TO SEE ALL PREVIOUS "photo additions" to the gallery.... please go HERE

HIKE BARBADOS PHOTOS are...... HERE

The future of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary remains uncertain.... and the Sanctuary will close on December 15.
This is a tremendous loss to all Barbadians and tourists.... as this was one of the prime attractions for nature lovers and environmentalists.
Is our new government SERIOUS about our environment ?.... and about promoting eco-tourism ?
I am hoping that they will pass the necessary Bill in Parliament to keep this Nature Sanctuary open... for the good of Barbados
The last regime wasted millions of dollars on a (still unused and unfinished) rubbish dump in the middle of the Scotland District.... surely the few million
required to preserve this Sanctuary and keep it open.... is not an impossible task for this new government to find..... but it is up to YOU... the viewers of this
page... and visitors of the Sanctuary... to create such a public outcry... that the outcome is certain.... write to the newspapers... email the politicians...
call the call-in programmes... hold a candle-light vigil... do your part...whatever it takes to get some ACTION on this.

Aerial view of the sanctuary taken from the helicopter.... and labelled for your understanding

The main body of water.... remains the same as it always was.... but the bank has been nicely landscaped so visitors can view it in comfort.... without sinking knee deep in smelly mud (as was the case when I was a 10 year old boy... see old photos HERE).

The mangroves still drop their tendrils into the water and soil mix.... just as they did millions of years ago before humans came on the planet to mess things up

In the Gully Aviary, brightly colored tropical birds delight the eyes.... these birds are on a strict diet.... a diet that they could not get anywhere else in the Barbados of today .... if the Sanctuary closes, these happy birds may be confined to small cages in somebody's backyard... to spend the balance of their lives in misery.

In the Marshland Aviary, these rare species of wetland birds are free to roam about without fear of being shot at for "fun" by destructive human beings.... their fate could be the same as the gully birds.... or worse.... so they really need your help NOW

The rest of the swamp is much the same as I remember it.... except paths and benches have been provided and signboards... to educate the public and take their mind off the unnatural and artificial environment they are accustomed to.

It was a real delightful sight to see the primary school students being taught by their teacher about the natural environment.... in this 21st Century, without this important experience..... what kind of life will they have ?.... it is known that children raised in the "concrete jungle" in the unnatural environment that passes for civilised habitation for human society.... experience more physical and mental problems.... poor health... mood swings.... violence... and dementia.... in Barbados, the quality of life in under serious threat.... we dont have much land area.... and this desire to put land "to use" (as if a swamp was a "waste of land") will doom future generations of Barbadians to a miserable existence.... humans MUST appreciate nature for THEIR own good.... do not deprive these children of this experience to interact with nature.... save the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary NOW !

FOOTNOTE IN HISTORY..... view old photos of the Graeme Hall Swamp ..... HERE

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© copyright 2008 Stephen E. Mendes, Barbados.