Greetings!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thanks to your year end gifting, Friends starts the new calendar year on a high note buoyed by your support and energized by the strength and range of our programs.

After five years of stops and starts, the 2022/23 season is already in full swing with a great lineup of seminars, hikes, and boat trips for visitors and residents to experience and enjoy including the beloved Reef Bay hike; a turtle season with 20 hawksbill, green and leatherback nests hatched to date; some 750 mangroves and 300 trees planted along our shorelines; the trails crew and volunteers working hard to maintain trails and ruins; and multiple visits to the park for St. John and St. Thomas students already scheduled as part of our School Kids In The Park (SKIP) program. In addition, our Learn To Swim Saturday sessions that provide free swim lessons to our community kick off on January 21. Lifeguard training funded by Friends has already taken place and instructor training will be held on January 14.

All of this work depends on funding and one of our key fundraising events is our Annual Gala. This year this celebration of the park takes place on Saturday, February 4. Please join us for an elegant evening under the stars or have fun from afar by participating in the online auction and raffle.

Our upcoming Annual Meeting is an opportunity for the National Park Service, Friends and community leaders to deliver updates on priorities for the park. This public meeting will be held on Saturday, January 28. I look forward to seeing you there.

May your 2023 be full of health and happiness! Warmly,
Tonia Lovejoy
Executive Director
Annual Meeting
Saturday, January 28
You are invited to attend the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park Annual Meeting on Saturday, January 28 from 11AM to 2PM. This public meeting is an opportunity for the National Park Service, Friends and community leaders to deliver updates on priorities for the park. The keynote speaker will be Mr. Robert Stanton, 15th Director of the National Park Service and Superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park (1971-1974).

The event will take place at the Trunk Bay Beach pavilions. Parking is available in the gravel lot in Cruz Bay and shuttle buses will leave the lot at 10:15AM and return after the meeting is over. The event will be proceeded by a reception with light refreshments. 
Annual Gala
Saturday, February 4
Please join us for delicious food, fine wines, champagne, a cigar and rum bar, live and silent auctions, a raffle, and great live music as we celebrate your Virgin Islands National Park at this elegant fundraiser under the stars. The Gala will be hosted by David and Rhonda McCay at their home “La Vita” in Peter Bay.

If you can't attend in person, we invite you to purchase raffle tickets or register for the online auction. There are lots of great prizes to be won!
Learn To Swim Program
Learn To Swim sessions start Saturday, January 21 and will be held every first and third Saturday morning at Cinnamon Bay Beach!

Friends has offered free swim lessons to the St. John community for more than a decade! Our Learn to Swim program is designed after the American Red Cross Water Safety Course and includes beginner to advance instruction levels for all ages. Thanks to our supporters and members, Friends sponsors the training and employment of instructors and life guards.
New Friends License Plates
Friends is introducing new license plates featuring the endangered sea turtles found in our waters. These new plates replace the existing Trunk Bay plates which will expire on December 31, 2023. Per the Bureau of Motor Vehicles all current Friends plates will be invalid after that date. 

Holders must change their plates to new Friends turtle license plates or Virgin Islands plates before the end of 2023.
Things To Do In The Park
This season Friends has a full schedule of seminars, hikes, demonstrations, boat trips, and volunteer opportunities with something going on every day from Monday to Friday until the end of June 2023. Many of these events are free but still require registration. All of this information and more as well as a full calendar of events is available on our website. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to get regular reminders and updates on happenings and events!
VOLUNTEER ON OUR TRAILS
Our ability to plant trees to restore vegetation and address issues like beach erosion, as well as maintain the 27 miles of trails and 30 ruins in the park is possible thanks to an amazing group of volunteers. If you have some free time, we invite you to join the trails crew for a morning! The walkup trails volunteer program runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of June 2023.
TURTLE TALKS
Learn more about the endangered sea turtles that grace our waters and meet the team that works to protect them.
  • Maho Turtle Table: Every Tuesday 9-11am
  • Cinnamon Campground Chat: Turtle Talk: Every Monday 5:30-6:30pm
  • Unique Marine Exploration & Sea Turtle Boat Trip: Second Fridays.
CINNAMON CAMPGROUND CHATS
There is a great series of talks and demonstrations every day Monday to Friday at Cinnamon Bay Campground. Learn about history & archaeology, coral reef protection, turtles, night sky, and traditional music & crafts.

ANNABERG DEMONSTRATORS
Demonstrators of traditional cooking and gardening will be on site at Annaberg every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10AM to 2PM showcasing island breads and cakes and the nutritional and medicinal qualities of local fruits and plants.
Useful Park Numbers