May 9, 2007 – In an effort to beautify and learn from the Cas Cay – Mangrove Lagoon Marine Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary on St. Thomas, The Virgin Islands Mangrove Research and Conservation Coalition (VIMRCC) is conducting a large scale cleanup and monitoring effort. The water-based cleanup will be conducted on Sunday, May 13, and the number of volunteers will be limited by the number of kayaks and boats that are available. The land based clean-up will be conducted on Saturday, May 19, and involve any individual or group that wants to volunteer.
Those interested in being involved should contact VIMRCC coordinator Amber McCammon, by phone at 642-2307 or e-mail: ambermccammon@yahoo.com a.s.a.p. for details of where and when to meet.
The main objective of this work is debris removal to allow for future restoration efforts in the marine reserve. Cleanup activities will be conducted at four times throughout the year and environmental quality will be measured during each cleanup event with the help of community volunteers. Volunteers will gain the scientific skills to assess environmental quality, aid in educating fellow community members about our precious mangrove ecosystem, and enjoy the company of fellow environmentalists while making St. Thomas a cleaner place.
Baseline environmental quality measurements are necessary to allow for successful mangrove restoration in the future. This project will serve as a model to mangrove restoration in the U.S.V.I., and integrates debris removal with baseline data for mangrove restoration and public education.
