10/24/12 11:07 PM

Jacksonville District Contact Form: Culebra, Puerto Rico

TO: You + 1 More

Show Details

This message was sent from the Jacksonville District website. Message From: Mary Ann Lucking Email: maryann@coralations.org Response requested: Yes Message: Dear Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Division: I am writing through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain a copy and/or negative certification from your agency regarding the existence of a wetlands determination for the area proposed for the Hostel Porto Baha project. This is a 16 room, three story hotel with basement, proposed in red mangrove wetlands on the island of Culebra Puerto Rico. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/111065400/Porto-Baia-or-Porto-Bahia] In response to a previous FOIA, we received a letter from your agency dated April 26th, 2011 indicating nothing was proposed for work inside Laguna Lobina, which was not our question. However, the letter did respond to concerns about area mangroves in stating that cutting these mangroves was under the jurisdictional authority of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/101456175/document2011-05-05-105331-2] On Oct 6th, 2011 project proponent, Victor Contreras wrote the Culebra Conservation and Development Authority, referencing permit numbers allegedly issued from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources on June 29th, 2011, to cut these mangroves. No copies of the permits issued were attached. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/111064613/Porto-Baia-a-ACDEC-2011] This letter also referenced a case number from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (049-284-05-300.) The case number was generated from a letter from US Fish and Wildlife Service, recommending a wetlands delineation be completed for the property. This USFWS letter was dated January 5th, 2005, and indicated copy to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, albeit responsible individual not specified. This letter should have been on file with your agency at the time of our first FOIA. [http://www.scribd.com/doc/111082763/USFWS-Porto-Baia-2005] This hotel cannot not be built at this site without cutting and filling the red mangrove sanctuary. Related Links NYT Green Blog: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/defending-a-sanctuary-with-paint-and-song/ Proposed Site: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=lCMf1QgMl2g&feature=share&list=UUNAaeKZUDzGDKDhQ_P8JsIQ Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/defiende-santuario-de-mangle-rojo-en-culebra-pr Univision: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI61xZy-6IA Mary Ann Lucking Director CORALations PO Box 750 Culebra, Puerto Rico 00775 c. Noel Acevedo

http://36ohk6dgmcd1n-c.c.yom.mail.yahoo.net/om/api/1.0/openmai1351134291362&app=36ohk6dgmcd1n&mailver=neo&crumb=vQquF7RCDLA

Page 1 of 2

10/24/12 11:07 PM

Videos By puertoricocoralation | 1 video

Watch

Reply to publicmail.cesaj-cc@usace.army.mil

Send Send

http://36ohk6dgmcd1n-c.c.yom.mail.yahoo.net/om/api/1.0/openmai1351134291362&app=36ohk6dgmcd1n&mailver=neo&crumb=vQquF7RCDLA

Page 2 of 2