2008 Seminar Series

Interested in learning more about St. John’s natural and cultural wonders from the experts?  Would you like to have a marine biology lesson while sailing, kayak through mangrove lagoons, or learn to weave a bag out of recycled materials?  Now you can!  Friends of the Park offers a variety of educational seminars every year to increase public awareness and enjoyment of the Park!

Experts in these disciplines volunteer their time to Friends of Virgin Islands National Park as a fundraising effort.  Field seminars range in price from $20 – $75 for members, $25 – $80 for non-members and last from two to six hours.  All proceeds are a donation to the Friends.  Call 779-4940 to pre-register, space is limited.

January

January 16, Wed, 9:30 am- 1:30 pm – Reptile Hike – Search for reptiles along the Reef Bay Trail with reptile expert Dr. Renata Platenberg, and enjoy a boat ride around St. John’s south shore back to Cruz Bay.    
    Meet: Nat’l Park Visitor Center
    Bring: Lunch, water, and sunscreen
    Seminar fee: $40 (members) $45 (non-members)
    Max group: 20

January 19, Sat, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm – Green Building House Tour – Tour beautiful island homes exhibiting components of alternative, eco-friendly building/living with St. John builder and one of the founders of Island Green Building Association (IGBA), Doug White . Part of the proceeds goes to support IGBA.
    Meet: Sun Dog Café, Mongoose Junction to carpool
    Seminar fee: $25 (members) $30 (non-members)
    Max group: 20

January 23, Wed, 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm – Full Moon Hike – Hike to the top of Ram Head and explore the southernmost point of St. John with park ranger Don Near.  Learn about the fascinating natural and cultural history that exists there.
    Meet: Salt Pond Trail parking area
    Bring: Water, snack, bug repellant, and flashlight/headlamp
    Seminar fee: $30 (member) $35 (non-member)
    Max group: 20

January 26, Sat, 10:00 am- 3:00 pm – Archaeology Boat Trip I – Set a course through prehistory with park archaeologist Ken Wild while visiting St. John’s shores by boat.
    Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, water, snorkel gear, and sunscreen
    Seminar fee: $70 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 18

January 27, Sun, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm – Marine Biology Boat Trip I – Snorkel the underwater treasures of St. John’s reefs with a NPS marine biologist aboard the classic power boat, Cinnamon Bay
    Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, snorkel gear, and water
    Seminar fee: $70 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 27

January 30, Wed, 9:00 am- 3:00 pm – Beach Cat Adventure Sail – Enjoy a wet and thrilling ride aboard a Hobie Getaway, as you sail to Congo and Lovango Cays and discover the history and ecology of the area from nature guide Han Winogrond.
    Meet: Cruz Bay Dock
    Bring: Snorkel gear, sunscreen, hat, water, and lunch
    Seminar fee: $75 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 8

February

February 2, Sat, 9:00 am- 1:30 pm – Native Plant Hike – Hike with Dr. Gary Ray, botanist and plant ecologist, on the Cinnamon Bay Trail and learn about St. John’s rich and fascinating communities of native plants.
   Meet: Cinnamon Bay Amphitheater
    Bring: Binoculars (if you have them), plenty of water, lunch/snack, and bug repellent.
    Seminar Fee: $30 (member) $35 (non-member)
    Max group: 25

February 3, Sun, 9:30 am- 12:30 pm – Eco Weaving – Learn to make lovely woven bags from discarded plastic grocery bags with teacher and artist, Idalia Scimeca. 
   Meet: St. John School of the Arts
    Bring: scissors and crochet hooks (if you have them)
    Seminar fee: $25 (members) $30 (non-members)
    Max group: 12

February 9, Sat, 9:30 am- 3:00 pm – Coastal Ecology – Circumnavigate St. John with VINP’s Chief of Resource Management Rafe Boulon, and learn about the mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs that fringe our island’s coastlines.
   Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, water, wading shoes, and snorkel gear
    Seminar fee: $70 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 30

February 16, Sat, 12:00 – 2:00 pm – Afro-Caribbean Drumming – Join master drummer Eddie Bruce and learn basic entertainment and ritual drumming techniques of West African and Afro-Caribbean cultures. 
    Meet: St. John School of the Arts
    Bring: a drum if you have one
    Seminar fee: $20 (member) $25 (non-member)
    Max group: 20

February 23, Sat, 10:00 am- 3:00 pm – Archaeology Boat Trip II – Set a course through prehistory with Park Archaeologist Ken Wild while visiting bays along St. John.
    Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, water, snorkel gear, and sunscreen
    Seminar fee: $70 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 18

February 24, Sun, 9:30 am- 1:00 pm – Pastels Workshop I – Learn the technique of pastels as you create tropical landscapes at Caneel Bay under the instruction of renowned local artist Livy Hitchcock.
    Meet: Caneel Bay parking lot
    Bring: Water and wear old clothes (art supplies included)
    Seminar fee: $70 (members) $75 (non-members)
    Max group: 6

February 27, Wed, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm – Seed Bead Jewelry – Join park ranger Deanna Somerville and learn to make necklaces out of collected island treasures – seeds from local plants.
    Meet: Cinnamon Bay Restaurant, T’ree Lizards
    Seminar Fee: $25 (member) $30 (non-member)
    Max group: 20

March

March 1, Sat, 10:00 am- 4:00 pm – Kayak the Mangroves of Hurricane Hole – Kayak with Arawak Expeditions through the Coral Reef Nat’l Monument, stopping to snorkel in the mangroves and seagrass beds.
    Meet: Skinny Legs restaurant, Coral Bay to carpool
    Bring: Snorkel gear, water, and sunscreen (lunch included)
    Seminar fee: $65 (members) $75 (non-members)
    Max group: 12

March 1, Sat, 9:30 am-11:30 am – A Glimpse into St. John’s Past – Travel to back time with Guy Benjamin as he shares memories of his youth in the early 1900s when only a couple hundred homes existed on St. John and donkeys were still the mode of transportation.
    Meet: Flamingo Club, Coral Bay
    Seminar fee: $25 (member) $30 (non-member)
    Max group: 15

March 2, Sun, 9:00 am- 1:00 – Botanical Hike – Local botanist Eleanor Gibney will lead you on a botany hike on an old estate road through the recently preserved Estate Maho Bay.  Explore this lush terrain, learning about St. John’s native plants.    
    Meet: Nat’l Park Visitor Center to carpool
    Bring: Binoculars (if you have them), plenty of water, lunch/snack, and bug repellent.
    Seminar Fee: $30 (member) $35 (non-member)
    Max group: 25

March 8, Sat, 7:30 pm- 9:30 pm – Stars and Their Stories – Relax lie back and let astrologer and mythologist Kelley Hunter guide you through the constellations of the night sky. 
    Meet: parking lot of Peace Hill
    Bring: Flashlight, binoculars (if you have them), and a blanket
    Seminar fee: $20 (member) $25 (non-member)
    Max group: 30

March 9, Sun, 9:30 am- 1:00 pm – Pastels Workshop II – Learn the technique of pastels as you create tropical landscapes at Caneel Bay under the instruction of renowned local artist Livy Hitchcock.
    Meet: Caneel Bay parking lot
    Bring: Water and wear old clothes (art supplies included)
    Seminar fee: $70 (members) $75 (non-members)
    Max group: 6

March 15, Sat, 12:45 pm- 3:30 pm – Sea Turtle Sail – Sail the Castaway Girl II to Buck Island, St. Thomas with park ranger and turtle specialist, Christy Loomis, and swim with the many green and hawksbill turtles that make Buck Island their home year round.
    Meet: Charlotte Amalie Waterfront at 12:45pm
    Bring: Sunscreen, hat, and your swimsuit (snorkel gear included)
    Seminar fee: $55 (member) $60 (non-member)
    Max group: 30

March 16, Sun, 10:00 am- 3:00 pm – Marine Biology Sail II – Snorkel the underwater treasures of St. John’s reefs with a NPS marine biologist aboard the catamaran, Calypso.
    Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, sunscreen, and water (snorkel gear included)
    Seminar fee: $70 (member) $80 (non-member)
    Max group: 27

March 29, Sat, 10:00 am- 12:30 pm – VINP Archive Tour and Slideshow – Join VINP museum curator, Susanna Pershern, on a private tour through the Park’s archives stored in the Bally Building, and a slideshow of historic, and rarely seen images. 
    Meet: Nat’l Park Maintenance parking lot
    Seminar fee: $30 (member) $35 (non-member)
    Max group: 8

April

RESCHEDULED due to weather
April 2, Wed, 9:30 am- 3:00 pm – Coral Reef Boat Tour – Snorkel areas along St. John’s shoreline with USGS marine ecologist Caroline Rogers and learn about the corals found in VI waters.
    Meet: Nat’l Park Service dock
    Bring: Lunch, water, snorkel gear, and sunscreen
    Seminar fee: $65 (member) $75 (non-member)
    Max group: 20

April 5, Sat, 9:00 am- 1:00 pm  – Day out East – Join NPS ranger, Laurel Brannick, on a hike and snorkel off Yawzi Point, followed by lunch at VIERS in Lameshur Bay.
    Meet: VIERS
    Bring: Swim suit, snorkel gear, sun screen, and hat (lunch provided)
    Seminar fee: $40 (members) $45 (non-members)
    Max: 20

April 6, Sun, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm – Traditional West Indian Cooking – With the help of Ms. Joyce Sprauve you will learn hands-on how to prepare some traditional West Indians dishes, such as roti, pate, and johnny cake.
    Meet: Entrance to Julius E. Sprauve School, Cruz Bay
    Seminar fee: $25 (member) $30 (non-member)
    Max group: 15

April 9, Wed, 9:00 am- 11:30 am – Snorkel Tour – Snorkel the reefs off Caneel Bay with snorkel guide Lucile Portlock, and have someone on hand to familiarize you with St. John’s marine creatures.
    Meet: Caneel Bay parking lot
    Bring: Swim suit, snorkel gear, and water
    Seminar fee: $30 (members) $35 (non-members)
    Max group: 10

April 12, Sat, 9:00 am- 11:00 am – Garden Workshop – Garden with Irene Patton, and take part in a basic, hands-on gardening discussion on the pleasures and challenges of gardening in the semi-arid climate of St. John .
    Meet: Irene’s home (call the Friends for directions)
    Bring: Gloves, a hat, water, and closed toe shoes
    Seminar fee: $20 (member) $25 (non-member)
    Max group: 10

Kids 12 and under receive 50% off!  (Except on boat trips)

Cancellations within 48 hours of the seminar are subject to a 50% charge. No refund for "no-shows" who fail to cancel.