Local and federal agencies charged with protecting the environment of the Virgin Islands are set to receive grant funding.
According to Congressional Delegate Donna Christian Christensen, the V.I Department of Planning and Natural Resources will get almost $800,000 in federal funding while the U.S. National Park Service’s V.I. National Park will receive almost $50,000 from a private corporation.
DPNR will receive $787,000 from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to continue administering, monitoring and enforcement of the V.I. Coastal Management Program. The department will focus on coastal use administration, public education and outreach, tributary strategy development, assistance to local governments, and low cost construction projects, Christensen said.
DPNR will also receive a grant for $12,536 to collect commercial fisheries statistics and biological data from fishing trips with cooperating
fishermen. Data will be used to monitor fisheries and develop fishery
management plans.
Additionally, the Virgin Islands National Park recently received
$48,600 from the National Park Foundation to aid recovery efforts for the
coral reefs in the park, which are sustaining damage from nature and man, the delegate said.
The grant is made possible by the Canon Corporation. The equipment
provided by Canon will allow for the production of a video to educate people
about the sensitivity of coral reefs.
