Andros Island -- Big, Long & Strong

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com.

Andros Island, the fifth largest island in the Caribbean, and larger than many Caricom countries, is big and long.  It boasts one of the largest national parks in the region, one of the world’s largest barrier reefs and a magnificent Tongue of the Ocean with a 6,000 foot drop-off.

From the Bahamas National Trust: “As one of the least populated regions in The Caribbean Basin, Andros Island and its myriad of tidal creeks, interconnected lakes, mud flats, and mangroves support some of the largest populations of underwater life in the region.”

Both the Central Andros National Park and the west side of Andros are areas of phenomenal natural beauty and diversity.  Dr. Philip Kramer, the Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Marine Program Director, enthuses:

“The west side of Andros Island is teeming with large numbers of rare species from bull sharks to small organisms.  To find such a large population of so many rare and threatened species reinforces our belief that the west side of Andros is one of the most ecologically intact and pristine areas remaining in the western tropical Atlantic.”

Andros Island can also make you strong.  By some accounts, because it has long been blessed with an abundance of water, the Spanish christened it Isla del Esperita Santo, Island of the Holy Spirit. 

Water has always been one of planet Earth’s most valuable commodities.  Now, with ever dwindling supplies of potable water against a backdrop of an increasingly unsustainable demand, the water in Andros may be worth its weight in gold.

JAMES BOND

The extraordinary demand for water was captured in the 2008 James Bond thriller Quantum of Solace in which the lead villain attempted to gain economic and political power by dominating the world’s supply of H2O, not oil. 

Without the sharing of this liquid asset from Andros to New Providence beginning in the 1970s our national economy may have suffered a post-independence drought.

Today, Clarence Bain’s hometown anthem, “Andros, Oh my Andros” has national resonance.  Unfortunately, Andros is often treated like a blank canvass upon which various dreamers project their pie-in-the-sky schemes onto this virginal expanse. 

Andros should not be treated as a suburb of the capital to be used as a release valve to reduce so-called overpopulation.   Those who suggest that New Providence be abandoned in favour of a new capital in Andros fail to understand the best interests and potential of both islands

A vision for Andros should emerge organically out of respect for its history and needs as well as the particular role it can play in national development.  This is as much a challenge to the politicians and public officials in Nassau as it is to the residents of communities from Nicholls Town to Fresh Creek to Mars Bay.

Many of our island groups claim the mantle, “Best Kept Secret”.  The reality is that most of them possess “secrets” yet to be discovered by Bahamians and visitors alike.  One of the secrets of Andros is that it is an archipelago of possibilities geographically and otherwise, with many of its gems hidden in plain sight on this 2,300-square-mile island.

The Androsian archipelago boasts a 286,000-acre land and sea park that captures the stunning natural beauty and biodiversity of the Big Yard: pine forests, feeding areas for West Indian Flamingos, blue holes, mangrove wetlands and more.

Lucayan artifacts are also to be found here, as are the historical traces of other peoples who were fortunate to find an island with teeming fish stocks, fertile soil, forests and fresh water.

SEMINOLES

Seminole Indians, slaves and Loyalists lived off a diet of flora and fauna that served as food and medicine.  From the ocean and inland waterways they culled fish, shrimp, conch, sponges and other marine resources. 

They fed on land crabs, iguanas, wild boars and approximately 200 species of birds.  Many secured shelter by harnessing thatch, Andros Pine, mahogany and lignum vitae for homes.  They also used some of these woods for boat building. 

Abaco is often held up as a model for the sustainable development of Family Island communities.  But let’s not overlook many of the assets, possibilities and opportunities Andros offers.
Its close proximity to New Providence and the United States means that tourists and Bahamians can get to Andros for a day-long or extended visit relatively quickly. 

Moreover, the geographical bounty and biodiversity of Andros along with its rich soil may help the island to become an eco-adventurer’s paradise.  In so doing it may continue to attract low-carbon footprint development with high value tourism.

Small boutique resorts, including Small Hope Bay developed by the Birch family in 1960, Kamalame Cay, Tiamo and others have led the way in creating sustainable models of development.

ANDROSIA

Along with developing Small Hope Bay, the Birches pioneered the cottage industry of producing batik fabric and batik clothing manufacturing. Today, Androsia is one of our best known international brands. 
Androsia began during the same year as independence.  It was inspired by a guest of Dick and Rosie Birch who used a batik craft project to occupy a group of children on a rainy day at Small Hope Bay Lodge.

The Birches realized that the idea could be turned into a fabric line that would be colourful and uniquely Bahamian, with every print symbolizing some natural element of the Bahamas.

They also recognized that this cottage industry could help to provide economic empowerment to many Bahamian families, including single mothers and their children. 

Last year during the Miss Universe pageant some of our talented designers used the event to showcase the beauty, flexibility and extraordinary economic potential of Androsia as a world class brand.  Andros and Androsia will continue to do the Bahamas proud.

In the Tiamo Resort, Andros boasts another gem, namely one of the first resorts in the Caribbean to be run by solar power.  Located in southern Andros, Tiamo is a model of environmental sustainability from the generation of energy to its building practices to its environmental education programmes.

Andros is a sleeping giant whose resources should be utilized more creatively and strategically.   In the process the Big Yard can become an even more significant centre for and model of sustainable economic development in its own right.  In so doing Andros Island may contribute even more significantly to the development of the entire Bahamas.

Comments

[amy]

What a wonderful and thought-provoking piece - thank you.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=588030269]

Thank you for this essay. I hope that we keep the pristine beauty of Andros Island just the way it is, it will serve us well in the future. More of our people need to appreciate the beauty and the natural resources that Andros have to offer. Keep bringing it to our attention. Thank you.

[Martin Horwitz]

What are the birding possibilities on Andros? or in Bermuda at large?