2025 President’s Report of Activity
I am delighted to report on our achievements over 2025 and also to thank our supporters—both donors and volunteers without whom none of this could have happened!
Importantly, we advanced our collaboration with the government to set up a co-management framework for Cat’s five Marine Protected Areas. Our goal is to protect these eco-systems to sustain the marine life—an essential part of Cat’s marine environment and its economy—from man-made threats and abusive practices.
The “smart farms” are thriving at Arthur’s Town Comprehensive School, Old Bight High School and Old Bight Primary, with the students cultivating and selling their fresh produce to fund school projects. We’re reducing reliance on imported fertilizer by composting and 15 neighbors have volunteered to be composting centers to replenish the soil.
Our recycling of aluminum cans continues. We are collecting aluminum cans at depots from north to south and, with the help of the Mail Boat, transporting them to Cans 4 Kids in Nassau for recycling. This program not only keeps Cat clean but also keeps also aluminum, a depleting resource, out of the dump and back into the manufacturing cycle. In 2025, Cat Island United and our supporters recycled over 1,000 pounds of aluminum—a threshold we hope to beat in 2026.
We are encouraging our young people to dream not just about going off island for work but returning after school to set up their own eco friendly businesses. To this end, we again sponsored the 10th annual judged Shark Tank for the Island’s Young Entrepreneurs.
The Cat Island Earth Day festival again celebrated the music, native products, youth artwork and traditional crafts that make our home so special.
And, so will sign off again for this year with thanks to all our supporters and with enthusiasm for the important work ahead of us in 2026.
Ethel Turner, President