Fmr CFD chief Bertrand Lettsome hailed as visionary leader- CFD 2011 Report
Mr Lettsome, the son of the late Legislator Terrence B. Lettsome, retired in September 2011 and made a run for political office at the November 7, 2011 elections as an independent At Large candidate
In the Conservation and Fisheries 2009-2011 Annual Report submitted to the House of Assembly on October 9, 2012, Acting Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer Kelvin Penn dedicated almost an entire page to pay tribute to Mr Lettsome, who he said had defended his post as Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer, remarkably well over the 18 years of environmental stewardship to the Virgin islands natural and human resources, "and we can say indeed, that of the Caribbean too".
The Acting CFD chief said Mr Lettsome, along with the staff, over the years really raised the environmental awareness of the people and importantly, decision makers at all levels, about trying to protect and conserve mangroves, seagrass, beaches, coral reefs, fish and other marine life for generations to come.
"Under Mr Lettsome tenure, two foundational statues for the better running of the Department were enacted- The Fisheries Act of 1997, and its enabling arms, the Fisheries Regulations of 2003. Both pieces of legislation provided the Department with modern concepts and principles to govern fisheries and to some extent, development of the coastal zone in the Territory."
It was also stated in the report that close to his time of retirement, Mr. Lettsome worked tirelessly on a draft comprehensive environment bill which aims to address more terrestrial environmental issues, including the 'grouping' of various ad hoc environmental legislations, and additionally, it introduces the standardisation of environmental standards for the Territory, akin to the US Environmental Protection Agency standards in the United States. The bill is in draft form and is currently in review.
"Mr. Lettsome was and is a leader who brought vision, growth and direction to the Conservation and Fisheries Department over the many years. It is sad to see him go into retirement, and the staff and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours. I must say though, that I feel an injustice by being constraint to dedicate only these few lines about him for his many years of service."
Mr Penn said himself and Mr Lettsome are alma mater of Hamshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts of the United States and as such, both share a philosophy of 'freedom' in leadership style and 'sponge' depository mentality in the quest for knowledge. He also said he hopes to continue in Mr Lettsome's footsteps on certain ways, but feels, and has expressed to both Minister, Dr. the Honourable Kedrick Pickering, and new Permanent Secretary, Mr Ronald Berkeley-Smith, that the Department needs to be in a production driven mode at this time.
Mr. Penn concluded his report by stating that Mr Lettsome's mantra, "as the environment goes, so goes the BVI", continues.
Meanwhile, Mr Lettsome was earlier this year contracted by Government as a consultant in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour to provide advice to Hon. Pickering on several issues including the East End/Fat Hog's Bay Harbour Development Project and the expansion of the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport runway at Beef Island.
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17 Responses to “Fmr CFD chief Bertrand Lettsome hailed as visionary leader- CFD 2011 Report”
Washasha X did some great stuff for the BVI environment, he has been a real hero in some realms. But in others there are questions. While Mr Penn saying how great this BVIslander was for the islands, let the critics air their concerns, too. What's wrong with that?