STUBBORN PROBLEM, DETERMINED EFFORT

Last Fall, ARBORETUM had an item about the establishment of a National Park and Refuge on Vieques Island. CLICK HERE This is the island off Puerto Rico which the Navy had long used as a bombing range.

It is being restored to a natural wonderland.

Now there is a story from the Associated Press that the process of clearing away the remains of the bombs and other ordnance is proceeding much more slowly than expected:

"Cleaning the area has proved more difficult than expected, with much of the 14,500-acre site covered with tangled vegetation reaching 15 feet high. The Navy says up to 9,000 acres may contain munitions.

"Officials had expected to clear 400 acres in seven months, but it has taken almost a year-and-a-half to finish just 235 acres, said Daniel Rodriguez of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the cleanup."

ARTICLE HERE

Nevertheless, we (through the federal government) are helping to restore a piece of paradise for the wildlife --- and for our posterity.
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