamented that there are insufficient places of interest for tourists like this, in the north of the island. So we recognize the value and potential of our property.

At the last Community Day of Service in November 2021, we planted 150 trees to protect the banks of the river and we still have more to plant.

On World Rivers Day over the years, we had various functions to highlight the need to protect the river and use it responsibly.

So, we cannot compromise on this. We have already taken considerable action and invested too much time in Hampstead to secure our care for the environment reputation, to sit by and watch. We are really not able to tolerate the abuse anymore.

We  recognize our rivers’ tremendous value to our health, entertainment and Dominica’s overall tourism product and have always welcomed all visitors – both local and foreign – to enjoy our property. However, in order to maintain and benefit from its reputation, especially Dominica, as NATURE ISLAND OF THE CARIBBEAN and indeed the world, we are insisting that visitors behave responsibly and  abide by some basic rules – like not littering, polluting in any form and taking whatever you bring, back with you – so that we can retain our beautiful rivers for generations to come.

We are soliciting the support and collaboration of all the communities which use the Hampstead river in keeping the river and riverside absolutely clean and pollution free, and look forward to the cooperation of all as we seek to live up to our name :”THE NATURE ISLAND”.