Gregg Rockett
Vice President Development
Americas Hilton International
901 Ponce de Leon Blvd
Coral Gables, Florida 33134

RE: Bimini Bay Resort and Casino

Dear Mr. Rockett,

I was very disturbed to learn that Hilton Group’s subsidiary, Conrad Hotels, has agreed to operate the Bimini Bay Resort and Casino in the Bahamas. I strongly urge your company to immediately cancel its plans to participate in this destructive project.

On its website, the Hilton Group professes to meet its environmental responsibilities. But the Bimini Bay development has been fought by scientists and conservationists for over a decade because of the disastrous impact it will have on the islands and people of Bimini and on the marine ecosystems of the entire area.

Construction activity for the resort will make Alice Town, the main populated area, vulnerable in the case of a hurricane to flooding and destruction. Bulldozing of the mangrove forests of the islands is currently ongoing and extremely destructive. The previous government had accepted the advice of scientists and protected the pristine habitats of Bimini. The present government has torn up the protection and allowed the destruction to proceed unchecked.

The mangrove forests of Bimini -- the only ones in the region - and the associated inshore ecosystems are a refuge, breeding ground, nursery ground, and feeding area for some 140 species of animals, many of which range far beyond the islands and include endangered species. Obliteration by bulldozing and dredging will devastate the conch, bonefish, lobster and reef fish on which the Biminites depend for their sustenance and livelihood.

The maintenance of the proposed golf course will require pesticides and fertilizer, which will flow into the sea and further damage or even destroy the inshore environment including the local coral reefs.

This development -- whose full extent has been hidden from the local people -- is completely out of scale with the tiny islands that will be wrecked by it. Bimini Bay Resort, Marina and Casino will be devastating to the Biminites and, with the natural wonders of Bimini destroyed, the very reasons for visiting these charming islands will be lost.

Please take immediate action to cancel your involvement with this destructive project. I will join many concerned citizens around the world in closely monitoring your actions in this vital matter. I will base my future decisions regarding business and vacation travel accommodations on your response, and I will strongly encourage my family, friends, and business associates to do likewise.

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