This year's efforts to enhance the value of the unique beaches of the municipality of Miches have been an example of integration and empowerment. It evidences the spirit of dialogue that must exist between the different actors that impact tourism, and that we want to bolster through Playa Arriba Beach Rescue and Administration Committee and our work to preserve Costa Esmeralda and Playa Limón. It is the kind of efforts that we want to promote in Montaña Redonda, our main tourist attraction. Implementing a collaborative work model is not easy, because each person has their own recipe to make things work; However, when collective interest is put above individualism and we focus our energies on working to improve, and when each person puts on how much or little they have to achieve the objectives of an entire community, then the future of Miches as World class sustainable tourism destination will be a guarantee.
In Playa Arriba, we worked together with the Management Committee from the first days of February, in the planning and organization of the recovery actions of the beach. By arrangement of the mayor Federico Bencosme, and under the direction of Leo Amador, began by sawing and removing the large trunks that the river had dragged during Hurricane Maria, last year. Immediately after, the work of general cleaning and leveling of the dunes was carried out.
In this part we must recognize the great contribution of Yonattan Mercado, Administrator of Protected Areas in Miches, during this cleaning and rescue process. With his advice, we managed to minimize the impact of work on the beach. For example, we have been able to protect the vegetation during cleaning works in an increasingly efficient manner. Only with this measure, the quantity and the quality of the sand have improved substantially, and it no longer looks like a pavement, but it is loose and pleasant.
As a second step, following the recommendations of our great friend Demetrio (Haicy) Santana, we decided to install banks and tables available to local and foreign visitors. For Saturday, March 24, we had an excellent closing of the day of beach cleanup to which the entire community was summoned. We also take the opportunity to maintain the Green Points where the trash cans are located, which has been very effective in reducing the amount of garbage on the beach.
Another achievement of the Management Committee of Playa Arriba has been to have a space for free parking outside the 60 meters of coastline. This measure manages to restrict the passage of motor vehicles through the dunes, and thus prevents the compaction and chemical spillages of automobiles that are absorbed by the sand and pollute the sea. The large space for parking was not enough for the number of vehicles during the days of greatest visitation, an indicator that shows us that the process of development and tourism growth of Miches is undeniable and advances fast.
In Costa Esmeralda the formula is already known. Since 2013, Tropicalia and Fundación Tropicalia have been coordinating the clean-up of just over a kilometer of the coastal front. Since that same year, along with the Municipality of Miches, the Municipal District El Cedro and the local office of the Ministry of the Environment, free parking was enabled and the beach was marked with awareness messages on solid waste management and vehicular traffic through the dunes.
For this Spring Break, a temporary parking space with space for 200 additional vehicles was enabled. With the support of the Dominican Navy and the director Cornelia Maldonado of the Municipal District of El Cedro, the cleaning work was completed, including enabling shady areas under the coconut trees that are found along the entire beachfront. After the cleaning work, temporary bathrooms were installed.
The work of recovering the road to Costa Esmeralda was the great news so far this 2018. I witnessed the great work done and the commitment of Cornelia (Nana) and Juan Bautista (Javeh) to advance the filling and compaction work. Similar work was carried out in Playa Limón, with the indispensable support of El Cedro Ecotours.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the commitment and willingness of law enforcement bodies: José Castillo (Gongora) and his Civil Defense team, who led the Spring Break operation; Colonel Mesa, in charge of the National Police in Miches, and his team; Mayor Reyna and the CESTUR team; and the Captain of Corbeta Rocha, of the Dominican Navy, together with his team, especially the Commanders of the Detachments in Miches and Costa Esmeralda.
