Gales Point wetlands declared wildlife reserve

The opposition has been accusing him of passing out land papers by the ream in a last minute effort to buy votes and raise campaign funds. But whatever the truth of those allegations, Minister of Natural Resources Eduardo Juan has also been busy creating protected areas. This week he signed a statutory instrument declaring all the lagoons around Gales Point to be part of the “Gales Point Manatee Wildlife Sanctuary”. This protected area covers over nine thousand acres of water including Sapodilla Lagoon, Western Lagoon, Southern Lagoon, Quashie Trap Lagoon and their interconnecting waterways. Also included is a sixty-six foot strip of shoreline on the lands surrounding the lagoons. The area around Gales Point is a haven for manatees as well as an important breeding ground for the hawksbill turtle. A management plan will be created with the cooperation of area residents and the Gales Point Progressive Cooperative.