Overview

Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club is a controversial private resort community in the Northeastern Bahamas. The development is located near Baker's Bay

Baker's Bay

Baker's Bay is a 3 mile long bay on the island of Great Guana Cay. It is the location of the Baker's Bay Golf & Ocean Club, as well as the controversy surrounding it....

 in Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay is an islet located in The Bahamas. It is a long but narrow islet which is 9 miles in length. It is located in the centre of the Abaco Islands...

 situated between the Sea of Abaco and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

. The 585 acres (2.4 km²) project is a resort development of 385 homes. Developed by Discovery Land Company (DLC), the project will include a Tom Fazio

Tom Fazio

Thomas Fazio, ASGCA is a golf course architect.Fazio graduated in 1962 from Lansdale Catholic High School and was inducted into its "Hall of Fame" in 2007. He began his career in golf course design with his family's firm in suburban Philadelphia, which he left in the 1960s; he established his own...

-designed 18 hole golf course, 180-slip marina, Marina Village resort area, and a private club that includes beach club and spa.

Development

The Baker's Bay Golf Course is completed, raising concerns among coral reef scientists about its lack of lining and use of fertilizers. Only between four to six houses are currently under construction (May 2011), raising concerns that the development is not selling.

Lawsuits

The majority of Bahamian residents of Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay

Great Guana Cay is an islet located in The Bahamas. It is a long but narrow islet which is 9 miles in length. It is located in the centre of the Abaco Islands...

 have taken Baker's Bay Club to court, and have applied for Privy Council

Privy council

A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

. A group of residents, supported by the coral reef conservation community, believe the development will destroy their coral reef.

Crown and Treasury Lands

75 of the 91 Bahamians on Great Guana Cay oppose Baker's Bay Club over the subject of whether the central government of the Bahamas has the right to offer public land to foreign developers at the expense of Bahamian use and preservation of the land. http://reearth.org/?p=331

Continuation of Lawsuit

The initial lawsuit by Save Guana Cay Reef lost in the Supreme Court after the developer took an undertaking to halt development for several months.

After a loss in the appeals court, Save Guana Cay Reef applied for privy council

Privy council

A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...

.http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=16235 In August 2008, Save Guana Cay Reef was granted conditional leave for the Privy Council. In a Freeport Tribune article, attorney Fred Smith was quoted, "We believe we have a very strong case, and have been denied due process. The issue of the ability of the Prime Minister to bind the country as to Heads of Agreement will be determined at the highest level...for the future development of the Bahamas, these are matters which are of fundamental importance."

In May 2011, Save Guana Cay Reef heads back to court in an appeal against the development and Bahamian Government.

United Nations

In 2007, citizens from Great Guana Cay spoke at the United Nations to bring attention to the dangers of development near coral reefs.

Sea Turtle Issue

In 2006, Jean-Michel Cousteau

Jean-Michel Cousteau

Jean-Michel Cousteau is a French explorer, environmentalist, educator, and film producer. The first son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, he is the father of Fabien Cousteau and Celine Cousteau.-Biography:...

 stated in a letter to the Prime Minister, "...the Bakers Bay Golf and Ocean Club
development on Great Guana Cay may undermine the environmental health of the region; specifically affecting the nesting sea
turtles of Gumelemi Cay

Gumelemi Cay

Gumelemi Cay is a tiny island directly north of the Baker's Bay tip of Great Guana Cay in The Bahamas. The island is a sea turtle nesting ground...

and to the north, and impacting the neighboring reefs adjacent to the proposed golf course. http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/WestIndies/bbc/bakers_bay_cousteau.html

External links

• http://www.saveguanacayreef.com
• http://www.discoverylandco.com
• http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/guana.htm