Greetings!
In 2004 Kenyan political and environmental activist, Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces human rights. In this month of Earth Day, here on St. John where the Park is so much in and of the community, I am reminded of her commitment to both planting trees and nurturing the rights of women as a model of sustainability. Protection of natural and cultural resources can only succeed if it engages and feeds the hearts and minds of people.
Please join us for a panel discussion on what it means to be a conservationist in the Virgin Islands on April 15 with a cross-section of Virgin Islanders passionate about protecting our place and building a healthy future. This panel conversation kicks off our Earth Day activities including beach cleanups, a fair for schools, a community plant giveaway, and tree planting. Please join us in this celebration of Earth.
Since 2015 Friends has been supporting Virgin Islands National Park in monitoring and protecting sea turtle nests along its shores. Today the program has a robust group of well-trained volunteers and Friends expert coordinators who are leading research in collaboration with other sea turtle protection programs in the Caribbean and internationally. Be sure to read the 2023 season report including an update on the fascinating photographic identification work being done in Maho Bay.
I was reminded at a recent community dinner for seniors that Friends hosted, how much the beat of multiple drums is a metaphor for the work we do individually and collectively to make the world we live in both sustainable and beautiful. Many thanks to all of you for supporting the work we do as well as conserving, protecting and preserving your beautiful corners of our planet.
Warmly,
|
|
Tonia Lovejoy
Executive Director
|
|
Sea Turtle Season 2023 Report |
|
|
|
The 2023 nesting season began with the first documented nest on June 20th, 2023, and concluded with the final confirmed nest being excavated on March 10, 2024. 2,491 green and hawksbill hatchlings made it to the sea!
Learn more by reading the 2023 season report that provides a comprehensive representation of the program’s initiatives to protect endangered sea turtles including volunteer-based monitoring, nest protection, research, and education outreach.
|
|
Please join Friends of Virgin Islands National Park's 15th annual Earth Day celebration! The 2024 theme is Growing For Tomorrow!
|
|
|
|
CONSERVATION CONVERSATION PANEL DISCUSSION
April 15 | 10AM
What does it mean to be a conservationist in the Virgin Islands? Protecting our place and building a healthy future.
Join our esteemed panel as we explore the various lenses that we each bring to the field of 'conservation' and to highlight the common priorities and values we share in the field of conservation of resources in the Virgin Islands, and/or recognize differences, and discuss them.
|
|
|
|
BEACH CLEANUPS
April 20
Every plastic bottle, every straw, every piece of trash we clean up can lead to a cleaner, healthier ocean.
Join Friends for a cleanup at Drunk Bay on Saturday, April 20. The meeting point for this cleanup is Salt Pond parking lot at 9am.
Or join any one of the other beach cleanups that will take place across the island.
|
|
|
|
EARTH DAY FAIR
April 22
The Annual Earth Day Fair for St. John and St. Thomas school students focuses on learning how to work and live sustainably in the Virgin Islands. Taking place on Monday, April 22, the Fair kicks off with a Litter Stomp Parade lead by VI Waste Management’s Litter Critter with a pizza party prize for the class in each school with the most creative Litter Stomp Crew. Booths at the fair hosted by community organizations, businesses, and UVI students cover subjects as diverse as coral reef protection, Cruz Bay history, birds, plants, turtles, recycling, and mangrove protection. This event includes a Junior Ranger Award ceremony, and recognition for the waste management workers.
|
|
|
|
COMMUNITY PLANT GIVEAWAY
April 24
Every tree planted is an investment in tomorrow. Twice a year, Friends holds a Community Plant Giveaway to encourage the planting of trees and plants across the island.
Please stop by on Wednesday, April 24 at the National Park Visitor Center pavilion in Cruz Bay between 8am and 10am to find the perfect plant for your yard!
|
|
|
|
TRAIL VOLUNTEER TREE PLANTING
April 23 & 25
Walk up trails volunteers on Tuesday and Thursday during Earth Week will be planting!
Over the past 4 years, the Friends organization supported by Virgin Islands National Park, local horticultural experts like Eleanor Gibney, countless volunteers, and generous donors has cultivated and planted over 1,000 trees on our North Shore beaches to replace vegetation lost to storms, help increase soil stabilization and prevent erosion!
|
|
Scholarship Applications Open |
|
|
|
The future of conservation on St. John resides in our youth. We are focused on building a pipeline of concerned and engaged citizens starting with School Kids In The Park (SKIP) and Learn To Swim programs through scholarships, summer job opportunities and internships.
We offer two scholarship programs to St. John High School seniors or undergraduate students studying in a field that contributes to natural and cultural conservation: the Noble Samuel Scholarship and the Jeffrey Matheny Scholarship.
|
|
Summer Trail Crew Applications Open |
|
|
|
The Friends’ Summer Trail Crew is an 8 week program from June 10 to August 2, 2024 that provides a professional job opportunity to Virgin Island high school students (ages 15 to 18) interested in conservation.
This is an opportunity for students to gain professional experience, develop leadership skills, work outdoors as part of a team, and learn about Virgin Islands National Park.
|
|
Power Swim Registration Open |
|
|
|
Registration for the 2024 Beach To Beach Power Swim has already gone over the half way mark so be sure to register today if you would like to participate in this awesome open water swim!
Every Memorial Day weekend, swimmers take to the beautiful waters in Virgin islands National Park on St. John to raise funds for kids swim programs, marine conservation, education outreach and more! One of the most beautiful swims in the world, the Power Swim includes the beaches of Maho, Cinnamon, Trunk and Hawknest.
|
|
|
|
OWNERSHIP OF STJ'S CANEEL BAY PROPERTY IS STILL IN DISPUTE
Virgin Islands Daily News recently provided an update on the lawsuit between the Federal Government and EHI regarding ownership of the former Caneel Bay Resort property on St. John.
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
Family owned and operated, St. John Hardware has been an integral part of the island community since 1994. Their support of Friends of the Park includes sponsoring the swim caps for the Annual Beach To Beach Power Swim, donating gift certificates for our Gala auction, and volunteering on the sea turtle nest patrol team. Stop by and check out the turtle nest count blackboard they have outside the store in The Marketplace! We thank them for their support!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
