Loving the Land

Trees are very important to an island. They offer shade from the sun and provide sanctuary to birds and other small animals. On St. Maarten, trees hold an increasingly special place, and several have been designated Historical Patrimony Trees.

After surveying the Dutch side and tagging more than 160 old trees with a trunk diameter of over 100 centimeters, archeologist Dr. Jay Haviser and his group of high school students, who are part of the St. Maarten Archaeological Centre (SIMARC), petitioned the government to recognize the trees as monuments. Their reason for this was that the trees had withstood the test of time, and some, according to oral history, had been the gathering places for ancestors to swap news or just relax after a long day of hard labor.

Based on the SIMARC research, the island registered and observed its first Tree Day on March 22, 2008, with the planting of a flamboyant tree by Leader of Government Sarah Wescot-Williams in front of the new Government Administration Building on Pond Island. The flamboyant is a symbol of the island, but was specially chosen for its origins.

Although the tree is found everywhere, it is endemic to Madagascar. Like the tree, the island's people came from different parts of the world through the centuries and flourished here, making the flamboyant the perfect symbol of a multicultural island.

A "Historical Patrimony Tree" cannot be cut or removed. If done, violators will be fined NAf. 5,000 (about US$2,777) and will face prosecution.

Unlike the old trees, mangroves that act as nurseries for fish and other marine life, and as a natural filter for ponds and lagoons, are not yet protected by the government. This has led groups such as Nature Foundation St. Maarten and Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) to launch intense battles to protect these lush, tiny waterlogged forests from disappearing.

In need of protection now is Mullet Pond, a section of Simpson Bay Lagoon next to the Mullet Bay Golf Course. Ecologists and environmentalists have deemed this area vital to the replenishment of the fish stocks around the island.

Little Bay Pond, close to the Belair Hotel, is another spot in need of protection and preservation. The pond used to be the lifeblood of surrounding plantations in the olden days, since it was a constant source of shrimp, fish and water. Today, the pond is ringed by lush mangroves that were planted in the late 1990s to replace those destroyed by fierce Hurricane Luis in 1995. The seedlings were donated as compensation for the nature lost when the airport filled in the Flamingo Pond to create its parking lot.

When visiting several of the island's beaches, be mindful of turtle tracks and sand mounds, as these may be nests of hawksbill or leatherback turtles, the two main types of sea turtles that come ashore every year to nest. Sea turtles return to the beach they were hatched on to lay their eggs, so they're not considered visitors, but rather St. Maarteners who are making a trip back home.

Sea turtles are protected in St. Maarten. The removal of their eggs or destruction of their nests is punishable by law. These are not the only threats to sea turtles. Trash, such as six-pack rings and plastic bags, can also strangle or obstruct a female sea turtle while coming ashore-so take your trash with you after a day at the beach and dispose of it properly. Like the old saying says, "Take only photos, leave only footprints."

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