KRALENDIJK, Bonaire -- What is so special about a 1,500-acre,
uninhabited island off Bonaire's west coast?
The island, Klein Bonaire, is located about a half-mile offshore
and is known as a nesting place for sea turtles and birds.
And, according to George DeSalvo, a member of the Foundation for
the Preservation of Klein Bonaire (FPKB), Klein Bonaire is a place
to "commune with nature, stroll, swim, dive or snorkel."
Now, after being in private hands for 131 years, Klein Bonaire
is officially part of Bonaire again.
On Dec. 21, 1999, Klein Bonaire was turned over to FPKB and
Bonaire's government.
The island was purchased for $4.6 million from the Development
Co. of Klein Bonaire, a firm that hoped to turn it into a resort
community.
Most of the money raised by FPKB for the purchase came from the
Department of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs of the Netherlands
and the World Nature Fund of the Netherlands. About $300,000 more
still needs to be raised.
According to the deed of purchase, the island is to remain an
undeveloped natural area forever.
Plans call for the island to become one of the Antilles National
Parks, hopefully some time this year, according to DeSalvo.
"A formal management plan still has to be approved by the
Bonaire Island Executive Council," said DeSalvo. "In the meantime,
the Bonaire Marine Park is managing the island."
To honor the island's former owner, Maurice Neme of the Klein
Bonaire Development Co., No Name Beach was renamed Playa Neme.
Water taxi transfers, at a cost of $10 roundtrip, and private
boats travel to the island each day. The only structure is a beach
shack built from driftwood to give shelter from the sun and some
ruins.