The Tribune

LAST Saturday, more than 100 Bahamians and residents turned out to help initiate habitat restoration at Harrold and Wilson Ponds National Park in New Providence, to celebrate Earth Day 2014.

As a part of the Earth Day project, Bahamas National Trust (BNT) Board, staff, volunteers from the US Embassy, Sandals, Baha Mar, Green Systems, Evelp Construction, BNT Navigators, Rotary, Rotaract, Wolf’s Kayaking and the general public teamed up to remove invasive species, including Casuarinas, Brazilian Pepper and Cattails from the ponds.

Volunteers arrived in two three-hour shifts, and worked all day to clean both Harrold and Wilson ponds at the national park.

Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett also joined the Earth Day clean up.

“The BNT was very pleased to have the Minister of the Environment join us at this earth day activity,” said Eric Carey, BNT Executive Director. “Invasive species are one of the most serious threats that face the BNT as managers of the National Park System. The Minister was very supportive of our efforts and realized immediately that we need to develop a large scale plan for removal of the cattails from Harrold and Wilson Ponds National Park.”

Both Mr Carey and Portia Sweeting, BNT Director of Education, noted that the day was a great success, it really only highlighted the need to remove these invasive species. They both noted that BNT now needs to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent these plants from expanding further.

“The Earth Day Activity created great awareness about the need for the removal and control of invasive species,” said Ms Sweeting. “The removal of Casuarinas along Sir Milo Butler Highway was particularly effective and now people driving along the highway are able to see the ponds.”

By educating the public about invasive species at the various national parks, the BNT hopes that more partners will come forward to help prevent invasive species in the Bahamas. The BNT is also seeking a long term solution to the problem of invasive species, before the ecosystem is changed beyond repair. “The BNT will be consulting with Warren Harper of Global Parks, formally of the US Forestry Service, in May to move forward with a comprehensive plan to address this problem,” said Mr Carey.

With more than 11,000 fans now on Facebook, the BNT is extremely grateful for the volunteers who came out to support this event. The trust is working hard to increase its public awareness about their work and the support they need from the community to help protect and preserve the beauty of our islands.

To learn more about the park restoration project and to see pictures from the event visit their Facebook page. The BNT is encouraging all Bahamians and residents to join them by becoming a member of the trust and supporting their work.