Greetings!
How joyful is the photo above of Gifft Hill School fourth graders celebrating getting their free annual pass to visit more than 2,000 federal recreation areas with their families, classmates, and friends? The "Every Kid Outdoors Program" is an interagency collaboration between the Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Forest Service that enables fourth graders to explore, learn, and recreate on public lands. It creates crucial connections to these lands and inspires a future generation of stewards.
Like this program, much of what we do exemplifies the importance of collaboration and the power of the collective. This month we highlight the importance of working together to protect our ocean, marine life, and coral reefs during our “Ocean Week”. Eleven island organizations and individuals have signed up to organize beach clean ups on Saturday, October 21. I invite you to get dirty with us, and collect marine debris on a beach or a waterway near you!
In addition, there is an awesome line up of virtual seminars on sea turtles, parrotfish, mangroves, and coral restoration for you to tune into during “Ocean Week”. Likewise, our October membership drive continues the marine protection theme and includes a sea turtle adoption certificate and the opportunity to win a beautiful turtle necklace as we celebrate a total of 17 nests laid on St. John so far this season.
Like our School Kids in the Park program, the importance of investing in our youth is the driver behind our scholarship programs. Friends is happy to announce that we are providing support to seven undergraduates studying fields related to natural resource protection and preservation.
You can register today to participate in Paddle the Park, or plan your next vacation by registering for the Villas for the Park auction. Your support for everything we do makes a difference in our small corner of the world. Again, thank you for learning, growing, and engaging with us!
Warmly,
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Tonia Lovejoy
Executive Director
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Ocean Week Seminars & Beach Cleanups |
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Ocean Week is an opportunity for us to collectively focus on protecting our ocean, marine life, and coral reefs!
Virtual Seminars
🌊 Sea Turtle Research | October 16
🌊 Sedimentation Impacts on Yellowtail Parrotfish | October 17
🌊 Rescue to Reef: A Novel Partnership for Coral Restoration | October 19
🌊 Mangroves Matter | October 20
Beach Cleanups | Saturday October 21
Join Friends of the Park at Drunk Bay on Saturday, October 21 at 9AM in the Salt Pond parking lot or join a clean up at another beach: Jumbie/St John Rotary, Maho/Reef2Peak, Great Cruz Bay/Cruz Bay Watersports, Trunk/340 Real Estate Co, Honeymoon/Caneel Bay Beach Club, North and South Haulover/Lime Out, Cinnamon/KATS, Hawksnest/Get Trashed, Hart Bay/Lila Uzzell, Cruz Bay beach/Low Key Watersports.
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Friends of Virgin Islands National Park is happy to announce that scholarships totaling $35,000 have been awarded to seven Virgin Island youth studying fields contributing to natural resource protection, conservation, and management at the undergraduate level. These awards fall under the auspices of the Friends’ two scholarship programs: the Noble Samuel Scholarship and the Jeffery Matheny Scholarship.
Join us in congratulating the recipients for the 2023-24 academic year!
🎓 Noble Samuel Scholarship
Ki’Janne’ Alfred (Stetson University, Florida); Sanaa Burke (University of Delaware); and Kaj Gerard (University of Virgin Islands)
🎓 Jeffery Matheny Scholarship
Caliyah Helliger (Howard University); Lyric Vacharat (University of North Carolina Wilmington); Lindsay Barr (Colorado State University); and Una Alexander (Howard University).
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Paddle The Park Registration Open |
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Join us for Paddle The Park on Sunday, November 12! Registration for the 10th Annual Paddle The Park is open! Three SUP courses start and end on Maho Bay Beach. This event is open to all ages and all skill levels so the whole family can join in the fun!
🌊Register to paddle
🌊Sponsor
🌊Volunteer
Help us raise funds for programs like turtle protection, mangrove research and restoration, and coral reef protection.
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Trails Management And Natural & Cultural Resource Protection Season Report |
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The Friends’ Trails Program runs annually from November to August and is essential to keeping Virgin Islands National Park accessible and safe. The Trail Crew performs duties such as hiking trail and historic site maintenance, native plant restoration, and trash/debris removal. Last season, the program included 470 Trail Crew Volunteers, who contributed 5,237 hours of labor towards the improvement of your Park.
This program is made possible by our members and donors, our National Park counterparts, and the dedicated hard work of our volunteers. Thank you.
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October Membership Drive & Raffle |
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October is Adopt a Sea Turtle Membership Drive Month! As a special thank you for renewing your membership or signing up before October 31, you will receive a turtle adoption certificate as well as be entered into a raffle!
The winner of the raffle will win a beautiful flat yellow gold turtle 0.75” diameter charm with a blue diamond on an 18" chain handcrafted on St. John and kindly donated by Bamboo Studio with a value of $828. A runner-up will receive an awesome canvas tote full of goodies from the Park Store that is managed by Friends valued at $250.
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Villas For The Park Auction
Registration Open
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Are you ready for a great island vacation?
Register today to see the fabulous stays you could win in this year's auction!
This year marks the 7th anniversary of our Annual Villas For The Park auction that raises funds to support programs like School Kids In The Park, sea turtle protection, and trails & ruin maintenance!
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Our thanks to the following amazing places who have already donated stays: Aahana Grande Bay Resort, Banana Tree Villa, Bananakeet, Bombalassy Villa, Catch 'n Keep Cottage, Coral Caribe Villa, Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel, Desert Rose Villa, Dream Come True, Fish Tales Cottage, Gaia's Pearl, Garden By The Sea, Just Add Rum, Lily Villa, Lime Time, Lovango Resort & Beach Club, Marketplace Suites, Mystical Mermaid, On A Clear Day, Paradise Carest, Reef Break Vista, Rainbow Hideaway, Stonehouse, Sunset Ridge Villa, The Fred Boutique Resort & Spa, The Green Iguana Hotel, The Hills St John, The Other World Villa, Villa Adagio, Villa Circe, Villa Dal Mare, and Windcatcher Lavender Hill. |
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- Trails Coordinator
- Sea Turtle Program Education Specialist
More information on these positions including job descriptions and how to apply can be found on our website.
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A federal court order was issued on Thursday, September 28, 2023 granting the United States’ motion to stay the trial concerning the September 30, 2023, expiration of the Caneel Bay Resort Retained Use Estate (RUE) as the court moves to resolve the case. The National Park Service (NPS) will comply with a federal court order and will not take steps to manage or assume possession of the property until receiving further notice from the court.
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SCHOOL LAND SWAP
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. has signed a bill into law that officials hope will start momentum towards creation of a new public school for the island of St. John. The bill calls for the exchange of land parcels between the Government of the Virgin Islands and the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Virgin Islands National Park. Now that the measure is signed, the parcel identified as part of Tract No. 02-101 Whistling Cay, Cruz Bay Quarter, will be traded for a portion of Estate Catherineberg near a mid-island border 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. Here we 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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In and on the water everyday, Low Key demonstrably shares Friends commitment to conservation. They donate $1 for every one of their diver guests, sponsor our events, donate boat trips to fundraisers, host beach cleanups on Cruz Bay beach, and every one of their snorkel bags displays a Friends snorkel tips tag that provides guidance on how to snorkel responsibly and protect coral and turtles. In addition, they donate dive vessels to CORE in support of their work to address invasive lionfish. Thank you to Ted and Kathee Kramm and Jeremy Prudhomme of Low Key Watersports for sharing our passion and for your support of the work we do.
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Save The Date | Annual Gala |
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