News

Revival, Rejuvenation, Reflection – the Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary, a natural experience in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos

Published

2 years ago

March 24, 2022

Deandrea Hamilton

By Shanieka Smith

Features Writer

#TurksandCaicos, March 24, 2022 – The Wetlands of Wheeland in Providenciales used to have a more dubious reputation; known for what was not beautiful, healthy or attractive. It was once an illegal site for coal kilns, and a criminal hide-out. But that all changed about nine and a half years ago. Two nature loving individuals explored the area and found a dying natural flora; they resolved to revive it and now the Wheeland Wetlands is an eco-friendly, hiking, educational, adventure trail, boasting natural beauties and rejuvenating power.

At least that is what Charmaine Elliot tells us. The stunning 53-year-old woman, who is a picture of rejuvenation herself, hails from the Fishing Capital, the islands of South Caicos. Her partner, Kimmit Harvey, 47, is from Providenciales and together they have put in the kind of sweat equity, which has brought new life to the area.

It is fair to say that the Wetlands of Wheeland have been massively transformed and today, it is called Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary.

The lush site, hugging the northwestern shoreline of Providenciales has been cleaned up about 65 per cent. Birds like ducks and flamingos have returned in large quantities, and now it’s like a little island on an island and a home for senior citizens.

“You arrive as visitors, you leave as family,” said Elliot, in speaking to us about her earth-friendly retreat. She said Kimcha’s long-term goal is to cultivate an official bird sanctuary for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

She added, “…there will be bird walks for you to walk and bird watch.” While explaining this vision, she made mention of Central Park in New York, where there is a bird-watching area. Her dream is similar to that.

“In the Wetlands of Wheeland, there are so many birds, and we have to preserve that. The fact is, this is the only area right now within Providenciales that is actually a virgin wetland; untouched and unspoiled by the booming development in other pockets of the island and the country,” she added.

Elliot says now all the birds are coming in and the goal is to preserve this habitat. Besides the birds, Kimcha Village is also a haven for seniors.

Elliot reflects fondly on her mother, Roslin Louise Higgs-King, who died in 2018.

Her mother inspired the idea to do something for the seniors. As such, Kimcha Village has a Recreational Center, the Roslin’s Seniors Recreational Center, and it provides a wonderful escape.

“Life is not about settling, it’s about living,” she said, quoting the village’s motto as she highlighted that seniors are not old people who are done and to be discarded. She said the Roslin’s Seniors Recreation Center is proof that seniors who can take care of themselves and want to enjoy every moment of the life they still have left.

Charmaine smiled as she explained, “once you want to get active, and you want to walk and you want to get into eco-friendly and all those things, you come to Kimcha Village through the senior’s Center and you will be able to do knitting, and sewing, and plant trees and all these different things to keep you going.”

Elliot’s mother is certainly at peace given the effort being put into this noble and thoughtful retreat.

Elliot advises that on every fourth Saturday since April 2021, they host a seniors’ day. April 2022 will mark one year since starting this adventure for older residents. Motivation is found on the faces of the Seniors and their anticipation every time they visit Kimcha Village on their special day out.

“What we do is do a free day for them, they come down, we cook healthy food. We do everything off the grill, we smoke all our meats for hours with cedar wood and we take all the preservatives out of it, we cook with only Cayenne pepper, sea salt, limes, coconut oil, olive oil, all our vegetables are fresh, all our peas are fresh.”

At Kimcha Village, it is all-natural, fresh, and healthy.

These are principals Charmaine have added to her own life and has seen unwanted pounds melt away due her peaceful environment and lifestyle change in diet.

In addition to the monthly seniors day held at Kimcha Village, Elliot shared that they will now be having a fun day for toddlers every third Sunday of each month. There is no doubt this initiative will take off and be a positive, fun, healthy, and educational space for our children.

Despite all of these clear-cut objectives, there are still misconceptions about the wetlands and the Village.

Elliot highlighted that people think Kimcha Village is a restaurant and bar but said she wants people to know that is not the case. She said they are far from a restaurant and bar. The food prepared is for her nature explorers, who she said, “arrive as visitors, but leave as family.”

When asked who or what Elliot and her partner is trying to help, Elliot said the environment, the birds, and people.

Simple.

“We want to help the environment because it’s necessary to protect the environment. Climate change and all the destruction that has happened in that area; we are trying to preserve the area and try to reconstruct that and resort our wetlands to a coastal wonderland where anyone visiting can feel safe,” she expressed.

As it relates to the birds, she said, “we want to bring them back (too) because, with the birds, it’s just more beautiful. It’s the most beautiful thing you want to see or hear in the morning when you wake up… the sound of the birds and the sound of the ocean and the waves and the wind.”

For people, and more specifically, the seniors, are one of the most important aspects of this project, not only because of Elliot’s mother’s dream when she was alive, but Elliot is passionate about changing the fact that there is nowhere for seniors to go. It’s as if because they are older, they are forgotten. Kimcha Village remedies that, she believes.

“This area and this project will give them a place to actually go and socialize and be safe and be healthy. And we want to be able to use this as an educational program for the schools, the island forest, for the Turks and Caicos to learn,” she said.

This passion was not birthed in the traditional classroom setting or college lecture hall. Now, like Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary, this zeal is all natural.

Elliot reveals, when quizzed about whether formal training inspired her drive, that neither she nor Kimmit had gone through a formal system or training. The passion and education were passed down, it is a legacy of love for the natural heritage and incomparable beauties of every part of the Turks and Caicos Islands… and sharing that with everyone; young or old.

Kimcha Village Bird Sanctuary is located at 618 Quarry Road, Wheeland Wetlands, Wheeland, Providenciales.

Related Topics:#birdsanctuary #CharmaineElliot #kimchavillage #KimmitHarvey #magneticmedianews #wheelandwetlands

Up Next

Fuel not likely to go down, but one Grocer says his prices will

Don't Miss

The Caribbean Community Pursuing Latin American Development

Deandrea Hamilton

Government

US CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

Published

1 hour ago

May 20, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – The Governor’s Office can confirm that Her Excellency the Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam and the Honourable Premier Charles Washington Misick will this morning receive a US Congressional delegation, who have requested a meeting to discuss the recent arrests of US nationals for possession of ammunition offences.

The US delegation, which arrived yesterday evening, was met by Protocol officials and is due to depart this afternoon.

News

Eleven Senators, Three Governors make appeals for Leniency; Five Americans now face 12 Years in Prison

Published

2 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – US law makers are going to bat bigtime for their citizens detained in the Turks and Caicos for breach of the firearms ordinance, a congressional delegation arrived on Sunday and talk about an amicable conclusion in the controversial court matters.

Here for a meeting set to take place today, the congressional delegation is led by Senator Markwayne Mullin.

Five tourists are facing the 12 year minimum for possession of bullets, they say were inadvertently left in their checked baggage, but they can get a lesser sentence if the judge rules that it is warranted under the ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ clause in the Firearms Ordinance, newly amended and stiffened in 2022.

Eleven U.S. Senators and three State Governors have addressed letters to the TCI government beckoning for leniency in the cases of American citizens charged and detained for breach of Turks and Caicos gun laws which strictly prohibit the possession of unregistered firearms or ammunition; an infraction which carries with it a penalty of 12 years imprisonment.

It became known that at least one governor was communicating with Daleeni Daniel- Selveratnam, Turks and Caicos Governor about the unsettling situation.

J Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma appeared on television vocalizing his thoughts, calling the mandatory 12 year sentence “absurd.” His letter for leniency was endorsed by Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania and Glenn Youngkin, the Governor of Virginia.

“We humbly ask that your government – in its wisdom – temper justice with mercy and recognize that these made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent,” states the May 14th letter signed by all three governors.

Twelve days before, Senators had already expressed their dire concern in correspondence dated May 2nd.

Magnetic Media obtained that letter which 11 senators have supported; their dispatch issued to the Attorney General of the Turks and Caicos, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, KC.

Senators Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma; Robert P. Casey Jr, Pennsylvania; Mark Warner, Virginia; Tim Kaine, Virginia; James Lankford, Oklahoma; Michael Cloud, Texas; John Fetterman, Pennsylvania; Bob Good, Virginia; Guy Reschenthaler, Pennsylvania; Josh Brecheen, Oklahoma and former presidential contender, Ted Cruz of Texas boldly signed the document, with strong words for the TCIG.

“We do not discount the fact that the authorities in Turks and Caicos take the presence of unspent ammunition cartridges seriously to prioritize the safety of its civilians. However, based on our relationships and understanding of the circumstances of these American citizens, we strongly urge you to exercise leniency when reviewing their cases.”

Both letters point to the current good relationship between the Turks and Caicos and the United States as the reason to have the cases of Michael Lee Evans, 72 of Texas; Bryan Hagerich, Pennsylvania; Tyler Wenrich, 31 of Virginia and Ryan Watson, 40 of Oklahoma come to a reasonable conclusion.

Since Monday May 13, added to the four men and despite the media attention and US State Department warnings, Sharitta Grier, 45 of Orlando, Florida was arrested, sentenced and is now out on bail on near identical charges.

She is the fifth American held in recent months for the discovery of ammunition upon departure of the islands.

Grier, was on Thursday May 16 arraigned for allegedly having two bullets in her baggage; detected as she was exiting the Turks and Caicos following a Mother’s Day getaway with her daughter. By Friday, bail had been granted to the woman who is still expressing shock at the gravity of the consequences; a dozen years in a Grand Turk prison.

A week earlier, a Thursday May 8, media release by the Turks and Caicos National Security Council informed of the Attorney General’s report to the group, which included the Premier, Minister of Tourism and Governor on the nuances of the legislation, according to a recent Court of Appeal decision.

“The Attorney-General, in respect of the law applicable to the cases against US Nationals on charges relating to the possession of ammunition, confirmed that an Attorney General’s Reference to the Court of Appeal certified that where a court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge has discretion under the law, to impose a custodial sentence and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case rather than impose the mandatory minimum. The Chief Justice is advancing sentencing guidelines in this respect.”

On Sunday, Senator Mullin of Oklahoma landed in Provo, with him: “Rep. Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania; Rep. Good of Virginia; Rep. Brecheen of Oklahoma and Rep. Cloud of Texas. They have a few staff members and an escort of four marines. They will be in meetings all day. We are hoping for an agreeable resolution today,” explained a source close to the senate.

We’ve also learned that the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis may climb aboard this train in the name of reasonable justice after Floridian, Sharitta Shiniee Grier was last week charged.

On social media, Grier has opened up about her arrest.

“Once the police cuffed my leg to a chair and left me in a room by myself I started crying out to the Good Lord, saying I know you are real but I need you to move for me, right now! I need you to show me a sign that I’m going to be alright.”

Grier explains that before she could wipe away tears, “Mrs. Susan and her husband My Pop Pop” turned up, came to check on her while in police custody and are now lending her moral support.

Court correspondent Wilkie Arthur informed that during Grier’s arraignment, the courtroom was filled with some of the other Americans accused and their families; in her post, she called Ryan (Hagerich) and Bryan (Watson), both men who share a vacation villa as they await verdicts in their bullet possession matters, her ‘brothers.’

“I know it was God who placed them in my life. They have a heart of gold, just like me and I love them. We are family forever.”

It is this kind of solidarity that the defendants hope will work in their favour as their Representatives have reportedly taken advocacy to a new level; landing at the private airport in Providenciales on Sunday to – in person – make appeals on behalf of the five Americans with the hope of seeing them avoid the lengthy prison term mandated by TCI law.

News

Subject identified

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

SERVICE WITH PRIDE AND INTEGRITY

***MEDIA RELEASE***

May 18^th, 2024.

Following a police shooting incident on May 14th, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) is now able to name the deceased male subject, with the permission of the family.

The Serious Crime Unit contacted the relatives of the deceased, and formal identification has taken place, with the subject being identified as 14-year-old Antorens Dorcely, also known locally as ‘Toto’.

During this challenging time, the RTCIPF also expressed its deepest condolences to the deceased’s family, and the force will continue to offer support through our Family Liaison Officer.

In light of this incident, the RTCIPF is urging the public to show respect and sensitivity towards the grieving family by refraining from sharing any footage of the deceased on social media.

Sharing such material can cause additional distress and harm. We emphasize the importance of empathy and respect for the family’s privacy as they navigate their grief. The death of any young person is a loss to the TCI.

The RTCIPF is committed and dedicated to conducting a thorough investigation and ensuring that all aspects of the incident are carefully examined and the findings are communicated transparently to the public.

A request has been made to an external police force to conduct a review of the incident. This is a routine procedure and intended to ensure an independent and objective review of the facts. The community’s cooperation and respect during this time are essential. The RTCIPF assures the public that we remain dedicated to upholding justice and accountability.