By Rosemary Parkinson, Freelance Writer 
FROM THE time the sun peeks over the mountains and spreads its amazing rays over the land, until the last flickers of golden light from the Negril sunset fall beneath the horizon, Royal Palm Reserve is there for you to enjoy and become one with nature.
Climb the lookout tower where bird watchers or photographers feast their eyes for hours. I became gloriously entangled in this world of huge tall morass Royal Palms (Roystonea princeps -- endemic to Jamaica) their shadows touching the water filled with pretty Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes). There is also Wild and Bitter Tobacco, Bullrushes (yep, the same kind that baby Moses was placed in), Sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), Giant or Crab Thatch Ferns (Acrostichum aureum) growing some 8 feet tall in areas.
Wicker Vine, Wild Pine, Wiss, Silk Cotton trees reach 90 feet into the sky. Logwood, Anchovy Pear, Clammy Cherry, African Tulip, Crab Eye Tree, Fig Tree -- even the Poui tree -- bloom gorgeously, bringing a touch of flashy colour to the scenario.
Insects like Dragonflies and Damselflies flit in between the butterflies while Bald Pate Doves fly safely all year round -- no hunting here. There are also Herons, Mallards, The Great Egret and, let's not forget, the West Indian Whistling Duck (which is almost extinct because of our thoughtlessness). There are birds, frogs, lizards and turtles. In fact, there is so much more that I would rather that you make the effort to visit and see for yourself.
Take your friends. Teachers, organise school trips. Embrace nature, breathe the fresh air and behold the glory of God.
Remember, the theme of the Royal Palm Reserve: "It is important to conserve the morass, in order to protect our way of life and our environment." The specific lesson here is that the morass is important to people and nature.
If you cannot make the trip, take a look at these photographs and make up your mind to do something positive against
pollution -- any pollution.
God wears pyjamas but He does not sleep.
MORE ABOUT SWAMP
ROYAL PALM FOREST
Residents of Negril are sitting close to the second largest (6,000 acres) freshwater wetland system in our island with a dominant feature called the Swamp Royal Palm Forest -- a 150 acre grove of endemic and magnificent flora and fauna that is a joy to the eye.
Here's the shameful part: Some insensitive hotels and members of the public dump rubbish of all type -- from cars to engines, old fridges to stoves, and cans to plastic containers - right into this wetland system. It seems that some people do this because they do not believe that God placed this heaven on earth for us to simply enjoy -- not to destroy.
Others, it appears, are misguided in the hope of gaining a little extra land -- a little extra wealth without considering the horror of the pollution that is slowly created. Encroaching on the wetlands and blasting it with unnatural pollutants may soon have this blessed site barren and dry -- destroying the beach (already being eroded) and the reefs and killing the fish. The elements of nature work in conjunction and cannot cope with people's insensivity.
Where will we be when we destroy what God has given us? No tourism, no jobs. Simple. Oh, I forgot, we might all be dead before that time anyway because guess what, water is stored in the morass during the rainy season. During the dry season this water keeps our springs full -- one such spring is in Logwood, the source of Negril's water supply.
Ah well.
So maybe we can do this simple thing and change our way of thinking when we experience what the Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust is looking after with every little last breath it has -- The Royal Palm Reserve.
How to get there:
Going toward Negril, just
after Little London, look carefully for the sign on your right.
Follow the road until you
pass the entrance and drive up to the pretty wooden structures that house the office, toilets, a look-about offering refreshments and a little 'museum'.
Follow the boardwalk through the various areas. Stop and read the information on well-appointed signs
OPENING HOURS & COST:
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
J$500 or US$10, plus an
extra US$5 if you fish.
A visit to this blessed site helps to fund further protection... maybe a philanthropist will consider
making a donation for its future.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust
Negril Community Centre
Westmoreland, Jamaica
Phone: (876) 957-3736
Fax: (876) 957-4473
