2/4/23, 8:32 AM Gmail - UXOs discovered at Playa Flamenco?

CORALations Culebra <coralations@gmail.com>

UXOs discovered at Playa Flamenco?

1 message

CORALations Culebra <coralations@gmail.com> Sat, Feb 4, 2023 at 8:32 AM

To: "Cubero-Deltoro, Wilberto SAJ" <Wilberto.Cubero-Deltoro@usace.army.mil>, terrance long
<terrance.patrick.long@gmail.com>, Ruperto Chaparro <ruperto.chaparro@upr.edu>, Ariel Lugo <aelugo1234@gmail.com>,
Edwin Hernandez-Delgado <edwin.hernandezdelgado@gmail.com>, Lourdes Feliciano <culebramarine2@gmail.com>,
Reserva Canal Luis Peña <culebra.reserva.natural@gmail.com>, Nicolás Gómez <nicolas.x.gomez@gmail.com>, "Ricardo J.
Colón Rivera" <rcolon@drna.pr.gov>, Daniel Rodriguez <Rodriguez.Daniel@epamail.epa.gov>, "Guerrero, Carmen"
<Guerrero.Carmen@epa.gov>, Silmarie Padron <Silmarie_Padron@fws.gov>, Felix Lopez <felix_lopez@fws.gov>, Scott
Edwards <Scott_ed24@gmail.com>, Bianca Graulau <bgraulau@gmail.com>, Ethel Rios <ethel.rios1@upr.edu>, Kathy
Gannett <kbg00765@gmail.com>, Ismael Guadalupe Ortiz <viequerito@gmail.com>, Eric Thomas
<ericulebra@hotmail.com>, Kerry Kehoe - NOAA Federal <kerry.kehoe@noaa.gov>, LOLA Costanera
<lolacostanera@gmail.com>, Ricardo Laureano <ricardolaureanopr@gmail.com>, Arrecife Islaverde
<pacolopez11a@gmail.com>, "Coalición Restauración Ecosistemas Santurcinos (CRES)" <crespuertorico@gmail.com>

Dear Mr. Cubero-Deltoro: 

There is a rumor circulating around town that military artifacts were recently discovered around one of the tanks at Playa
Flamenco. 

This email is for the record, such that it is, since the US Corps of Engineers has done away with the Culebra RAB at that
point in the clean-up where public participation became relevant.  

We are requesting more information on this just as we have been requesting more information on the large trailer (WWII
artifact?) that was being used as a tourism destination on Culebrita, and appeared to be designed for transporting UXO
and appeared to be holding UXO.  

While you wrote you were investigating that, we never received any more information and that was after follow-up. 

As we know, you have your protocol.  We know also Culebra does not enjoy the same oversight even as Vieques clean
up.     
And hopefully, as you know, 
if you keep our comments and emails for the record, we have our mounting concerns, not the least of which are the more
frequent in-water detonations that follow time-critical removal protocols allowed to disregard environmental concerns
like area coral reefs, fish, listed sea turtles and marine mammals.  Environmental impacts from in-water detonations
have been our stated concern since the beginning when Ellis environmental presented a failed magnetometer study done
using Culebra UXO clean-up funds at the first public meeting about the clean-up. 

Never has the Corp responded to the question, will they be able to bless this island as clean at the end of this clean-up
spending? Never. 

In a past Flamenco detonation,  we were told we could not have any prior information prior to detonation due to security
concerns, however, another local org was informed and released that information to the public  - without any apparent
security concerns.  While we are grateful for any information shared to the public and by anyone regarding this,  it is worth
it to note the person who shared the info had just constructed a 150ft long illegal (not permitted by US ACE) pier, they
rented the use of to US Army Corps of Engineers "clean-up" contractors.  ACE received a permit application, which was
withdrawn and took no action on the huge and lucrative pier constructed in critical habitat waters on critical habitat
designated sea grass in Ensenada Honda.  

The last detonation (that we knew about ) took place in Tamarindo Bay, near corals and sea turtles.  This is the heart of
the Luis Peña Channel, Natural Reserve Area.  Based on the size of the explosion it obviously was not a live munition. 
The time-critical removal team apparently was confident enough to relocate it underwater to shore, but still in the water for
detonation.  The discarding PVC container that apparently held the explosive pack was found on the beach.

As you know, water is much denser than air and if suspect munitions are determined safe enough to be relocated
underwater, then we would like to see them relocated to land before harming more marine life.  

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=bf7a11e4c1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a%3Ar3128975826119125395%7Cmsg-a%3Ar3580739199527523585&si… 1/3
2/4/23, 8:32 AM Gmail - UXOs discovered at Playa Flamenco?
Years ago we showed photos of areas of Cayo Luis Peña heavily littered with UXO and it was determined they were all
harmless hollow flare rounds.  If this protocol was in place then, there would be nothing left there, not that there is much
left there in terms of live reef anyway. Corals are in cascading collapse.  

As this "clean up" moves into decades of what can only be assumed to be significant federal spending, we see trends that
increasingly ignore our concerns in the record regarding in-water detonation, and less and less transparency with those
organizations and persons with stated concerns, and no ethical conflicts. 

We repeatedly expressed concerns regarding the blanket application of Recognize Retreat and Report approach, as small
munitions often do not appear as munitions as they become encrusted in calcium carbonate, and can therefore not be
"recognized."   We were made aware of a report by US Navy that indicated NO accidents have happened with UXO on
Culebra and Vieques.  This is not true.  A little girl was burned by a white phosphorous munition, unrecognizable as a
munition that cracked on the ferry dock and sprayed the white phosphorous on her abdomen.  She was allowed to board
the ferry after a visiting officer (common on our island)  informed her family it was likely a firework because he himself did
not know about the possibility of UXO on Culebra beaches. 

The record has to show our org raised concerns at almost every meeting back a decade or so now, for better response
and control of munitions discovered, as past munitions discovered resulted in the leaders with UXO clean up asking locals
to photograph when that itself could be dangerous.  

Once I was asked to photograph and given the amount of money going into this clean up I refused.  I later saw photos of
people standing on the underwater suspect bomb, as the response to the munition on the beach drew the attention of the
general public and then the authorities for whatever reason left the demarcated area attracting attention unguarded. 

Agreements with the Corps regarding the educational kiosks required at Playa Flamenco are no longer kept and at one
meeting about beach construction and development when raising concerns about UXO, we were told directly by current
managers "we don't want to talk about the bombs."    While I'm sure nobody wants to talk about the bombs we have to talk
about the bombs to protect these waters that enjoy multiple federal critical habitat designations. 

Had that munition's recent detonation at Playa Tamarindo been live, it would have concussed sea turtles and more corals
that frequent the area and less than a few meters away from where that detonation took place. 

These waters have multiple critical habitat designations and yet for reasons we cannot fathom the Corps is allowed to
move things without meaningful public participation.

When the Corps had a RAB, the public was told repeatedly their input was not meaningful until that time in the protocol
that required it.  One community co-chair resigned stating he felt the meetings were pointless.  The resignation letter must
be in your records and was very strong.  This was Juan Romero.  

When the clean-up protocol reached the point that required input, and after one well-attended and very memorably
insulting public meeting,  the Corps determined there is no interest in the public RAB despite the repeated interest
CORALations expressed, over and over and over again.  There are also professionals from the university engaged that
would visit the island for the meetings.  We are happy to attend the agency meetings at our own cost.  

How could anyone expect this low-income, traditionally underserved, environmental justice community to be
eager to attend these meetings after the US military bombed them for 7 decades? Despite this meetings were
always well attended even if people did not want to be on the rab.  Now there are NO public meetings period? 

This is obscene.  If you kept a record of our communications (as I did) the record reveals social justice concerns with the
protocol you keep falling back on, that cannot be legal. 

This is to ask for information regarding the discovery of the latest UXO(s) and we respectfully expect a response and
update on that Culebrita artifact as well.  

Thank You, 
-
Mary Ann Lucking 
Director 
CORALations 
P.O. Box 750 
Culebra, PR 00775 
www.coralations.org   
787.556.6234     
email:  maryann@coralations.org, coralations@gmail.com

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=bf7a11e4c1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a%3Ar3128975826119125395%7Cmsg-a%3Ar3580739199527523585&si… 2/3
2/4/23, 8:32 AM Gmail - UXOs discovered at Playa Flamenco?

 
Trabajando con comunidades del Caribe para proteger y restaurar
sus arrecifes de coral.

<<><<<>>><>> 

Working with Caribbean communities to protect and restore their coral reefs.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ik=bf7a11e4c1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-a%3Ar3128975826119125395%7Cmsg-a%3Ar3580739199527523585&si… 3/3