Preparatory work has begun at the Mason River Environmental and Research Park in Clarendon, the designated site selected as the National Labour Day project. Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange made the announcement during a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank held on Friday (May 16) at the Agency’s Television Department in Kingston. Labour Day 2025 will be observed on Friday, May 23, 2025, under the theme, ‘Protect the Environment: Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future,’ and the slogan, ‘Jamaica Nice, Protect Wi Paradise.’ Minister Grange informed that members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are already on the site conducting preliminary work. “The JDF, in fact, have already established their presence on the site to do the preliminary work leading up to Labour Day. And so, we will get technical assistance from them, and they will lead with the logistics,” she said. The Minister noted that the site is being highlighted for its environmental significance, having been designated both a Protected National Heritage area under the Natural Resources Conservation Authority Act and a Protected National Heritage Site under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act. More recently, Ms. Grange said the area was recognised as Jamaica’s fourth Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. “The area is ideal to focus on when we speak of the environment and how important it is to protect our environment,” she said, adding that the site has been utilised by both local and international researchers. Work at the location will be done in three phases. Planned work will include the renovation of two cottages, one to house a caretaker and the other to serve as a research facility. Additional improvements will involve the construction of an entertainment gazebo, the development of lawn and park space for the community, installation of sanitary and bathroom facilities and the placement of a water tank. “We will create an environmental park, and we will also create an area where the community surrounding this protected area can go and enjoy the environment, as well as share in the research that will be done there,” she added.