Riding club distressed by
rampant littering at beach
MARIGOT--Bayside Riding Stables is offering free pony rides until school reopens for anyone who collects three full bags of garbage from Le Galion Beach and its surrounding areas, as part of a concerted effort to stem the seemingly uncontrollable habit of littering.
A release issued by the club states, “It looks increasingly as though no one wants to take responsibility for this escalating problem.”
Staff of the club and children who regularly ride along the beach volunteered to have a big cleanup and collected more than 30 bags of trash on Monday. Amongst the garbage picked up were sanitary towels, diapers, used condoms, empty cases of beer bottles, and plastic plates.
“Due to the lack of concern of the partying public, Bayside Riding Stables, which has played a large part in cleaning the beach since the establishment of the reserve, has been forced to take greater action themselves to protect all who visit this beach to prevent injuries to people and horses,” the release said. “Just recently a member of staff was rushed to hospital when both she and her horse fell foul of broken glass callously thrown into the reserve.”
“The most commonly asked question from horse riding tourists is ‘why is your island so dirty?’ Perhaps it is high time we changed our motto to ‘Welcome to St. Martin, the Dirty Island.’ Does basic common sense not exist? It is non-action like this that will accelerate the destruction of our already over-developed island.”
Le Galion, in the heart of the Réserve Naturelle, is one of the last easily accessible and undeveloped “green areas,” a stronghold of nature and a wonderful place for children to enjoy the beach, water sports and horse riding.
“This is a call for help to everyone who has the slightest conscience about the safety of children and the beauty of our island. Stop and think before you throw out that Heineken bottle that will inevitably become embedded in a toddler’s foot. If everyone does their part, no matter how small, we may just stand a chance of future generations being able to swim in the ocean and play on the beaches,” the release concluded.
The club urges concerned persons to pass by the stables, and collect garbage bags and join the fight to save Le Galion Beach.
