Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands will visit Saba on December 12 and St. Eustatius on December 13. (RVD photo)
THE HAGUE–Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands will visit Saba on December 12 and St. Eustatius on December 13, the Dutch Government Information Service RVD announced today, Thursday. The visit focuses on nature conservation and social-economic initiatives.
After her arrival on Saba on Thursday December 12, the Princess will perform the official opening of the Mary’s Point trail. The trail that leads to Mary’s Point, a historical settlement from the early 1700s and abandoned some 80 years ago, is part of the Mount Scenery National Park. The more than 200 wooden steps, made of old electricity poles, and the rope railing were constructed by employees of the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) and volunteers.
The Princess will then go to the Fort Bay Harbour where she will meet with several local fishermen. Fisheries is an important economic pillar on Saba. To protect the fish stock, fishermen implemented a self-imposed moratorium. This self-imposed restriction is unique in the region. The so-called Red Fish Agreement, which has been in effect since 2017, serves to secure a healthy fish stock and includes the implementation of a fish season for certain types of fish.
In the afternoon, Princess Beatrix will meet several local women who still practice the Saba lace tradition. The meeting will take place at the Saba Lace Shop in Windwardside. She will then visit the new Botanical Garden, located behind the SCFs Trail Shop and adjacent to the grounds of the Harry L. Johnson Museum in Windwardside. The Princess will unveil the new information sign of the Botanical Garden, a project of the Public Entity Saba and SCF that is currently under construction. Many tourists come to Saba for its pristine nature. The Botanical Gardens will make nature accessible for those persons for whom the steep trails are too heavy. After the revealing of the sign, the Princess will meet with employees and the board of the SCF and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA).
The next morning, Friday December 13, the Princess and her delegation will travel to St. Eustatius, where in the morning hours, she will visit the reforestation project ReforeStatia. Local fauna is being planted here, to be replanted elsewhere on the island in order to curb erosion, mostly caused by roaming livestock. Hurricane Irma also destroyed many trees. After that, Princess Beatrix will tour the adjacent Earth Farm and visit the Made in Statia project. On the Earth Farm, children learn about nature in a playful manner, how to keep animals and how to grow vegetables and fruits.
At Made in Statia, the Princess will receive information about the sustainable agricultural programme which provides the local market with fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. This is done in cooperation with other projects such as ReforeStatia and the Earth Farm.
The Princess will then speak with young rangers, employees and volunteers of the St. Eustatius Nature Parks Foundation STENAPA about the importance of local nature conservation projects. Also addressed in this talk will be the exchange of know-how and the cooperation between the islands and the nature conservation organisations SCF, STENAPA and DCNA. Princess Beatrix is Patron of the DCNA.
On Friday afternoon, the Princess will visit the Christian afterschool programme Daughters of the King Foundation (D.O.T.K.), which offers afterschool activities to girls between the age of 5 and 12 in a safe, positive environment.
Princess Beatrix will visit the Mega D Youth Foundation, an organisation that assists youngsters up to the age of 18 with homework after school and the developing of talents in the areas of music, dance, media, debating and sports.
The Princess’ visit to St. Eustatius will end with a joint musical performance of children of several schools, foundations and youth organisations, including the Simon Donker Club, STENAPA Junior Rangers, D.O.T.K. and the Mega D Youth Foundation.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92842-princess-beatrix-to-saba-statia
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