The UVI Cooperative Extension Service Agriculture & Natural Resources program will conduct an eco-hike/guide training worksop for the community at 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Research and Extension Center, Room 133.
There will be a field tour at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge from 4 to 6 p.m.
This workshop is free. For further information, contact Mr. Olasee Davis at 692-4069.

Pistarckle Theater presents the Halloween special, Dracula, at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, at Coral World Amphitheater.
Tickets, $22, may be obtained by credit card by calling 775-7877, or at Bumpa's on the Waterfront, Marina Market in Red Hook, WestIndies Coffee Co., or East End Secretarial in Red Hook.

Some days I just don’t know. Reading or hearing VI news can make me feel like I am manic depressive. One moment I am thrilled with the good news I read or hear, while the next item sends me plummeting. Life in the Virgin Islands seems schizophrenic at best, but we do get it right sometimes, somehow.
We seem to understand what decisions need to be made and we sometimes make them; then we bounce back and change it if a special interest group protests long and loud enough. Are we leaderless in the true sense of the word? Should we give up on the Virgin Islands? No! So many good things seem to happen, along with the bad, that I believe we still have lots of good thinking people here and our day of improvement is still on the horizon . . . its just waiting to happen, isn’t it?
Let’s look at recent happenings:
• Our leaders join forces to put us further in debt, not (as we would hope) to permanently address our problems, but just to delay our day of reckoning. The bond issue perplexes me. I am not an economist, but I imagine what we are doing is somewhat like if I were to max out my credit card because I spend like there is no tomorrow, then to correct this problem, instead of changing my champagne taste, I borrow to pay my debts and maintain my champagne taste on a beer budget. Someone please help me to understand how adding to our territorial debt is in my best interest. As Brownie says, "Lord send help!"
• The VI Taxi Association donates more than $50,000 to purchase an ambulance for our beleaguered hospital. I am truly amazed by this donation; remember taxi drivers are not multinational corporations, they are small businessmen and these are hard times. This tremendous contribution and much needed donation kinda wipes out all the negative feelings I have toward our local drivers and how they conduct business, particularly when they don’t pick up locals or stuff tourists in like sausage in their oversized vans at our airports . . . at least for a while. Taxi drivers, thank you; the life you save may be mine. I am eternally grateful!
• Post Auditor Campbell Malone tells us that the FY-2000 revenues projected by the Budget Office are overstated by more than $130 million. If this is accurate, how on earth does this happen? I get anxious about this, because if allotments are given to department heads in accordance with these inflated figures and they spend up to or over their max, vendors will continue to remain unpaid as has happened in the past, and services will continue to suffer, like no drivers licences issued because of lack of supplies (imagine trying to explain with a straight face an expired license with a receipt attached that makes it valid…. at an off-island rental car counter. However, this is the least of the problems caused in government due to a lack of vital supplies.) How does this over projection occur with professionals reviewing past revenues and projecting the new ones? Is it that the gap will be filled with money from the bonds? If so, does this mean we will get another loan in FY-01 to make up an even larger deficit?
• Rotary Club has donated four or five dolls that were developed to help teens understand the difficulties and challenges that parents face in caring for infants 24 hours a day. I applaud this one more good work of Rotary. I am positive that the proper use of these dolls and the program that comes with them, will reduce our teen parenting birth rate at Bertha Boschulte Junior High School. Donations to prevention programs like these are perhaps even more important than granting individual scholarships to kids. This particular program allows large groups of kids to succeed and develop without the additional responsibility or early parenting and what that entails. Great contribution Rotary!
• Three VI students attended a Violence Prevention Workshop in Washington, D.C. Their acquired expertise is badly needed here, as we read about the one young man killed at the Central High Complex and another teen possibly facing a permanent future in jail.
• Another happy moment: seven St. Croix students who in 1991 pledged to attend college in a program sponsored by the Sidney Lee Foundation, are now full time students at UVI. Sidney Lee is making a difference in the VI, perhaps one that is even more valuable than the contributions he made while a Senator.
• The Independent newspaper has twice in four or five weeks informed the public that the rape victim in a case was the child or stepchild of the perpetrator. While normally this paper does not print the name of rape victims, they do not seem to realize that saying the victim is the daughter or stepdaughter of the perpetrator is tantamount to releasing the name. Independent, please correct this in the future. It really does not matter that she is the child of the perpetrator when you report on his conviction. Thanks.
• Interior has revised the MOU to change the matter of having our local labor law be compatible with the federal. This occurred, I heard, after national and local labor leaders met with the staff at the White House. Labor has long been a major lobbying force on the national and local political scene. Will this ever change to a policy of what is in the best interests of all rather than a vested few? I think not.
• Two young girls (one of them the exact age of my daughter) walk through a short cut and one is raped. My heart goes out to the girl and her family. It’s just not right that our young children should be hurt, frightened and permanently scarred. We need to fight to make sure that our children remain innocent; it is their birthright. This act, once again, raises a savage side of me that I control…it just sets me to thinking as to what I could do to the perpetrator if I had a good chance, but then reality takes over…….
• Our Tourism Commissioner is changing again; was this really needed? Was there no other way to resolve this matter? I don’t know what all went into the decision making process, and will probably never know, but I do know we really need people with fresh ideas and approaches to run Tourism, among other things. What a shame this could not have been worked out to the better for all of us.
We have seen so many ups and downs in the last few months that I feel I am on a seesaw. Will we ever get on an even keel and collectively work toward a planned future to become a healthy viable economy again? History will tell; I hope it is kind.
Editor’s note: Catherine Lockhart Mills of St. Thomas, a former Human Services commissioner, holds a master’s degree in social work and is a regular columnist. You can send comments to her on the articles she writes or topics you would like her to address at source@viaccess.net.

Senate President Vargrave Richards has asked V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian-Christensen to try to recover federal education funds for the territory that have not been released in recent years.
"Funds originally authorized through a General Assistance Program in November 1985 to provide for assistance to improve public education in the Virgin Islands have not been received in the territory for fiscal years 1996 through 1999," Richards wrote in a letter to the delegate.
"A second program authorization under the Delugo Territorial Education Improvement Program, for fiscal years 1994 through 1999, has never been received" either, he said.
Richards wants to know why the funds weren’t allotted to the territory, if they can be retrieved and whether the Virgin Islands could get a lump sum payment.
"We cannot justify striving for excellence at the teacher or student level if there is a lack of appropriate funding to buttress teacher salaries, training and much needed supplies," Richards said. "We urgently need to find solutions that will supplement local funds to meet the needs and demands for effective schooling."

The newly developed St. Croix Heritage Trail was officially named one of the 50 National Millennium Legacy Trails in a recent White House ceremony.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull, who submitted the trail as the Virgin Islands’ nomination, announced the designation Tuesday.
The St. Croix Heritage Trail is a 72-mile-long driving tour of historic sites on the island. Stops include architectural ruins of the 18th and 19th centuries, remnants of the once-bustling sugar industry, and Point Udall, the easternmost point under the American flag.
"This designation will greatly benefit St. Croix’s heritage tourism initiative since a significant amount of national and international marketing of these trails as tourism destinations will be undertaken by the White House Millennium Council," Turnbull said.
The Millennium Legacy Trails project is funded with a $520,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts and administered by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. The 50 trails are in 47 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rodney Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, named the sites late in October.
The St. Croix Heritage Trail is a public-private sector partnership of Tourism, the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce and the St. Croix Landmarks Society.
"A number of private sector contributions have enabled us to move forward with the design and fabrication of road signs and the development of a trail brochure with map," said coordinator Nancy Buckingham. Those should be in place by the end of the year.
The next phase of the project "will include pullovers, overlooks, interpretive signage, educational materials, training and economic opportunities seminars," she said.

The government is getting serious about monitoring businesses that receive tax breaks through the Industrial Development Commission to be sure they comply with labor and other requirements.
Acting IDC Commissioner Frandelle Gerard has "teamed up" with Labor, the Internal Revenue Bureau, Licensing and Consumer Affairs and the Corporations Division so each agency can check on the aspects under their purview, according to a Government House statement.
U.S. Customs also has agreed to help ensure that only those materials an IDC beneficiary brings into the territory for use in its business will be tax exempt.
Licensing will make sure all licensing requirements are met, Labor will ensure the beneficiary employs the required minimum number of local workers, IRB will review tax documentation for accuracy and Corporations will analyze corporate documents for compliance, the press release states.

Members of the Finance Committee on Tuesday approved 13 budget bills and tabled four to be included in the Omnibus Act, which will be taken up again Wednesday morning.
In a meeting that was delayed by seven and a half hours, the six committee members in attendance acted on remaining budget bills in about two hours.
Voting unanimously to approve the bills were Finance Committee Chair Lorraine Berry and Sens. David Jones, Roosevelt St.C. David, George Goodwin, V. Anne Golden and Gregory Bennerson. Committee member Alicia "Chucky" Hansen was absent.
In a compromise between the Legislature and the administration, the committee agreed to a modified line-item budget for government expenditures for the upcoming year.
The whole committee process was delayed last week when Thursday's scheduled Finance Committee meeting was postponed until Tuesday.
Thursday afternoon St. Thomas Source reported that Post Auditor Campbell Malone said the revenue projections in the fiscal year 2000 budget were $135 million short.
In postponing the meeting Berry said balances in various unidentified government funds had to be reconciled with the Finance Department and Office of Management and Budget before the committee could move forward.
Bennerson told the V.I. Independent on Tuesday that he believes the Legislature may have to consider a supplemental budget to make up the difference in the revenue projections.
"Quite frankly, the expenditures of the government need to be cut and there needs to be a comprehensive plan. We're way off budget," the senator said.
The bills approved Tuesday include:
– A $22.8 million appropriation for salaries and expenses of the University of the Virgin Islands.
– A $2.9 million appropriation from the Government Insurance Fund for operating expenses of the Department of Labor.
– A $1.8 million appropriation from the Indirect Cost Fund for salaries, operating expenses and for other purposes of the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Finance.
– A $2 million appropriation from the Interest Revenue Fund to the General Fund.
– A $2.5 million appropriation from the Caribbean Basin Initiative Fund to the General Fund.
– A $225,000 appropriation from the Special Road Fund to be used for general maintenance on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
– A $391,000 appropriation from the Fish and Game Fund for salaries, operating expenses and for other purposes of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
– A $1.6 million appropriation for operating expenses of the Department of Public Works from the Sewage System Fund.
– Transfer of the Office of Collective Bargaining to the Division of Personnel for budgetary purposes only.
– Transfer of the Narcotics Strike Force to the V.I. Police Department for budgetary purposes only.
– A $1.4 million appropriation for the Public Television System.
— A $1.6 million appropriation to the Public Defender's Office.
— A $17.8 milion appropriation to the Territorial Court.
Four bills were tabled indefinately because some are included in the Omnibus Act. The tabled bills seek to adjust retirement contributions, eliminate five government holidays, increase revenue contributions to the General Fund and transfer the Taxi Commission to the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
The whole package of budget bills will be addressed Wednesday by the Rules Committee.

Sen. Roosevelt St.C. David said Tuesday the cruise ship industry has not kept their end of the deals made through the recently formed cruise ship task force.
David, who drafted legislation earlier this year that sought to impose a $2.50 head tax on cruise ship passengers said, in a release from his office, the industry's promises have so far been "empty."
"The task force has not reached consensus on vital issues such as, long term operating agreements, increased ships calling for St. Croix and St. Thomas year round, promotions of Cruzan Rum aboard ships and funding for mutually agreed upon capital projects to improve the territory's tourism infrastructure.
The overall costs related to garbage, crowding, traffic, and public safety diminishes the value of the cruise ships, according to David, who believes he should start moving legislation forward again to impose the head tax.
Research done by the senator uncovered information in Fortune magazine that said though 65 percent of the cruise ship industry's profits come from the Caribbean only 1 percent of the taxes captured from the industry goes back into the territory.
David said, "Caribbean cruise ship lines are recording record profits and yet they continue to refuse a $2.50 surcharge."

About 75 members of St. Croix’s tourism industry marched on the Lieutenant Governor’s Office Tuesday morning to protest Michael Bornn’s dismissal as commissioner of Tourism.
Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James II, however, wasn’t in his office to hear members of the St. Croix Accommodations Council, the St. Croix Hotel and Tourism Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Christiansted Restaurant and Retail Associations voice their displeasure with Bornn’s sacking and the dismal state of tourism on St. Croix.
Gov. Charles Turnbull last week withdrew Bornn’s nomination for Tourism commissioner over differences in "operating and management styles." Bornn’s most egregious error, said Turnbull, was "openly" opposing the administration’s effort to have the Senate approve a bill seeking a $300 million bond measure. The bill ultimately passed.
But the people who took to the streets of Christiansted Tuesday said that despite his views on the bond issue, Bornn was the right person to lead Tourism and he should be reinstated. Turnbull has said, however, that he will not resubmit Bornn’s name to the Senate.
Peter Locke, owner of the Chenay Bay Resort and president of the St. Croix Accommodations Council, said Bornn’s ouster illustrated the need to depoliticize the Department of Tourism.
"The governor needs to privatize Tourism to avoid political pork-barreling," Locke said.
Wendel Snider of the Hibiscus Beach Hotel said the Accommodations Council plans to submit draft legislation that would place tourism in the hands of the private sector.
The main reason hoteliers want to privatize is the Hotel Occupancy Tax, which totals approximately $11 million a year. Those funds are, by law, supposed to be deposited in the Tourism Revolving Fund and used to market the territory as a tourism destination. However, much of that revenue has been diverted to meet government obligations.
"In the last four years the hotels in the territory have contributed $36 million into the advertising fund," Snider said. "In that time period the government has spent $400,000. It’s time we privatized Tourism."
Locke called St. Croix’s 45 percent annual occupancy rate a "disgrace." He compared St. Lucia’s 75 percent occupancy rate during September, a traditionally slow month throughout the region, to St. Croix’s 15 percent.
If St. Croix’s occupancy rate could be increased to 75 percent annually, Locke said the island would gain 400 more jobs and collect $4 million more a year.
Meanwhile, St. Croix’s Democrats said in a release Tuesday that they supported Turnbull’s decision to let Bornn go. St. Croix District Chairman Terrence Joseph said a governor’s cabinet members have to work as a team.
"Gov. Turnbull had no choice but to withdraw (Bornn’s) name," the release said.

The cruise lines are the big players in the tourism industry of the Virgin Islands, Edward Thomas, president and chief executive officer of the West Indian Co. Ltd., said Tuesday.
Despite the uncertainty in the leadership of the V.I. government’s Department of Tourism, given last week’s firing of acting Commissioner Michael Bornn, Thomas said the cruise industry is "alive and well."
In an interview with WSTA Radio, Thomas said an all-out effort is being made to book port calls by cruise ships that canceled their regularly scheduled visits as a result of the threat of last month’s Hurricane Jose.
"We are trying to get back on track and retrace some of the cruises," he said, citing as an example the unscheduled visit Wednesday of the S/S Norway.
Thomas said plans are going forward to begin work on the dock to accommodate the larger eagle class ships that will begin calling in the Virgin Islands next fall.
"We have secured the required Army Corps of Engineers' and DPNR permits," Thomas said, noting that work should begin in April and be completed before the opening of the 2000 tourist season. The first of the new class of megaships is scheduled to call on St. Thomas in November.
Thomas also said Monday’s two cruise ship visits to St. Croix show that the marketing and incentive effort to promote the big island as a port of call is yielding positive results.
About a year ago, then-Gov. Roy Schneider tapped Thomas to lead the effort in negotiating additional port calls to St. Croix by cruise lines that regularly call on St. Thomas.
"There is no doubt that the efforts we have put in for St. Croix are working to our advantage," Thomas said.
He also said the construction of an additional berthing dolphin off the Ann Abramson Pier in Frederiksted, St. Croix, will accommodate vessels longer than 900 feet.
Thomas estimated that the Virgin Islands will see 950-970 port calls territorywide in the year 2000. That number will rise to about 1,000 port calls in 2001, he said.