Oscar Canizares, a former Jesuit priest, who spent his life teaching Dominican students about their natural resources, because as he said, “you can only defend what you know.” He organized the excursions as Camping Tours. Canizares had vowed to fight against the hotel development of Bahia de las Aguilas, a biosphere reserve area and very ecologically fragile part of the Jaragua National Park that was coveted by several foreign investors during past governments. Tourism Minister is leading a hotel development effort in the area, where ecologists and leaders of the Dominican tourism community feel should be banned for hotel construction. The ministry held a weekend presentation on the proposed development. The ministry hopes over 3,500 rooms by winter 2006.
Canizares was 60 years old when he died of a heart attack on Saturday, 23 April while taking a group of students through Barahona on the way to Bahia de las Aguilas. Adriano Miguel Tejada, executive editor of Diario Libre, editorialized on Monday: “He denied fighting for his belief, like the true warriors, those for whom there is no defeat because they always look ahead to to great battle, that one that one never wins, but never loses.”
http://www.clavedigital.com.do/Secciones/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=4514
http://www.soeci.org/txt/oscarcanizares.html