Volume 7 Issue 3Volume 7 Issue 3
Friends has recently upgraded the donor and member database giving us better control over our mailing process. If you are still receiving a hardcopy of Tidings in the mail and would prefer to be advised by email when the latest newsletter is posted on the web, please send a note to newsletter@friendsvinp.org and we will mark your record accordingly. This will save postage dollars and volunteer hours which can be applied more productively toward our program objectives. |
January 21, 2001: The Friends’ Annual Meeting will be at Cinnamon Bay. All are welcome. Meet the Park’s new superintendent, find out who will be the Volunteer of the Year and hear of our successes over 2000. Additionally, listen to the wisdom of our guest speaker, a distinguished friend and marine biologist, Dr. LaVerne Ragster of the University of the Virgin Islands.
January - April 2001: The Friends’ weekly seminar series is right around the corner. We will be offering many of the old favorites like West Indian Cooking, Guided Snorkel Adventures and Coastal Ecology, but also planning new interactive classes, such as Glassblowing and Pit-fired Pottery. This will be a spectacular seminar series. Watch for details at www.friendsvinp.org.
We have long recognized that a major threat to the resources of Virgin Islands National Park is the development of the many inholdings of privately owned property within Park boundaries. The Friends is now positioned to acquire land that protects the Park. (full story...)
Eastern National Monument, a NPS cooperating agency, will take over sales and visitor services at Trunk Bay. The Friends will continue to recruit volunteers who staff the kiosk and will enjoy revenue from sale of hats and t-shirts. This shift comes after the NPS reviewed regulations.
Current members of Friends of the Park are eligible for a 20% discount on lodging at Maho Bay Camp for stays May 1 through Dec 15. If you’re a new member or renewed your membership in the past 18 months, you’re current. Visit www.friendsvinp.org for more info.
In October, I traveled to Bali, Indonesia, to attend the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium, which drew 1500 participants from 52 countries. Held every four years, the symposium presents the latest research on coral reefs. I presented three research papers on the preliminary results from the Virgin Islands National Park’s coral transplant project; the impact of nutrients from African dust; and the scientific basis behind a proposed Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Park. (full story...)
New Virgin Islands license plates were launched in October as a fundraiser for the Friends. As soon as the press release hit the streets, the phones started ringing off the hook. The daily newspaper’s front page photo drew calls from all over the Virgin Islands. We knew they would be popular, but the media attention gave sales a huge boost. (full story...)
We’re pleased to announce that Mr. John King will assume the position of Superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park in December. (full story...)
Our most important numbers are in. This year, an astounding 3,178 volunteers gave over 22,000 hours of volunteer service to the Friends’ projects in the Park. Look at what these extraordinary people have accomplished:
 | Produced 16 stage productions of Island Spirits at Cinnamon Bay; |
| Collected data and photographed coral each month for the coral transplant research project; |
| Helped raise $37,000 at our Preserve the Past Gala; |
| Staffed our information and sales kiosk at Trunk Bay; and |
| Lent their hands at the Cinnamon Bay Archaeology Dig. |
Without the dedicated time and energy that each individual contributed, many of our projects would not have been possible. Thank you and keep up the great work!
Volunteers help at Cinnamon Bay.
The Friends is one of 5,000 environmental organizations across the nation that lobbied Congress for passage of the comprehensive Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA). (full story...)