The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands announced today the recipient of the 2025 Judith A. Towle Environmental Studies Fund is the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS).
Managed by CFVI, the Fund will award $12,000 to support NHCS’s youth-led project aimed at reviving the Nevis coastline’s coconut tree populations, which have been ravaged in recent years by Lethal Yellowing Disease, a fatal disease. The project will also include the planting of red mangroves along the coastline to enhance natural protection against erosion and storm surges.
“Thirty years ago, Nevis was renowned for its coconut tree-lined beaches that protected the shoreline, enriched biodiversity and formed part of the island’s identity,” said Terysia Herbert, executive director of NHCS. “The spread of Lethal Yellowing Disease destroyed nearly all coconut palms, leaving the coastline vulnerable to erosion, rising sea levels and storm surges. It has also diminished biodiversity and created harsher conditions for residents, fishermen and visitors.”
With this grant from the Judith Towle Fund, NHCS will focus on restoring the ecological and cultural character of Gallows Bay by planting disease-resistant coconut saplings along the beach and reestablishing mangroves in strategic areas of the shoreline, helping to prevent coastal erosion and mitigate the effects of climate change.
In addition to reforestation, the project will also feature a youth-led model of environmental stewardship, as the core workforce will be comprised of participants from NHCS’s Eco-Youth Adventurers program. Working under the supervision of agricultural experts, students will partake in planting the saplings, monitoring their growth and participating in stewardship training to equip them as future environmental leaders.
“This project goes beyond standard environmental rehabilitation,” said Dee Baecher-Brown, president of CFVI. “It blends restoration with community engagement and youth education. This model of youth-led stewardship has the potential to be replicated in ecological programs across the Caribbean to cultivate a sense of responsibility for the environment at a young age, something deep in alignment with CFVI’s mission.”
The Judith A. Towle Environmental Studies Fund awards annual grants for innovative solutions that address shared environmental concerns in the insular Caribbean and have transboundary relevance, with the goal of increasing environmental awareness across the Caribbean. This year marks the 17th grant awarded under CFVI’s stewardship, totaling more than $90,000 granted over 20 years.
“This Fund was created to invest in those working to address our region’s evolving environmental challenges,” said Judith Towle. “I have no doubt that NHCS’s project will empower its youth adventurers as environmental leaders while engaging local Nevisians in a way that celebrates sustainability, ecological restoration and the power of community in action.”
