March 17, 2007 – The Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office invite campers and the general public to a meeting to be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m., on Friday, March 23, at the Salt River Bay Visitor Center, St. Croix.
This meeting will engage the community in a discussion on the significance of those sections of the Salt River site currently under the jurisdiction of the DPNR, which include the site of the only known and recorded Native American ball court in the Lesser Antilles, the Columbus Landing Site. The site is the first recorded landing of Columbus in the Territory of the United States as well as the first altercation between European and indigenous Americans. It is also the location of a 16th century European earthen fort.
Issues relating to camping, passive recreational uses and the protection of irreplaceable cultural resources at the site will be discussed, according to a press release from the DPNR. Collaborative efforts are to be implemented for the protection and management of the ecological and cultural resources by DPNR in conjunction with the National Park Service. The Department wishes to hear any alternatives that will allow for preservation of these sensitive cultural resources and their public use.
