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Greetings, B3 Friends.

Ahhh, the joys of modern technology. Split between California, CT and the DR we can all pretend that we are sitting in the same slide show. The following pics and information relate to my recent visit with Domingo Abreu in the Pomier Community. The goal of the trip and meetings was to hammer out some specifics regarding our projects in which the participants will be participating, accommodations and feeding the masses.

In outline form, I intend to address the following themes in regards to our summer camp alternative:

I. Service Projects

• A. Area background
  
• B. Service to Community: Pomier Community of Maria Lorenza Street
  
  • i. Construction of Model Home
    
  • ii. Completion of Community Center
    
• C. Service to Environment & Culture: Pomier Anthropological Reserve
  
  • i. Cave Number One
    
  • ii. Other Caves
    
  • iii. Entrance Area to Cave Number One / Park Office
    
  • iv. Lawn Area on Approach to Park Office
    

II. Practical Logistics Assuming Temporary Camp in Pomier

• A. Living Area
  
• B. Dining Area / Kitchen
  
• C. Meeting Area

Area Background

Lest we forget, located in Borbón, in the Province of San Cristóbal, the Pomier Caves Anthropological Reserve is the only protected area specifically conceived to preserve an underground ecosystem, and is the most important prehistoric heritage in the West Indies.

It comprises over 6000 prehistoric paintings and some 500 rupestrian engravings. For that reason, a series of international experts have judged El Pomier to be as important for the Caribbean Basin as Egypt's Pyramids are for the Middle East or the Altamira and Lascaux caves are for Europe. Only in Cave Number One there are 590 pictographs, a figure that exceeds the total number of rupestrian manifestations in the Greater Caribbean.

The caves were declared a National Monument in 1969. They were further protected under a presidential decree that designated all culturally or naturally Dominican caves as National Natural Heritage. An act in 1993 incorporated the caves to the Dominican System of Protected Areas under the National Park Directorate and the area has been successively known as the Pomier Caves Anthropological Reserve. Two protection areas were established then, comprising thirteen caves. These areas were then expanded to include all the 37 caves discovered in the ongoing research works in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Such research was funded by the United Nations Development Fund (1994) and by the John D. & Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation (1995-1996). Such expansion was enforced by and Act in 1996 and includes sections of the Nigua river, in an attempt to save it from mining.

To make a long story short, mining has seriously destroyed several caves and indigenous art and artifacts of irreplaceable value have been lost forever.

This is what the area looked like before mining damage was first reported in 1955.
I can give you many, MANY specific examples of destruction to caves by mining despite their "protection" under the law.
The bottom line is that very few people know the importance of what is in the Pomier Reserve.
As long as no one brings this amazing area to the attention of the DR government and world, the caves, their art, past cultures, and the Pomier community are in danger of being lost forever to mining.
All of these picture are of areas that are less than 500 meters from the National Park office and the Pomier community.
The Prehistoric Capitol of the Antilles is (in brief) a project put forth by a number individuals from a variety of backgrounds to create a sustainable educational and tourist destination that protects the anthropological treasures of the Anthropological Reserve and the subterranean aqueduct supplying San Cristobal with water and bring jobs and a future to the poor of Pomier.
Our projects are divided into two major groupings: Service to Community and Service to Environment & Culture. This is a picture of Calle (street) Maria Lorenza where our to proposed community service projects are to take place.
Closer up, the Calle Maria Lorenza is to be the Main Street of the Prehistoric Capitol of the Antilles.
Lots of smiling faces. Great people. There are no less than 6 community organizations working in support of the Prehistoric Capitol of the Antilles. I was astounded when I asked a 9-year old boy what his neighborhood was called. He answered, "Pomier, but we want to change the name to Prehistoric Capitol".
Part of bringing to life of the proposal is the creation of a planned community with stone-laid streets, solid and intelligently constructed attractive homes, central water, and other important infrastructures. Our principle community service project will be the construction of a model home, currently in design by a team of architects. The area next to this blue house is where the model home will go.
Between this rooster and the shack behind him is another angle of the same spot where the model home will be constructed.
Across the street from the model home parcel is the unfinished community center. Finishing construction on the community center is our second community service project.
Construction appears to be halted, but, in fact, it is in process...in the Dominican sense. The community gets donations or pulls some money together, and the construct a little bit more.
This sign "advertises" that the committee for the town festival has been working on the community center (and deserves some credit).
We will also have several ongoing projects within the protected areas of the Anthropological Reserve.
These first 6 pictures are all of Cave Number One (containing 590 pictographs) which was rehabilitated at the government's expense as part of the Prehistoric Capitol of the Antilles project.
As you can see, it is truly amazing. Unfortunately, with the change in administration, the project was halted. The doors have never officially been open to the public.
It is only through our connections with Domingo and National Parks that I have been able to take groups into the area and get these pictures.
Cave Number One was rehabilitated, and then left. We will use this cave a lot for programing and teaching. Our service projects will include a lot of cleaning and touching up as nothing has been done since the project was halted.
I have some great ideas for recreation with the kids, beginning with shutting off all of the lights and having them explore the entire cave in the dark...or maybe with a small candle.:)
I believe that a total of 37 caves have been discovered at this point throughout the protected area. They are all within walking distance of the National Park office, which will serve as our HQ. Some caves are longer walks than others.
This is the Cueva del Coral also known as Cueva del Chivo (Cave of the Goat). Enormous, and has, interestingly enough, pictographs from a different population than we mostly find in Cave Number One.
Cool stuff.
Many of the discovered caves are vertical. We can talk about the possibility of doing technical training with the kids to descend and ascend vertical caves for exploration and work.
These are flash pictures of other caves within the park. Only Cave Number One has been rehabilitated for the public with lights and pathways.
As we have talked about, we will have two archeological digs. One will be inside of a cave in search of links to their ceremonial uses. The other will be outside of the caves in search of links as to the way of life of the populations using them.
This is the National Park office. The entrance to Cave Number One is located about 100 meters to the left of the building. Environmental projects include gardening and beautifying the entrance area.
This is the porch of the Park Office. Currently the office is not staffed by a National Park Guard. There are 6 rotating, local watchmen.
The large lawn in the next picture below is the same that you see in the background of the group in the right. This picture is taken from the Park Office porch.
There is a proposed wall that will run from the park office (where this pic is taken) straight through the center of the lawn to protect the protected area. Projects include building the wall and beautifying the area within the wall.
Same lawn. A baseball field is temporarily being constructed as I write this on the lawn. Homebase is at the far end of the field. Outfield ends about even with the tree.
There are two other proposed areas for a baseball field close by. We might chose not to build the wall, just so we can play baseball this year. Alternatively, we could add building a baseball field to our community service project list.
Accommodations. Down to meat and potatoes. The only viable accommodation option in a hotel is in San Cristobal about a 20 minute drive. The driving time doesn't bother me, but the expense of that transfer does a little bit. Assuming that we set up a temporary camp, we have two proposed areas. First choice is in the area to the left of the park office including where the bus is parked there. Hey, you might recognize that bus and its driver!
My idea is to level the land and put a firm foundation down with good drainage, then fence it in with a chain link fence. Our tents would go inside the fence. The fenced in area is for sleeping only. We have two enormous generators big enough to run small cities to supply us electricity. The park office has bathrooms with toilets, urinals, and sinks. We would need to construct showers (before arrival) and my thought is that they would be permanent and a donation to National Parks. This picture on the right is of a hill behind the park office. Beautiful.
Something like these are my idea for accommodations. They are not the quality that you were looking at, but they are nowhere near the expense either. I am looking at trying to do all of our construction and purchases to make up for not having a hotel or city near by for the same price as we had budgeted for accommodations initially. To make these more comfortable for the kids we can put them in groups of 4 in them instead of 6. These also come in a 3-room 9-person size.
Here is something I think is cool. In the background, behind me and Domingo, are 4 structures: abandoned rooster fighting club, dance floor with thatched roof, an empty shack, and a small store/bar. This picture is taken from the area where the bus is parked above next to the park office. The dance floor is where our tables and dining area will go. The store/bar is a completely closed and secure area attached to the dance floor than can be converted to our kitchen.
Can you imagine group meetings in here when it has been cleaned up a bit?! I love it!
Just to make life interesting, behind the dining/cooking/meeting complex is a rooster raising farm. There is an afternoon excursion right there!

So, I am sure that I have brought up more new questions than answers to our old ones. My ideas are in brief above, and (perhaps) more thought out and of more substance than they appear. A couple things need to be done from this point from my perspective:

1. You all and BOD come up with some feedback, approvals and disapprovals on everything touched on above.
2. I need to see the budget if you have made any changes to the DR ground expenses with the raising of the program enrollment fee.
3. We need to agree on exactly what kind of infrastructure we need at our temporary camp. (I, for one, think heavy consideration should go into the construction of B3/4T headquarters that includes private housing for me and for you. I love camping, but don't need to live in a tent for 2 months.)
4. I need to put real costs with our ideas for infrastructure needs for temporary camp and the same for our service projects.
5. We need a visit from you.

I sincerely look forward to hearing from you all. I hope that we can get some work done before Christmas.

Adios from the Caribbean.

Richard

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