Greetings!
Discovering the quiet blessings bestowed by the early morning light are a bonus for the 80 volunteers who monitor St. John's beaches during sea turtle nesting season, which has just begun. Moments like this one (featured in the photo above) on Trunk Bay beach serve as a reminder of the privilege of being witness to nature's beauty!
Just in time for public schools opening, last week wrapped up our summer programming. In total Friends provided more than 140 youth with swim lessons and educational field trips and maintained miles of trails with our youth trail crew over the past 8 weeks.
We know that by providing these opportunities for VI youth to get to know and love their Park we can open doors to college, career and beyond. So, we thank you for your support as we invest in the next generation of park stewards!
This month also welcomes Acting Superintendent Scott Simmons to his new post. Over the next few weeks we will work together to set our philanthropic goals, allocate tight resources, and plan for programs and projects coming in the new season.
Again, thank you for being a member of the Friends of VI National Park. Together we are our Park’s best friend.
Warmly,
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Tonia Lovejoy
Executive Director
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SUMMER TRAIL CREW
Summer Trail Crew is a 6 week summer job opportunity for Virgin Island high school students ages 15 to 18 that aims to nurture the next generation of environmental stewards! This year the 10 person crew included 7 returning members who have participated in the program before. Trail Crew Leaders, Aaliyah Hodge and V’Kesha Adams led Omari Mark, Jack Oram, Kemoi Thomas, Alexia Brookes, Tumayah Bartlette, Cordell Abraham, Aleja Meade, and Maxim McMahon. What an inspiring group! Thank you to all of them for their hard work.
In all, the crew spent 1,620 hot sweaty hours working on trail maintenance, ruin preservation and plant restoration projects. The program learning sessions included First Aid, resume building, and natural resources like frogs, sea turtles, and lion fish, often in conjunction with the NPS Youth Conservation Corps which focuses on NPS job skills development.
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JUNIOR OCEAN EXPLORERS (JOE)
We love this new addition to the Friends summer lineup! Students in grades 3-6 spent the week at Cinnamon Bay Beach learning swimming, snorkeling, and water safety techniques, as well as diving into marine science and art projects. JOE is a collaboration between faculty at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service (VIMAS) and Friends to bring a successful and well-established program on St. Thomas and St. Croix to St. John.
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LIFEGUARD TRAINING
Congratulations to 12 new certified lifeguards! Their American Red Cross Training was funded by Friends with instruction provided by St John Rescue and Pedro Altieri of Total Aquatics Swim School in PR. These lifeguards will be employed in our Learn To Swim program.
Friends believes that everyone on our island should be able to swim. More than a safety issue being able to swim opens up a world of joy above and below the water as well as employment opportunities in the tourism and marine industries and in areas like marine research and conservation. Thank you to our supporters and members who make it possible for us to offer free swim classes!
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Sea Turtle Nesting Season |
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August 1 marks the beginning of peak hawksbill nesting season, and we are excited to have 8 incubating nests already.
In addition, the Sea Turtle Protection team wrapped a busy summer program of youth education and outreach. Collectively we can help protect our endangered sea turtle population by not touching turtles and keeping a distance of at least 6 feet, using reef-safe sunscreen, and disposing of trash properly particularly single use plastics like bags and straws.
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News From The Park: Change Of Leadership & Caneel Bay Update |
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SCOTT SIMMONS APPOINTED ACTING SUPERINTENDENT
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CANEEL BAY UPDATE
The NPS has announced the completion of the Caneel Bay redevelopment and management environmental assessment (EA), outlining plans to restore commercial overnight accommodations at Caneel Bay and continue a long legacy of hospitality and conservation. Conclusions are outlined in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) decision document. In response to public input, the selected Alternative B identifies planned future use areas zoned for hotel lodging, public beach access, conservation, NPS interpretation and programming, and potential community and/or partnership spaces within the Caneel campus.
MOORING FEES ONLINE
To protect fragile coral reef and sea grass beds within the Park, the Friends worked with the National Park Service to install over 200 moorings to make it an anchorless park with only three permitted anchorage areas. Mariners can now pay mooring fees online by downloading the recreation.gov mobile app at https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app, and then using the mobile app to scan the QR codes which are located on all of the overnight mooring fee pay stations that are located throughout the park.
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We are clearing the decks in the Park Store! Lots of great items are on sale! Visit the National Park Visitor Center and Store in Cruz Bay (Mon-Fri 8:15-1:30) or shop online.
Proceeds from our retail sales support our mission to help protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources of the park.
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Community engagement is key to our ability to protect and preserve our park today and tomorrow. We would not be able to do the important work that keeps our Virgin Islands National Park thriving for visitors and residents alike without the generous support of local businesses. This new spotlight section will highlight a business that regularly contributes to support programs that protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources in your park. |
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Salty Daze's support of Friends is a family affair. They regularly generously donate boat trips and more to raffles and fundraisers, offer discounts to Friends members, and have been a Beach To Beach Power Swim medal sponsor for a few years. In addition, owner Kate, her mom Kathryn, and the kids all take part in the Power Swim. Magnolia (age 7) and Azalea (age 5) are some of our youngest participants! Gus is only 2 1/2 but we hear he is working on his strokes and will soon join the family in the water. Extra shout out to Magnolia who donated $800 to the playground fund last year that she raised creating and selling stickers.
Thank you Salty Daze for your generosity and support!
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