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The proposed Chrysalis Resort would be located on Big and
Little Channel Cayes in Pelican Range of the Southwater Marine Reserve,
a World Heritage Site.
This area includes corals, mangroves and seagrass beds adjacent to one
another - a happy environmental circumstance that is one of the
richest habitats in the world for fish and other marine life.
(Final
Report F-7: Nearshore Habitats as Nursery Grounds for Recreationally
Important Fishes, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. October 1, 2000 to
September 30, 2001)
If approved, the Chrysalis Resort will include the
following:
- Three 1-bedroom cabanas of 2,560 square feet each
(efficiency kitchen, luxury bath, 1-2 pax)
- Two over-the-water 1-bedroom cabanas of 2,360
square feet each (1-2 pax)
- Two 2-bedroom cabanas of 3,430 square feet each
(efficiency kitchen, 2 baths, 2-4 pax)
- One 3-bedroom owner's house of 7,426 square feet
(1-6 pax)
- Two 2-bedroom staff quarters of 1,031 square feet
each
- One 3-bedroom staff quarters of 1,201 square feet
- Nine 4-bedroom staff quarters of 966 square feet
each
- One lodge building (kitchen, dining room, bar,
restaurant, storage)
- One reception pavilion of 1,856 square feet
- One 164 foot long arrival and marina pier with 12
slips for up to 75 foot boats (t-shaped), sewage and bilge water
connection to utilities area
- One 100 foot long service pier
- Helipad of 2,500 square feet (.23 acres)
- Boardwalk of approx. 26,126 square feet
- Dredging of 32,394.67 cubic yards (Not sure
exactly how much will be dredged - EIA is inconsistent)
- 50,000 gallon water reservoir for rain water
- 2500-5000 gallon water desalinization plant
- Seven (7) artificial beaches - main one is 300'
long (EIA doesn't provide depth - each cabana or villa will have its
own beach except o/w cabanas
- Seawall on east side of cayes
- Maximum number of guests and people on islands is
70, with 46 employees.
The Belize Department of the Environment (DOE) initially required the
Chrysalis developers to submit only a Limited Level Environmental Study
(LLES) instead of a full EIA as mandated by Schedule I of the Belize
Environmental Regulations when a proposed development is within or
within close proximity to a protected area. Chrysalis would be
located within the Southwater Marine Reserve, not only a protected area,
but part of the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage Site.
PCSD alerted the media, wrote letters and generally made a public fuss.
Thankfully, that fuss, along with the placement of the Belize Barrier
Reef on the World Heritage Site in Danger list eventually resulted in
DOE requiring the developer to produce a full
EIA for
Chrysalis.
Unfortunately, we are not sure who the developer is.
Lisa Henderson and Amy Rutherford were the two women representing the
developer(s) at the public consultation on Tuesday, 15 September 2009
(the "Public Consultation").
After the meeting we were able to obtain a copy of the deed for Big
Channel Caye (ownership information on this island is NOT provided in
the EIA as required by its terms of reference). Big Channel Caye is
owned by a company called Exquisite Development Group, LLC, formerly of
Florida and now of Brentwood, TN (as of the 2008 annual report).
Brentwood is a VERY exclusive subdivision outside Nashville, TN.
Exquisite purchased Big Channel Caye in July 2008 from Sarkis Abou
Nehru, the former (and possibly current) Lebanese consulate for Belize.
Apparently, Mr. Nehru is/was very well-connected within the PUP party.
Mr. Nehru sold the caye to Exquisite for US$375,000.
We don't know who the directors of Exquisite are - the 2008 Annual
Report lists McCormick Development, Inc. of Santa Rosa, Florida as the
managing member of the limited liability company. Exquisite Management
Co. LLC is listed as the managing member.
Amy Rutherford and L. Thayce Henderson of Missouri formerly had a lease
of Little Channel Caye, but the lease expired in February 2009,
and was not renewed.
Little Channel is currently owned by Neri Inglesias, of Burrell Boom.
The EIA includes a letter from Mr. Inglesias stating that while the
lease was not renewed, Rutherford and Thayce had his permission to
include the property in their application for environmental approval
because they were currently negotiating for the purchase of the property
by Rutherford, Thayce, or someone/something associated with one or both
of them.
Neri Inglesias owns
Premier Real Estate Ltd. in Belize City. He is a member of the
Association of Real Estate Brokers of Belize (AREBB). Little Channel is
listed on his Website as under contract with an asking price of
US$350,000. Mr. Inglesias paid US$17,000 for the caye.
Comments at the Public Consultation for the proposed Chrysalis Resort
included the following:
- Effect of dredging on the permit
flats where many guides from Dangriga south to Monkey River take
clients to fly fish. (The flats in the area are some of the
best permit fishing flats in the entire country.) Lincoln Westby
from Blue Horizon Lodge on Northeast Caye about a mile away from Big
and Little Channel Cayes (and who has been guiding there for over 30
years) stated that the location of the proposed dredging would
destroy the flats in the area, and also coral and seagrass beds. Mr.
Westby also pointed out that destruction of the "small" coral (as
characterized by the EIA consultants) would decimate the permit
population since those "small" corals are the homes of the small
crabs and other marine life on which permit feed. The area proposed
to be dredged is almost 1 acre in size and dredging will be to a
depth of 26 feet.
- The helipad and helicopter.
Ms. Rutherford was asked by Mary Toy, of PCSD, if the EIA was
correct in its statement that the development could not happen
without helicopter transportation between Goldson (Belize
International) and Chrysalis. Rutherford replied that, yes, the
helicopter/helipad was a deal breaker and they would not develop
without it. Toy pointed out that this meant that DOE had to decide
whether local fishing guides or the developer were more important,
especially when local fishing guides are all native Belizeans who
supported their families and local communities with the money
received from guiding - all of which is paid in, and stays in,
Belize.
- Tour Guides and Tour Operators.
Chrysalis will have its own in-house guides. The only tours
that will be subcontracted to local guides and tour operators are
private land tours and deep sea fishing.
- Enforcement. Many people
in the audience pointed out that DOE, Forestry and Geology
apparently cannot or will not enforce conditions imposed in EIAs and
dredging and mangrove removal permits, as amply demonstrated by
Rendezvous Caye. Therefore, the developers at Chrysalis could say
whatever they want about the amount of mangrove to be removed, sand
to be dredged, etc., but then can do anything they want once they're
out there. (People at the consultation were VERY upset about
Rendezvous Caye and it came up again and again during the
discussion, as did the failure of Forestry, DOE and Geology to
respond to reports of illegal environmental activities.)
- World Heritage Site.
Audience members pointed out that the proposed resort is in a World
Heritage Site and that UNESCO (the sponsoring UN agency) placed
Belize World Heritage Sites on the World Heritage Sites in Danger
List this year. In addition, UNESCO specifically called out the
Pelican Range in the Southwater Marine Reserve as an example of the
egregious practices being condoned by the Government of Belize that
were destroying the environment of the area. UNESCO also
specifically recommended no dredging and no mangrove alteration
within the Pelican Range. Jorge Franco of DOE responded by stating
that UNESCO had no right to tell Belize what to do. Belize is a
sovereign country with the right to make its own development
decisions.
- Could be Worse. Mike Heusner of
Belize River Lodge said the he personally believed that the proposed
resort was small and sustainable IF they got rid of the helicopter
and dredging occurred where it wouldn't affect the flats, seagrass
beds and corals. As Mr. Heusner put it, we could get worse.
Status: The developer was asked
to provide additional information in an EIA Addendum. According to
a letter to PCSD from DOE dated 26 February 2010, Chrysalis is still
under consideration by NEAC.
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