By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 14, 2021 — Like my Facebook friend Robbin Whachell, I am “deeply saddened” to hear about the death of Erika Gates, founder of Grand Bahama Nature Tours.
When I was editor of The Freeport News (2003-2009), Ms. Gates’ extraordinary and unrelenting dedication to the preservation to the Garden of the Groves was the subject of many articles in The Freeport News.
This was also the reason why Robbin Whachell made this comment on Erika’s death in a post on Facebook on Tuesday, December 14:
“Another person I thought who would just be here forever has now departed. I’m deeply saddened to hear that Grand Bahama lost such a treasure today — Erika Gates, founder of Grand Bahama Nature Tours, left such a legacy. From her very busy and successful eco-tourism company to her birding groups and her indelible contribution in keeping the Garden of the Groves alive after the hurricane of 2004. Here’s an interview we did (The Bahamas Weekly) with Erika in 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tIR6HVYD_0 Rest in peace you wonderful woman.”
Ms. Whachell, who now lives in her native Canada, is a communications specialist, writer and photojournalist who lived in Freeport for several years and is co-creator of TheBahamasWeekly.com. She and her Bahamian business partner, David Mackey, were pioneers in online news and marketing in the early 2000s, and Ms. Gates wrote a regular column for TheBahamasWeekly.com.
Naturally, when I read Ms. Whachell’s post, I immediately did a quick search of the Internet for some background information on Erika Gates, and came across this story published by TRAVEL WEEKLY on March 10, 2020:
TALKING WITH ERIKA GATES, GRAND BAHAMA BIRD EXPERT
ERIKA GATES IS ALL ABOUT THE BIRDS
She is a certified Bahamas birding guide on Grand Bahama Island and escorts a bird tour offered by Grand Bahama Nature Tours, one of five programs available to visitors.
She also promotes a bed & breakfast establishment for birders and nature lovers and has been involved for years in Garden of the Groves, a 12-acre botanical refuge with walking trails, plum and tamarind trees, a lagoon and many species of her fine-feathered friends.
I met Gates on Grand Bahama Island in late January. Our conversation centered on the annual Audubon bird count taken earlier that month and the first since Hurricane Dorian had ravaged much of the eastern and southern parts of the island in September.
The count took place in the west and central areas of the island from sunrise to sunset over a two-day period.
“We did not know what species and bird numbers we could expect after the habitat and environment had only had four months of recovery following Dorian,” Gates said.
Grand Bahama has participated for the past 20 years in the count, which began 120 years ago in the U.S. and now includes all of Canada, the Caribbean, South America and several Pacific islands. See complete article in TRAVEL WEEKLY at https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbean-Travel/Erika-Gates-Grand-Bahama-bird-expert
