The National Park Service will continue its yearlong public lecture series celebrating Buck Island Reef’s 50th anniversary as a national monument with a July presentation on Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. focused on the turtle restoration project.
The lectures are presented the second Thursday of each month in the Danish Guinea West India Company Warehouse/ Slave Market Building. Parking in the Christiansted National Historic Site lot will be free, and the lot will remain open for this event until 7 p.m.
July’s lecture coincides with the start of the 25th year of the sea turtle project. “Hatchlings Off the Beach: Results from the Buck Island Reef Sea Turtle Program” will feature members of the resource management staff presenting findings of the program and what they hope to see in the future.
They also will review the general rules that apply during nesting season and why their enforcement is critical for hatchling survival.
The remaining schedule for the lecture series is:
Aug. 9 Buck Island’s Fisheries: Are Fish Recovering?
Sept. 13 The Legacy of the Concessions Program at Buck Island Reef NM
Oct. 11 Ups and Downs of Buck Island’s Coral Health
Nov. 8 Buck Island’s Ancient Peoples-Seen and Unseen
Dec. 13 The Rare and Unknown of Buck Island’s Marine Life