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Article: Sand snatchers shrink beachers.(THE REGION)
- Article from:
- Caribbean Update
- Article date:
- December 1, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Caribbean Update, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SAND SNATCHERS SHRINK BEACHERS. Caribbean sand is disappearing as thieves feed a local construction boom. Caribbean round grains, favored in creating smooth surfaces for plastering and finishing, are being hauled away by the truckload late at night. On some small islands, towns and ecologically sensitive areas now are exposed to tidal surges and rough seas, reports AP (Oct. 26, 2008):
In Puerto Rico, thieves once mined the dunes in the north coast town of Isabela, said Ernesto Diaz of the Dept. of Natural Resources. Now they are stealing the beaches of the tiny island of Vieques (52 sq. mi). where the US military recently halted its controversial bombing ...