CONSERVATION IN ACTION

June 1999 Table of Contents

CONSERVATION IN ACTION AT BAHAMA STAR GROVES
by Elwood Bracey MD

The now US-owned 3,000 acre citrus growing plantation at Bahama Star Ltd not only serves as a refuge for the endangered wild horses of Abaco but supports a whole host of wildlife. The number of butterflies and bird species to be seen there is impressive. Butterflies are a very sensitive index of the health of the environment, and this is a tribute to the judicious use of minimally toxic pesticides. "We avoid using environmentally hazardous spray materials and use those having a low impact on wildlife," says on-site manager Richard Nason Jr. The rows of neatly-trimmed grapefruit trees have provided safe refuge for many birds displaced by recent fires in the nearby pine forest. Yellowthroats, an endemic bird species, are found in good numbers at the farm. They are usually found only in the understory of the forest.

Large broadleaf trees have been preserved along the roads. When fruiting, the fig trees in particular attract a large number of birds in migration to refuel on their journey north in the spring or south in the fall.

Hats off to the environmentally conscious Bahama Star Ltd!

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