Dominica, the Dark Island

Book excerpt: Shortly after gaining independence from Britain, the island nation of Dominica implemented a farsighted policy protecting most of its biologically diverse rainforest as a national preserve. Former US Park Service Naturalist Michael Tritico traveled to Dominica intent on resting from his highly stressful confrontations in Louisianas ecological wars in hope of working as a volunteer in the new Dominican Park Service. Unfortunately, and unknown to him, people allegedly working for the Ku Klux Klan had also planned to travel from Louisiana to Dominica, though their intentions were much less benign. They had a plan for capturing the island, a scheme called Operation Red Dog. Although the invaders were stopped in New Orleans, US officials had alerted Dominican authorities to be on the lookout for any possible terrorists who might have slipped through the American dragnet. Michael was faced with these bizarre circumstances immediately after landing on the island. Despite interrogations and cryptic warnings from both Dominican and American officials, he attempted to pursue his original plans, experiencing grand moments during his nine days there, such as a beautiful tour of the Indian River and the islands first nocturnal zombie hunt. In this memoir, he recalls his time on the island and reflects on what it has to offer, considering his misadventures to be a divinely orchestrated episode meant to draw attention to a potential model the island of Dominica provides.