Friends of Virgin Islands National Park’s 16th annual Earth Day celebration includes the Earth Day Fair and Litter Stomp for school students, as well as a couple of coastal cleanups and a virtual seminar on sea turtle protection on St. John and around the world.
“The global celebration of Earth Day is a perfect reminder that the protection of natural and cultural resources can only succeed if it engages and feeds the hearts and minds of people,” said Tonia Lovejoy, Executive Director of Friends of Virgin Islands National Park. “Our theme this year is This is Our Home highlighting the importance of caring for this beautiful island place. We invite everyone near and far to join in one of our Earth Week events. Our individual actions, no matter how small, are collectively powerful.”
Coastal Cleanup At Drunk Bay
Saturday, April 19
Join the Friends of the Park team for a cleanup of marine debris on Drunk Bay beach on St. John. Meeting point is Salt Pond parking lot at 9am. Gloves and bags will be provided and high schoolers will receive community service hours for their participation.
Coastal Cleanup at Brown Bay
Thursday, April 24
Join the volunteer trail crew to cleanup marine debris at Brown Bay on St. John. Meeting point is the Brown Bay trail head at 9am. Gloves and bags will be provided.
In The World Of Sea Turtles Virtual Seminar
Thursday, April 24
Join Friends Education Specialist, Kaitlyn Cummings as she shares learnings from the recent International Sea Turtle Symposium in Ghana including impacts on sea turtles throughout the world, new conservation efforts, and exciting research findings. This 45 minute seminar starts at 12pm. Please register on the Friends website (www.friendsVINP.org) to receive zoom information.
Earth Day Fair And Litter Stomp Parade
Tuesday, April 22
On Earth Day Friends of Virgin Islands National Park will host an annual environmental fair for school students on the Cruz Bay ball field for a fun day of learning. Over 500 students from St. John and St. Thomas will attend this celebration of conservation and community. Schools attending include Julius E Sprauve School, St. John Christian Academy, Gifft Hill School, Jane E. Tuitt Elementary and Ulla F. Muller Elementary.
Earth Day Fair includes a lively Litter Stomp Parade lead by VI Waste Management’s Litter Critter, a National Park Service Junior Ranger Award ceremony for Fourth Graders, and recognition for waste management workers.
The 22 booths at the Fair cover subjects as diverse as coral reef protection, history, birds, plants, turtles, and recycling are hosted by community organizations, businesses, and UVI students: Coral Bay Community Council, CORE Foundation, Jaguar Project, Love City Strong, ITAL Delroy Anthony, Island Green Living, Rotary Club of St. John, St. John School of the Arts, Virgin Islands National Park Interpretation, Virgin Islands National Park Archaeology, VI Audubon Society, VI-EPSCoR, GRROE USVI Mangroves, UVI Coral Conservation, Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service, Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, Friends of The Park Young Professionals Board, Friends of The Park Trails Program, and Friends of the Park Turtle Program.
Earth Day is made possible thanks to the following partners and sponsors: Liberty Foundation, Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, USVI Sports, Park & Recreation, USVI Tourism, and Virgin Islands National Park.
Visit the Friends website for more information – https://friendsvinp.org/
