Download Virgin Islands National Park 50th Anniversary Conference

“Science in the Park”
Virgin Islands National Park’s
50th Anniversary Conference on Marine and Terrestrial Scientific Research
November 1 – 3, 2006
Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS)
Lameshur Bay, St. John
In November 2006, a three-day scientific and historical conference will be held in the
Virgin Islands National Park (VINP). “Science in the Park”, the VINP’s 50th
Anniversary Conference on Marine and Terrestrial Scientific Research will be
presented November 1 – 3, 2006 at the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource
Station (VIERS), located in Lameshur Bay, St. John.
The VINP (est. 1956) has been the site of considerable marine and terrestrial
research during the past 50 years. This fall, the VINP celebrates its 50th anniversary,
the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) celebrates its 40th
anniversary, and the Virgin Islands UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve (est.
1976), one of the first in the Caribbean, will celebrate its 30th anniversary. To
commemorate these anniversaries, a two day conference will be presented to review
scientific research studies conducted in the past 50 years by researchers who have
worked in the park. The third day of the conference will celebrate accomplishments
at VIERS with recognition of VIERS’ 40th anniversary, dedication of the recently
renovated waterside laboratory and the establishment of the Tektite Underwater
Habitat Museum which will be located on the VIERS campus. Established in 1966, the
Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) is a unique learning center
located within the VINP at Lameshur Bay. VIERS has a long history of hosting
researchers to conduct terrestrial, coastal ecology and marine scientific studies, as
well as providing environmental education opportunities for Virgin Islands youth,
stateside high school and university students.
This conference will provide scientists the opportunity to share their research results
with peers and the public. Scientists have studied a wide variety of conditions
affecting corals, sea grass, parrot fish, turtles, sharks, termites, insects, lizards, bats
and air quality to just mention a few. Presentations will cover both marine and
terrestrial areas of the Virgin Islands National Park and will focus on longer-term
projects. Presentations on the historical activities of the VINP, Project Tektite and
VIERS are also planned.
The conference is offered by the VINP, University of the Virgin Islands, United States
Geological Survey, Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, The Ocean
Conservancy, Clean Islands International and others.
During the past 50 years, St. John has undergone considerable changes. Visitation to
the island and park has increased from a few thousand per year in the 1950s to
nearly one million people per year at present. The increase in visitations and
development has produced considerable impacts on the natural resources of St. John
and the park. Many of the early studies in the park serve as baselines against which
to measure change to the natural ecosystems of the park.
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“It is important to contrast these early studies with present day ones and determine
protocols that will enable sound comparisons and trends. The results of this
conference will assist in providing a basis for guiding future scientific research in the
park,” said Rafe Boulon, Chief of Resources Management for the VINP.
The VINP is the site of some of the longest-term underwater biological and ecological
research in the world. Well-known researchers such as John Randall and Sylvia Earle
started their careers at these sites in the 1950s and 60s. St. John has some of the
best-studied dry tropical forest remaining in the Caribbean. Researchers such as
Caroline Rogers and Peter Edmunds, as well as many others, continue to make major
contributions to further understanding the natural world. The conference provides for
the opportunity to engage in discussions regarding research needs and direction for
future research.
“The information presented at this conference will provide a reference base for
many students interested in studying marine and terrestrial ecosystems,” said Randy
Brown, VIERS Administrator.
VIERS is a partnership between the University of the Virgin Islands and the Virgin
Islands National Park and is operated by Clean Islands International, a non-profit
environmental education organization. The conference provides an opportunity to
showcase the facility for future use by researchers and students and will include a
tour of the VIERS facility and the waterside lab.
Project Tektite was a research project conducted in 1969 and 1970. The Department
of the Navy, NASA, General Electric, Department of the Interior, University of the
Virgin Islands and others initially operated the submerged habitat to determine the
physiological, biomedical and behavioral effects of extended stays underwater. This
project was geared initially towards understanding the effects of future planned
space flight on astronauts. In the second program, the focus of the underwater
habitat project was as a research base for a large number of marine research
projects, specifically understanding the ecology of coral reefs and their inhabitants.
Such noted scientists as Sylvia Earle, Bruce Colette and others published many
significant research results from these missions.
For more information about the conference and registration forms, please contact:
Randy Brown, VIERS at 410-647-2500.
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