End Of Year Appeal
To All Of Our Incredible Supporters:
Imagine coming to a clearing in the green canopy of trees along the Reef Bay Trail–an endless horizon appears and you sigh in awe at the extraordinary array of blue hues shimmering before you.
That feeling of awe is shared among Friends donors like you who recognize that the natural and cultural beauty in this world is worth protecting.
Artifacts found on St. John teach us that the Arawak-speaking people known as the Taino lived in Cinnamon Bay, Coral Bay, Caneel Bay and Lameshur Bay as far back as a 1,000 years. Today you can see their stories encrypted in the petroglyphs down the Reef Bay Trail where students and visitors come to learn and find meaning in this outdoor classroom. Giving life to the past and the future allows protected lands to ensure that generations to come can discover the same sense of awe we experience today.
From the beauty of the ecosystems found uniquely on St. John to the inspirational stories of human endurance, there is so much to be protected here in Virgin Islands National Park.
During the last months of the summer the Friends take a necessary break from clearing the park’s 27 miles of trails before starting up again in November. Trail clearing includes removing invasive species and replanting natives including coastal planting to address erosion. Over the past four years, over 1,000 trees have been planted on north shore beaches. Each plant has a tale to tell and a history of medicinal, cultural, and natural use worth conserving and recording.
Similarly, our Sea Turtle Protection Program includes research that captures the stories of the green sea turtle population in Maho Bay. Each turtle has a unique facial scale pattern and 357 encounters have been photographed since 2016 identifying 83 unique turtles. 64 individuals have been documented more than once and three turtles have been residing in these waters for over seven years. This fascinating research also allows the team to observe factors such as tumor status, growth, changes in pigmentation, and wounds. Protecting these endangered species has to happen now.
When it comes to protecting natural and cultural resources in a rapidly changing world, education coupled with action is the key. This past year we reached 1,252 students through our School Kids In The Park and summer programs, facilitated 200 seminars, hikes and events, helped 2,491 sea turtle hatchlings make it to the ocean, and planted 146 trees whose shade we may never know!
More local businesses got engaged and helped with fundraising and more people, like you, donated and became members. I want to keep this momentum going, don’t you?
We are already leaders in creating meaningful volunteer opportunities, through our Trail Management and Sea Turtle Monitoring and Protection programs, but what if we could help create more job opportunities in our park?
The Next Generation Ranger Program is one of the new initiatives our park is launching with the Friends help. The impact of having a pipeline of conservation job opportunities available to island youth is huge and we are thrilled to share this program as an option for youth like our summer trail crew and our scholarship students.
Thank you for sharing our love for Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. We hope you will consider donating again this year, big or small every gift counts.
I am so grateful for Friends supporters like you. Together we can keep sharing the awe that is found in our park.
Warmly, Tonia Lovejoy, Executive Director
