Cat Island United

2023 President’s Report of Activity

In 2023, Cat Island United sought to catch our stride after the COVID disruptions. We were delighted to relaunch the youth cultural exchange with Bell High School—a program running for ten years and which has changed the lives of both the students we have hosted on Cat and the Cat Islanders who spent a full week in Washington DC. We continue to build up the Sunshine Farms, with better water collection and soil improvmenet. Cat Island United provided materials for both schools to build forty composters and we plan to launch an island wide composting program in 2024 alongside the can recycling program. The students have sold their produce and eggs to fund student activities.

After the COVID hiatrus, we relaunched our flagship event, Cat Island Earth Day, and were delighted when Mr. Brave Davis agreed to be our guest of honor. The event featured demonstrations, crafts, art activities, performances and music.

We initiated a project to raise local awareness of the marine protected areas and are collaborating with the Department of Marine Resources and Bahamas National Trust to develop a co-management program.

Finally, we continued the aluminum can recycling effort with a record number of sugar bags of cans shipped to Cans 4 Kids to be recycled.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Ethel Turner,

President of Cat Island United