Easter campers did a good job of leaving no trace on St. Croix’s beaches over the holiday weekend, according to various agencies that oversee the island’s coastline.
Migdalia Roach, program director for the St. Croix East End Marine Park, said that the beach near their Great Pond office “looked like how we left it on Wednesday.”
She said that when she saw the beach, she didn’t think anyone had camped there over the holiday, but was later informed that several families did plant their tents there over the weekend.
Pedro Encarnacion, assistant commissioner of the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation, said he reviewed the island’s coastal parks Tuesday and was overall pleased by their condition.
“We can’t complain. All of our recreational facilities and beaches were officially up to par,” he said.
Cramer Park, one of the most popular spots for Easter camping, was home to veritable tent village over the holiday weekend, with dozens of families camping out on its beach. Encarnacion said that despite the crowd, the park was in good shape and the campers themselves handled most of the clean up.
“When we went there today, we were impressed to know the residents picked up their garbage and put them in bags. We just had to go and place them in our garbage truck,” he said.
Carol Cramer-Burke, program director for the St. Croix Environment Association, said the organization had a good relationship with the families who usually camp on their property bordering Cheney Bay and that she trusted them to keep the beach clean.
She said she had not yet visited the beach since Easter, but she did a review of the campsites before the holiday and found everyone was using trash receptacles and portable toilets, as SEA had requested.
“For Easter week, we have a good group of folks who don’t leave a mess,” she said. “We’ve been working with them for a number of years, and we’re pleased with them.”
She said SEA was planning a clean up of the beach from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, and the public was more than welcome to join them at Southgate Beach and pitch in.
She said she didn’t expect to find too much to clean up, however, adding that the people who make their home on the beach during the holiday tend to respect it.
“As far as litter goes, we have a lot more problems with people who just come for a weekend party,” she said.
