A cave containing artifacts stretching back hundreds of years will be incorporated into Baha Mar's new 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.
The historic site, discovered years ago when the $2.6 billion development performed a survey of the land, rests near Lake Cunningham on the resort property. After some extensive investigations, the items in the cave have been catalogued and date back to the pre-Columbus era.
According to Laura Pinder, the environmental monitor for Baha Mar, the site will be made a "point of interest" on the golf course.
"It will be part of the golf course experience," she explained. "We'll develop interpretative materials and signage. As you walk the trail of the golf course, you'll see the signs. They'll be a buffer between the cave and the course. But it will explain the history of the cave, and what is interesting about it and how it relates to the culture of The Bahamas."
The attraction is sure to make the Jack Nicklaus course one of the more unusual golf experiences in the world.
The cave is reportedly home to fragments of tools, pottery and bone.
"We'll preserve it and ensure it's not ruined," she said. "And it becomes a feature of the golf course."
Pinder insisted, however, that guests will not be permitted inside the cave. She noted it is currently home to a colony of fruit bats, further reinforcing the importance of working around the historically significant site.
The environmental officer for Baha Mar told Guardian Business a more in-depth survey was done recently, and a team was enlisted to make note of the treasures that lie within.
Maintaining the environment has been a particular concern for the Cable Beach project since the beginning, according to executives.
Back in September of last year, Gary Larson, the director of environmental affairs, announced that Baha Mar would contribute $2 million to the creation of a wildlife reserve.
The resort back outs onto hundreds of acres of untouched wilderness and wetlands.
"When I came on board here, I was very pleased to see the company's attitude towards the environment," Larson said, who served as executive director of the Bahamas National Trust for 20 years. "It's refreshing to see them not just saying so, but doing so. Often you have to beat people over the head with environment issues. But the philosophy comes from the head."
Robert Sands, the senior vice president of administrative and external affairs, told Guardian Business that the golf course actually had to be redrawn to incorporate the reserve.
Of the 1,000 acres included under the Baha Mar banner, approximately half will be considered part of this protective ecosystem.
The vision is to create opportunities for bird watching, walking jogging and enjoying the indigenous species.
Baha Mar has considered incorporating eco-tourism into its menu of offerings once the resort is up and running at the end of 2014.

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