The St. John Great Mangrove Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m.
to noon along the mangrove shoreline in Coral Bay, St. John. The event is organized
by the University of the Virgin Islands in partnership with the Coral Bay Community
Council, as part of a larger effort to reduce marine debris in the Territory.
Mangrove shorelines are important habitats. A wide range of plants and animals call
the trees’ tangled roots and branches home. Trash, carried in by wind and waves, can
collect among the mangroves and cause big problems. “Cleanups like this give volunteers
a chance to get out in nature and make a difference,” Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes, project
lead.
“Last year over 3,440 lbs. of trash was removed by 29 volunteers on a wet, rainy day.
Much of that trash had been there since the 2017 storms. Together, we got a lot of
trash out, but there is still a lot left to be removed,” said Dr. Wilson Grimes.
If you are interested in volunteering, please register at https://viepscor.org/stj-gmc-2022. Students will have the opportunity to earn community service hours for their participation.
To learn more about Marine Debris cleanup efforts in the Territory please contact
Zola Roper at zola.roper@uvi.edu or visit https://viepscor.org/about-marine-debris-in-the-usvi.
Contact UVI’s Public Relations Office at pr@uvi.edu for more information.
