The wild beaches of the Northeast Ecological Corridor of Puerto Rico are among the most important leatherback sea turtle nesting sites in the country, with decades of data documenting hundreds of nests. Yet, despite a large number of Puerto Ricans being in favor of this area's designation as a nature reserve, these creatures are being endangered by irresponsible development plans.
Currently, the Corridor lacks either durable protection as a Puerto Rican nature reserve or designation as federal critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle. It deserves both.
Please tell Department of Interior Secretary Salazar and NOAA Administrator Lubchenco that you want this area to remain a nature reserve and be designated as federal critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle.
Reinstate the Designation of the Northeast Ecological Corridor as a Nature Reserve
Dear [Decision Maker],
Your agency should work with the government of Puerto Rico to protect the federal investments used to acquire portions of the Northeast Ecological Corridor as a nature reserve, a use which is now in doubt due to ill-advised development plans. Those plans should be abandoned in favor of the nature-reserve designation that the community supports. The goal must be to establish multiple layers of protection for this extraordinary place.
Currently, the Corridor lacks either durable protection as a Puerto Rican nature reserve or designation as federal critical habitat for the leatherback sea turtle. It deserves both. Unfortunately, both NOAA and FWS have been late in acting on petitions to provide critical-habitat protection. I urge that these petitions be swiftly granted, as the best available science warrants.
The wild beaches of the Northeast Ecological Corridor of Puerto Rico are among the most important leatherback sea turtle nesting sites in the country, with decades of data documenting hundreds of nests. Yet, pressure for destructive development continues to mount, imperiling the species and sustainable community development plans for the area supported by a broad coalition of Puerto Ricans.
The governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuno, removed the designation of Nature Reserve from the area in 2009 and has since proposed a new plan that fragments the ecosystem and opens it to development. The overwhelming demand by the public to restore the nature-reserve designation has fallen on deaf ears.
