Shells of the Turks and Caicos Islands P2

This is the second in a series of three articles about the shells of the TCI. In the last article I looked at some of the large and showy gastropods, but in this one I will concentrate on the smaller species. However, because I am grouping the shells according to their families, and every family has its odd man out, one or two larger ones will crop up as we go along.

Costate Horn Shell

Cerith and Horn shells
Many shells in a variety of families are pointed, or spired. The commonest are the Ceriths (family Cerithiidae), which are probably the most abundant shells on the beach, but there are many other types. Very similar in appearance are the Horn Shells (family Potamidae). On Providenciales you can find tiny Costate Horn Shells (Cerithidea costata) whose brown spire is a coiled tube about an half-inch high, while another Horn Shell, the False Cerith (Batillaria minima), abounds everywhere. It and the tiny Dwarf Cerith (Cerithium lutosum) are what flamingos are straining the water for.

Wentletrap shells

Wentletraps (family Epitoniidae) are small shells, consisting of a spiral tube linked by vertical blades. Brilliant white, and about an inch long, they get their name from an old German word for a spiral staircase. They are not common in the TCI, but two species do turn up occasionally: the Bladed Wentletrap (Epitonium albidum), and the smaller Angulate Wentletrap (Epitonium angulatum).

Pryam and Auger shells

On Caicos beaches you can commonly find Giant Atlantic Pyrams (Pyramidella dolabrata, family Pyramidellidae). They are glossy white, with a brilliant yellow line revolving around the spire, but their small size (an inch at most) belies their name. The Shiny Atlantic Auger (Terebra hastata) is the only representative of their family (Terebridae) in the TCI. They are common on Caicos beaches but rather rare in the Turks Islands.

Mitre and Turrid shells

The Mitres (family Mitridae) are represented by the Barbados Mitre (Mitra barbadensis), whose chocolate or orange spire, mottled with white, rarely exceeds one and a quarter inches. The smaller White-lined Mitre (Pusia albocincta) and Beaded Mitre (Mitra nodulosa) also turn up occasionally. And then there are the Turrids (family Turridae): all small and hard to identify to species, these shells can be assigned to the Genus by a notch (called the Turrid Notch) in the outer lip at the top of the aperture.

Moon and Tun shells

Moon and Natica Shells

Moon Shells (family Naticidae) look like typical snails, and the immaculate white Milk Moon-Shell (Polinices lacteus) is one of the commonest shells in the TCI. The larger Colourful Atlantic Natica (Natica carena) is the same shape, but is gaudily patterned in shades of brown and white. In a family of its own (the Tonnidae) the Atlantic Partridge Tun (Tonna maculosa) is a snail with a delicate, inflated shell that feels like a fine wine glass. They usually have a brown pattern, said to resemble a partridge’s wing, but deep water specimens can be a uniform chocolate in colour. This shell is common on beaches in sizes of up to one inch, but on rare occasions big specimens of up to six inches can turn up.

Nerite shells

Another group of snail-like shells is the Nerites (family Neritidae), which live on rocks at, and above, the high-water mark, where they graze on algae. The commonest is the Four-toothed Nerite (Nerita versicolor), but the one which is a favourite with everyone is the Bleeding Tooth Nerite (Nerita peloronta), so called because the inner edge of its aperture is toothed and stained blood red. The Tessellate Nerite (Nerita tessellata), at about three-quarters of an inch, is the smallest of the trio of the larger Nerites.

There is also a trio of small Nerites, each of which is astonishingly beautiful. Virgin Nerites (Neritina virginea) live on filamentous seaweed in muddy pools. They are glossy and brightly coloured in a multitude of exquisite patterns, no two of which is ever the same. Their cousins, the Zebra Nerites (Puperita pupa), live on rocky shorelines in splash pools above the high-water mark, which are kept full by the spray from waves. Their exterior is patterned with black and white stripes, but the aperture is a startlingly rich yellow. The bright green Emerald Nerite (Smaragdia viridis) makes up the trio. It lives on Turtle Grass, from which it may get its unusual colour, and its tiny shell (less than a quarter of an inch) is common on beaches which fringe grassy beds.

Periwinkle shells

The Nerites which live on the tide line share their habitat with the Periwinkles, which take their family name, Littorinidae, from the Latin word for seashore. They range in size from the tiny Dwarf Brown Periwinkle (Littorina mespillum) up to the Angulate Periwinkle (Littorina angulifera), a relative giant at one inch. In between is the small Zebra Periwinkle (Littorina ziczac), whose half-inch grey shell is covered with zebra-like stripes in black and brown. The Prickly Periwinkle (Nodilittorina tuberculata) and the enigmatically named False Prickly-winkle (Echininus nodulosus) check in at about three-quarters of an inch. The slightly larger Beaded Periwinkle (Tectarius muricatus) strays so far above the tide line that it is well on its way to becoming a creature of the land, following in an evolutionary trail taken by the ancestors of land snails and slugs many millions of years ago.

Top shells

The Top Shells (Trochidae) include the large West Indian Top Shell (Cittarium pica), which has long been a delicacy in the region under the local name of whelk. In life, the colouration of its boldly striped black and white shells is often obscured by the same algae that it browses on as it crawls over the rocks on which it lives. Under those rocks, and belonging to the same family, you can find the flattened spirals of the brightly coloured Smooth Tegula (Tegula fasciata) and its duller cousin, the West Indian Tegula (Tegula lividomaculatus).

Star and Turban shells

Star and Turban Shells do not look much alike, but they are members of the same family, the Turbinidae. Representing the Turbans in the TCI, and shaped just like their name suggests, are the Chestnut or Knobby Turban (Turbo castaneus) and the larger Channeled Turban (Turbo caniculatus). Both are well named, for the former is chestnut coloured, with white markings, and is covered with little knobs arranged in spirals around the shell. The latter is a mottled brown and white, with a marked channel or groove following the suture where the coils of the spire join.

The name of the Long-spined Star-shell (Astraea phoebia) is also a good description of the shell itself, which is flattened with projecting spines, which give it a star-like appearance (although some think they look more like circular saw blades). The carved Star Shell (Astraea celata) has a more conventional shape, but its robust shell is covered with spiny projections. It is common on the reef, but in life its wonderful mottled green colour is obscured by chalky encrustations. The American Star-shell (Astraea americana) looks more like a round pyramid, as its spire is high and straight-sided. Last and also least is the tiny Star Arene (Arene cruentata), whose small white shell, candy-striped in pink and brown, can sometimes be found under rocks.

Whelk shells

The whelk family (Buccinidae), well-represented in northern waters, has only four representatives in the TCI, none of them large. The biggest is the Miniature Triton’s Trumpet (Pisania pusio), a brown shell of about two inches, decorated with a spiral of chevron markings. The Tinted Cantharus (Pisania tincta) is half the size, and its well-ribbed shell is mottled brown and white. The half-inch White-spotted Engina (Engina turbinella) is circled by white knobs, and has a pink aperture, with pronounced teeth on the inside of the lip. Equally small, but less stubby, the Intricate Bailey Shell (Bailya intricata) has a high spire decorated with a filigree of raised ribs and intersecting lines.

Dove Shells

Dove Shells (family Columbellidae) are well represented in the TCI. The small Common Dove Shell (Columbella mercatoria) is abundant on beaches fringing grassy lagoons, where its sturdy shell survives a long time. It is the largest of its family in the TCI, although several smaller species also occur, including the aptly named Glossy Dove Shell (Nitidella nitida) whose half-inch shell is brown with a pattern of white blotches. The spots on the White-spotted Dove Shell (Mitrella ocellata) are more discrete, and their brown background darker and richer, which makes for a tiny jewel of a shell. Less well-known, but quite common, is Pyrene ovulata, which looks a bit like a small brown cone shell. Similar in size and glossiness, but of a different family, is the Oat Marginella (Hyalina avenacea). As its name suggests, it resembles an oat grain, and is a pale orange, fading to white on the beach.

Other tiny shells

There are many other tiny jewels to be found on the beaches of the TCI. Hidden amidst the grains of sand you can pick out minute Checkered Pheasant Shells (Tricolia affinis, family Phasianellidae), whose plump little spires of glossy translucence are covered in zigzag stripes of pink and yellow. Two members of the Planaxidae can be found in sheltered lagoons. The Black Planaxis (Supplanaxis nucleus), is a shiny, jet black snail of half an inch. Half its size is the tiny Dwarf Atlantic Planaxis (Angiola lineatus), a glossy white shell with revolving brown lines. The half-inch Coffee Melampus (Melampus coffeus, family Ellobiidae) is a polished chocolate brown, with two revolving coffee-coloured lines. The Variable Nassa (Nassarius albus, family Nassariidae) is a plump little white shell of half an inch, patterned with intersecting raised ribs and revolving lines. It could be mistaken for a Wentletrap, but it is rounder and chunkier. The Atlantic modulus (Modulus modulus, family Modulidae) is a flattened white spiral of less than half an inch in diameter, decorated with radiating brown lines

Limpet shells

Finally, there are the Limpets (family Acmaeidae). Their dead shells resemble a valve from a bivalve, but in fact they are primitive gastropods, although their pyramidal shells lack the characteristic spiral of the more advanced members of that class. Although the exterior of the shells is often covered in encrustations, the interior can be beautifully glossy and attractively marked by scars to which the muscles of the living animal were attached. In particular the Eight-ribbed Emarginula (Hemitoma octoradiata) has a lovely gray interior with a rich, satin sheen, while that of the Southern Limpet (Lottia antillarum) is boldly marked with a circular red scar.

In life, Limpets live tightly adhered to rocks and other hard substrates, on which they browse on algae. They share this environment with the segmented Chitons, which belong to a completely different class of molluscs, the Polyplacophora. There are also various limpet look-alikes, such as False Limpets, Hoof Shells and Cup and Saucer Shells.

Keyhole limpets (family Fissurellidae) are distinguished from true limpets by the hole at the apex of the shell. Some are attractively patterned, such as Lister’s Keyhole Limpet (Diodora listeri), with its eight rays, but this is usually concealed by heavy encrustations. As with the true Limpets, the most obviously beautiful part of Keyhole Limpets is their shiny interior. The easiest to identify, and amongst the commonest, is the Barbados Keyhole Limpet (Fissurella barbadensis). Its interior is a lovely green colour, but this fades quickly on beaches.

To be continued in Fall 2004 Times of the Islands. In the third and final article in this series, the author will deal with Bivalves, whose flat shells will be familiar to all beachgoers.

Richard Ground has been Chief Justice of the Turks & Caicos Islands since 1998, recently leaving to take up an appointment as Chief Justice of Bermuda. When not at work, his main interest is wildlife photography, with an emphasis on birds. Shells are a new departure; describing himself as an insatiable collector and cataloguer, he says it was not long before he was sorting his finds and searching for rarer and more beautiful specimens.

Story & Photos by Steve Rennie

Each winter, thousands of Canadians flee from their igloos to the sandy beaches and warm breezes of the Caribbean. In the process, they spend an estimated $30 million in the region, money that many Canadian politicians feel could be better spent at home.

With that in mind, one Canadian Member of Parliament has been looking into the possibility of creating a formal association with the Turks & Caicos Islands. Conservative MP Peter Goldring hopes to see the day when the 40-island archipelago becomes Canada’s eleventh province. “The process now is one of information, because I want to be very, very clear that this is far more than just a vacation destination for Canada,” said Goldring.

The idea is not a new one for the Turks & Caicos Islands. Historically, ownership of the Islands has passed from one country to another. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Turks & Caicos Islands are believed by some to be the explorer’s first landfall in the New World. Later re-discovered in 1512 by Juan Ponce De Leon on an expedition from Puerto Rico, the archipelago remained largely uninhabited until salt collectors from Bermuda settled on Grand Turk in 1678. The Bermudians successfully defended their settlement against a Bahamian annexation attempt in 1700, a Spanish invasion in 1710, and a French invasion in 1763. A second invasion attempt by the French in 1764 was successful, however, and the Bermudians were exiled to Haiti.

For the next few decades, Britain continued to fight with France and Spain for ownership before finally gaining control of the Islands and amalgamating them with the Bahamas. The Turks & Caicos Islands separated from the Bahamas in 1848, but were annexed by Jamaica, a British colony, in 1874. After Jamaica gained independence in 1962, the Turks & Caicos Islands once again became a non-aligned British Crown Colony. The Bahamian Governor was also governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands from 1965 to 1973, when the Islands received their own governor. Three years later, the Islands established a new constitution, and have remained a British dependency ever since.

Canada’s interest in the Turks & Caicos Islands dates back nearly a century. In 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden first suggested the idea of a union while cruising in the region. It was not until 1974, however, that NDP Member of Parliament Max Saltsman introduced a private member’s bill to annex the Islands. The Canadian government subsequently rejected the motion, but the idea of a union between the two countries continued to be a popular idea among Canadians, desperate for a place in the sun to call their own during the frigid winter months.

After Saltsman’s death in November 1985, Conservative MP Dan McKenzie took up the cause to bring the idea of a union to the forefront. In April 1986, two Turks & Caicos businessmen, Ralph Higgs and Delton Jones, joined him in a wave of national news coverage. Together, they addressed the Progressive Conservative Caucus Sub-Committee on External Affairs, chaired by David Daubney. Although a survey revealed that more than 90% of Islanders favoured an association with Canada, Daubney concluded it would be inappropriate for Canada to unilaterally institute formal talks with the Turks & Caicos Islands in the midst of the Islands’ upcoming election. Instead, the Committee recommended that Canada increase foreign aid to the Turks & Caicos Islands, while also encouraging private sector investment.

In October 1987, Ralph Higgs and Delton Jones returned to Canada and, along with Dan McKenzie and other interested Canadians, created the Turks & Caicos Development Organization, a non-profit group that allows Canadians to become directly involved in the process of uniting the two countries. Last year, Peter Goldring introduced a motion to once again investigate the possibility of forming a union with the Turks & Caicos Islands. Unlike his predecessors, Goldring claims that there is more to a union between the two countries than a vacation spot for winter-weary snowbirds.

“I’ve been promoting this in Ottawa not as the obvious, the sand and sun, but as an economic benefit and a political influence in a complete region like the Caribbean,” said Goldring. “That, in my mind, is far more important to the benefit of Canada and the Turks & Caicos than simply emphasizing the tourist aspect of it. The tourist aspect is something that I think is relatively taken care of now.”

Goldring notes that the response across Canada runs in “the high 95%,” and believes there are a number of benefits for both countries. He cites a greatly expanded economy, universal health care, ready access to post-secondary education, and lower cost of goods and services as a few of the benefits for Islanders. In addition, says Goldring, there are many benefits for Canadians.

“One of the big benefits to the Islands is deep-water port. Deep-water port brings in container traffic [and] brings in far more economical price and cost of goods and services that are imported,” said Goldring. “Also, by having deep-water port, we fully engage shipping organizations — dare I say Paul Martin’s Canada Steamship Lines, for example — and try to return the Caribbean trade Canada had a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, Canada’s maritime was a major trader in the region.”

“What this means for the Turks & Caicos is that it’s not just a destination of trade goods, it’s a port of furthering on of distribution of trade goods, which would make the Turks & Caicos a major trader in the area,” added Goldring.

One of the barriers preventing other Canadian politicians from joining Goldring’s cause is fear that talks of forming a union with the Turks & Caicos Islands will be perceived as neo-colonialism.

“It’s not annexing the Turks & Caicos, and I want to be very clear on that. The annexing kind of smacks of colonialism. This is not. You cannot have colonialism if two parties want to come together, that’s not colonialism. Colonialism is one party doing it where the other party has no choice,” said Goldring. “In this particular case, it would have to be a matching of two countries that want to join together for economic and social benefits. You would want to have a very substantial majority of both countries wanting to do so.”

For a union to take place, Britain would have to allow the Turks & Caicos Islands to enter into formal discussions with Canada. In addition, a majority of Islanders would have to vote in favour of a union.
“Given those circumstances, I talked to Governor Poston, and he said the British position [was that] if the people of the Turks & Caicos wished it and if they were partnering with a country that was able to properly assist the development — in other words, be a true partner to the country and would benefit the people of the country — then he sees no reason why England would not go along with the idea,” said Goldring.

Goldring also notes that the union could take one of several forms, from an economic or political relationship to a tri-partite arrangement with the United Kingdom. While it could also mean entry into the Canadian Confederation as its eleventh province, such a move would require amending the Canadian constitution, which is considered highly unlikely. An act of British Parliament brought Newfoundland, the last province to join Canada, into confederation in 1949. More likely is for the Turks & Caicos to join Canada as a territory, since an act of federal law can create a new territory, such as 1999′s creation of Nunavut.

Goldring, however, would rather see the Islands with full provincial status. “If they’re given territorial status, I don’t think it’s sufficient. If we look at the other territories in Canada, as wonderful as they are, they do not have external influences on politics. Mainly, it’s because they’re ice-locked for a good portion of the year with no, or few, ports of trading. You just can’t compare the two,” said Goldring. “Then, if you look at the status of the Turks & Caicos Islands, they know full well that with investment, they will develop into a strong influence in the Caribbean region, and that’s an external influence. If Canada can be part of that, starting from the get-go with provincial status is the appropriate status for it. Others may disagree, but that’s my personal feeling.”

Likewise, Michael Misick, Chief Minister of the Turks & Caicos Islands, recently declared his interest in discussing a “free association” with Canada, similar to the relationship between New Zealand and the Cook Islands. In January 2004, Goldring went on a fact-finding visit to the Turks & Caicos Islands, where he met with several high-ranking officials, including Misick and Governor James Poston. Goldring described the visit as “positive enough to know that it must be explored further,” and plans to keep looking into the possibility of a union. Liberal MP Massimo Pacetti has joined Goldring, proving that political differences can be put aside for a common good.

As the temperature creeps back up in the Great White North, talks of a union are heating up again. This past March, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin agreed to meet with Misick to further discuss the possibility of a formal association between the two nations. On April 21, Nova Scotia’s three political parties voted unanimously to invite the Turks & Caicos Islands to join the province if a union ever takes place. There’s a buzz in the air as Canadians from coast to coast become more acquainted with the Caribbean archipelago they one day hope to call home.

Steve Rennie is an honours student at the University of Ottawa. He regularly contributes to a number of newspapers and magazines and works in an editorial position at a major Canadian publisher. He has visited the Caribbean several times and has a keen interest in the region.

For nearly the past decade, “the talk” has been that North Caicos will be the next island in the Turks & Caicos chain to attract focused development. Honestly, it was hard to imagine. North Caicos is one of the most tranquil places in the country. Covered with lush vegetation that includes fruit trees, vegetable gardens and scores of medicinal plants; dotted with mysterious ponds on which flamingos roost; lined with endless stretches of windswept beach and inhabited primarily by Islanders in small, close-knit communities, North Caicos epitomized the phrase, “Beautiful by Nature.” It was a place to visit when you wanted to hear only your own thoughts. It seemed untouched by time.

That’s why I was so surprised when Phillip Misick, general manager at Prestigious Properties and a native of the aptly named “Garden Island,” told me, “North Caicos is now the best investment in the Turks & Caicos.” His sentiments were echoed by other realtors, who explained that prices for land along the island’s shores had skyrocketed in the last 1 1/2 years and, in some cases, demand has already outstripped supply.

Pumpkin Bluff Beach, North CaicosHow did this come about? It seems a confluence of several key factors led to the formation of a critical mass, starting with the sheer lack of residential waterfront property in Providenciales and the high cost of the few remaining parcels. Misick explains, “Although residential beachfront property in North Caicos has already reached $400,000 to $1.1 million/acre, with commercial property running at $200,000 to $300,000/acre, this is still about 25 to 50% of what buyers can expect to pay on Providenciales. Stamp duty on transactions is only 3%, compared to 9.75% on Provo. Purchasing land on North Caicos was the logical next step.”

Part of the reason was its proximity to Provo: North Caicos is a short (and scenic) 20 minute boat trip from Leeward; less than 10 minutes by air from Providenciales airport. And with paved roads connecting the major settlements of Sandy Point, Whitby and Bottle Creek, power supplied via underwater cable from Provo, and worldwide telephone and Internet services available, North Caicos was poised to be discovered.

Nathan Smith, sales associate at Coldwell Banker Turks & Caicos, believes that he and a handful of other realtors played a role in the change. “In early 2002, it seemed that development on North Caicos was a long way in coming. But we started making an effort to bring buyers over to North and let them see for themselves that there were options beyond Provo. By late 2002, we saw a strong interest in the Pumpkin Bluff subdivision and things really caught on from there.”

Dee Agingu, sales executive at Horton Realty, is another realtor who believed in North Caicos, adding that the subdivisions created by developer Jim Gillette and associates encouraged her clients to feel more comfortable with making an investment there. She explains, “With paved roads, underground power and other amenities on site, these planned subdivisions made future development seem a more likely possibility and allowed buyers to feel less isolated.”

Others agree that Florida developer/builders Jim Gillette and Dale Piergiovanni, recently joined by W.C. Grimsey, played a major role in the tidal wave of interest sweeping over North Caicos. From the beginning, the group had a vision of land development that included putting amenities in place first, rather than making it a responsibility of purchasers.

Their first project, Sandcastle Estates, is located on 30 acres of beachfront property in Sandy Point, across from Parrot Cay (an exclusive hideaway for the rich and famous.) Here, Gillette, Piergiovanni, and several private investors have built large, upscale homes, with another ten due for construction over the next year. The subdivision sold out quickly, with lot prices nearly doubling from 2002 to 2003.

Pumpkin Bluff was the group’s second project and another success story. Located on the northernmost point of North Caicos, just west of the Prospect of Whitby Hotel, the project encompasses 70 acres of land with 4,500 linear feet of oceanfront, and includes paved roads and underground power. Of the 41 beachfront parcels, 50% were reserved within four weeks of going to market and all are currently sold, with the last sale made at $395,000 for a lot initially offered at $279,000. One resale currently on the market is priced at $425,000. A limited number of first and second tier bluff-view parcels remain.

The third subdivision is Seaside Estates, a 70 acre planned community of 22 beachfront lots (0.75 to 1.05 acres) located west of Three Mary Cays. Besides paved roads and underground power, the site will include gazebos and basketball and tennis courts. Prices started at $350,000 for an acre on the beach and have already risen to $500,000; first and second tier lots are less, with only six remaining to date.
The group’s future projects include a proposed yacht club/marina at the natural cove at Sandy Point and a 35 acre condominium site next to Sandcastle Estates.

Other areas of interest on North Caicos include the ironshore frontage along scenic Bottle Creek. Here, according to Phillip Misick, there is already a shortage of available lots. “People who like the Chalk Sound area in Provo are drawn to sites along Bottle Creek, which offer similar views and shoreline. But there isn’t a lot of land available in this area, since much is generation land — large chunks of inherited property for which clear title is difficult to procure.”

Who are purchasing these properties? Dee Agingu believes about 70% of her North Caicos clients intend to live on the island, either as a second home or upon retirement. She says, “They’re the adventurous type who want to get away from it all and absorb the island lifestyle. They’re turned off by the condo scene on Provo and are looking for a more quiet, laid-back community.” Nathan Smith estimates that about half of his clients are purchasing North Caicos real estate as an investment, a way to diversify their portfolios. “These are people who are buying ahead of the curve, and those who do intend to eventually build a vacation home see the purchase as a lifestyle asset.”

Events on North Caicos’ water-bound horizon would seem to support a continuing escalation of interest (and land prices). The TCI Government has announced plans to extend the existing runway to accommodate corporate jets and, possibly, commercial aircraft, as well as build a new terminal. There are also plans to build a dock at Bellefield Landing to expedite transporting construction materials and goods to the island via barge, with long-term visions of a deepwater port servicing North and Middle Caicos. The ultimate goal is to someday link the Caicos Islands via roadway.

Phillip Misick is directly involved in two projects that he believes will take North Caicos to the next level. Pelican Beach Villas are six, 3-bedroom beachfront homes, each on an acre of lush beachfront property. The first villa has just been finished and, with prices ranging from $400,000 to $1,000,000, Misick says there is “significant interest” in these homes.

In the planning approval stage is St. Charles Condominiums (named after Misick’s father), located on beautiful Horsestable Beach. This project includes 70 one to three bedroom beachfront condominiums, complete with full amenities including a pool and restaurant. Construction is expected to start in September, 2004.

Besides a number of smaller hotels and condominium properties currently being proposed by local landowners, Misick also alludes to a substantial development at Moore Hall, just west of Three Mary Cays. The proposed beach club/resort will include condos, a hotel/casino, marina and golf course.

Misick and other realtors believe that once a larger population of residents has been established on North Caicos, an expanded choice of goods and services will follow.

And what do the current North Caicos residents think about the changes looming for their peaceful slice of paradise? In true pragmatic fashion, most folks, especially the younger generation, seem eager for the opportunity to work “at home,” rather than commuting to Provo and Parrot Cay as many do, and look forward to an overall expansion of economic opportunities.

But will North Caicos development remain controlled and low-impact, as befitting its natural splendor? That remains to be seen. Already, environmentalists are concerned that some of the protected nature reserves may not have large enough buffer zones built in. And can condominiums and hotels co-exist with upscale homes and rural settlements? Thoughtful, cautious development is the key; much lies in the hands of the TCI Government.

As a whole, the realtors I talked to agreed that change is likely for North Caicos within the next five years; if certain developments take place, the island could be transformed. Phillip Misick summarized it by saying, “The time is right, the foundation is laid . . . North Caicos has tremendous potential.”