The Friends funds, supports, and implements projects and activities that further the protection of natural resources, preservation of cultural resources, and enhancement of environmental awareness.
Each fall, the Superintendent of Virgin Islands National Park submits a prioritized list of needs to the Friends' Board of Directors. Given limitations of federal funding for the Park - it typically meets only 70% of the Park's budgetary needs - Friends' support is often the only way critical programs and activities can take place.
The Friends' Board carefully considers the projects in the Park's Support Request. Those projects that are approved, along with Friends-initiated projects that the Board chooses to undertake, constitute our annual project plan. This year, 2008, we have committed to another ambitious and challenging project plan that will contribute to making Virgin Islands National Park a model of natural resource protection and cultural preservation. This year's program is projected to cost almost $400,000.
Seminar Series:
Interested in learning more about St. John’s natural and cultural wonders from
the experts? Friends of the Park offers a variety of educational seminars every
year to increase public awareness and enjoyment of the Park! Sign up for a
marine biology sailing trip, a green building house tour, or a native plant
hike. Seminars range in price from $20 – $80. All proceeds are a donation to the
Friends.
Check out the 2009-2010 Seminar Series.
Environmental Education
•Eco-camps: Each year, approximately one hundred 8-14 year old students spend three days surrounded by Virgin Islands National Park at Eco-Camps. They study marine and terrestrial ecosystems through hiking, snorkeling and discussion. Learn more
•School Kids in the Park (SKIP): This fund is designed to familiarize VI students with their National Park through hands on learning and site visits. Mini grants are available to St. John teachers for creative classroom projects that incorporate the natural and/or cultural resources of the Park. SKIP also supports Park ranger-led field trips. Each school year hundreds of VI students experience the Park through educational visits to Annaberg Plantation Ruins, Leinster Bay for a seashore walk, or to the Reef Bay Trail. Apply for a grant or field trip
•Scholarship Fund: Provide scholarships and summer internships for two Virgin Islanders to encourage study in fields related to natural resource management. More information
•Summer Internship: An 8-10 week internship position working for the Friends of the Park is offered to university students studying a science-related field. Free accommodation and weekly stipend are also included.
•Philanthropy and National Parks Exhibit: Recently completed the construction of an outdoor interpretive display about the role of philanthropy in national parks, using VINP as a case study.
•Learn about the undersea
world of Virgin Islands National Park right on your computer. The
Friends partnered with Teens4oceans, a student group from the Kent Denver School
in Denver Colorado, to install an underwater camera in VI National Park under
the dock in Great Lameshur Bay, on the south side of St. John. The Teens4oceans
students designed, developed, and installed a fixed underwater video camera on a
cement piling at the NPS dock in Great Lameshur Bay, within VI National Park.
The hi-definition video camera rotates 360 degrees, tilts to 170 degrees, and is
remotely controlled. It is connected to computer and network equipment in the
VIERS marine laboratory near the dock. High definition live streams will be
available for visitors to the laboratory, and a public low-resolution live
stream can be seen by connecting with this link:
http://teens4oceans.org/cam-saint-john.htm
•Learn
about the Mangroves of St John. Discovering the Secret
Gardens in the Mangroves of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands By
Ann B. Tihansky and Caroline S. Rogers - When scientists peered
into the secret world of mangrove forests fringing the protected coastlines of
the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument, in St. John, U.S. Virgin
Islands, they discovered vibrant marine gardens growing there. Tucked among the
roots and shade of the red mangrove trees is a stunning and colorful array of
corals, sponges, anemones, and fish. The communities are remarkably diverse,
rich in texture, color, and number of species. The diversity of corals may be
unique among mangroves of the Caribbean.
More Information
•Learn about the establishment of Virgin Islands National Park- See the video
If you would like more information, or you would like to become involved in one of these projects, please come by the office or call. We invite members who are particularly interested in one of these projects to consider becoming a special sponsor of the project. Please contact our Development Director for more information, (340) 779-4940 or development@friendsvinp.org