July Newsletter: What's happening in VI National Park?

Dear Tonia,

Summer on St. John is a beautiful breeze under the shade of a tree. It is kids' learning to swim, and their elated laughter showing their pride. It is also dozens of our youth trail crew hiking to the beach to discover the first sea turtle nest of the season!

If we are lucky on this Earth, we are gifted space to breathe in its beauty and time to care deeply about its preservation for future generations to come to know and love. I recently had the privilege of being included in a gathering of indigenous Caribbean leaders who met here on St. John and visited significant cultural heritage sites in Virgin Islands National Park including traveling to the Taino petroglyph site in Reef Bay. The group included leaders from the Kalinago Nation of Dominica, and the Guainia Taino of Boriken. Together the chiefs signed a Declaration of Unity at Cinnamon Bay for all to witness and honor. The gathering was small and powerful, in particular, perhaps, to the young trail crew members who signed the Declaration as official witnesses.

I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the Taino to watch the PBS documentary, "We Are Taino," that explores the story of Maekiaphan Phillips, a Taino woman from the U.S. Virgin Islands, who is actively working to reclaim her heritage and lead her tribe.

Thank you to everyone who makes our summer youth programs possible, who shows up at dawn to patrol for signs of nesting female turtles, and who shares our passion for this place! I wish you all a joyful summer!

Warmly,

Tonia Lovejoy

Executive Director

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School Kids In The Park By The Numbers

Engaging our youth is a fundamental investment in the future of conservation and our island community. Friends of Virgin Islands National Park’s Youth Programs aim to create a pipeline of environmental and cultural educational experiences for youth from preschool to college and beyond that encourage empathy for plant and animal life and promote environmental stewardship and community engagement!

The School Kids In The Park (SKIP) program encourages and facilitates educators to utilize the Park as a living classroom. A successful 2024/25 school year included:

62 field trips and 12 in-class presentations for 1,218 students from 18 schools from St. John and St. Thomas.
Trips included Sea Turtles (17), Seashore Walk (10), Cinnamon Bay Loop hike (9), Bird Walk (8), Network to Freedom & Annaberg (8), Trail Work (5), Visitors Center (4), Mosaic Project (3), Ram Head hike (2), Plant Nursery (2), Out There Film (2), Ranger and YPB In Classroom (3), Lind Point hike (1).
500 students at both Culture Day and Earth Day.

Learn More About SKIP

Connecting Visitors And Community To The Park

That's a wrap on a busy season of education and outreach! Friends event programming came to an end last month. In all, we hosted 384 events, seminars, hikes, boat trips, and demonstrations from October to June.

Our sincere thanks to our hardworking presenters and demonstrators for sharing their expertise and passion for the natural and cultural resources on St. John; and to the visitors and community who took the time to experience and learn about the gifts of Virgin Islands National Park!

Business Spotlight

Community engagement is key to our ability to protect and preserve our park today and tomorrow. We would not be able to do the important work that keeps our Virgin Islands National Park thriving for visitors and residents alike without the generous support of local businesses.

OCEAN SURFARI donates tens of thousands every year in support of the work we do thanks to their Let's Make A Difference campaign. When anyone books specific trips or buys one of their special shirts in the collection, Ocean Surfari/Reef Surfari donate $5 to Friends. In addition, they provide the boat and crew for our monthly Sea Turtle Snorkeling Trip at cost. Thank you to the entire Ocean Surfari/Reef Surfari team for their awesome support! This is a true Partnership With A Purpose!