Bakers Bay

The water hasn't found a crack to drain down. It has, in fact, seaped into the rock itself. The Great Guana Cay limestone is porous; the cay being created by corals from ages ago. In a few weeks, the water from our cup will seap into the coral reef itself.

For thousands of years, the reef worked with the cay; it developed and grew according to the shapes and nutrient output of the island. A few hundred years ago, human settlement appeared on the island, and therefore, a small change to the nutrient output of the island appeared. But this human settlement was built around a natural harbor which slanted into the Sea of Abaco, opposite the reef on the Atlantic, several miles south of the main reef structures anyways.

So, what motivates a biologist to support a development like Bakers Bay? Again, Barcott offers a possible explanation in Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw:

“The trick was to find biologists willing to sign off on an EIA that gave the all-clear. In the United States, that's not a problem. As the tobacco companies can tell you, plenty of scientists are happy to sell their scruples to the highest bidder. Environmentalists often deride these pliable researchers as biostitutes.' If biostitutes can be found, an EIA consultant can subcontract the scientific studies to reputable researchers and then hide of misrepresent their findings. Often this is done through summary fraud, in which dire findings in the scientific data are ignored or contradicted in the report's executive summary.  The deception usually works because most researchers sign nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from talking to the press."

Another hint is offered in the EIA itself- in exchange for her support, Kathleen gets, literally, her own real life lab to experiment on- if the island collapses, the EIA suggests, Kathleen's research benefits.

The EIA says,

"The project will be an experiment in sustainability for small island developments. Clearly, local residents or Bahamians in general would not appreciate being the site of “experimental" approaches to development of their natural resources, but the aim of the experiment is to provide a truthful documentation of the real ecological costs.

While the developer has millions to contribute to research, monitoring and to the myriad donations to the institutions that may oppose them, the local's scientific efforts are limited to the hope that a scientist will yet again volunteer the expenses of his plane tickets, his laboratory costs, his vacation time, and the cost of his staff's time.

But a strange twist in this story will begin today, as we strike up a conversation - what if the world's most relevant scientific team visits the Bakers Bay property?

In the absence of any meaningful data from Kathleen or the developer, what if the coral dream team could offer numbers and analysis, for the world to see?

In May 2008, Great Guana Cay will make good on this conversation - frantically, they will begin organizing a potluck. Yes, potlucks and t-shirts - the local's only funding source. They have one month to come up with the funds necessary to fly a new team to Great Guana Cay.

While they scramble for a donation here, a donation there to build their scientific case, a charismatic young lawyer coolly builds his case for court.