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2011 Summer Camps Information: just click here.
You
can now make payments with credit cards, just click here.
VOLUNTEERS
WANTED: Select here to
find out about volunteering at VIERS
RATES: Select here to find out about VIERS Rates
for Groups, Researchers and Individuals
You
can now download a copy of the VIERS Eco-Tourist Rates and Reservation Form and
VIERS Guest Form by selecting the following:
VIERS Eco-Tourist and
Reservation Form(Word.doc
File)
VIERS Guest Form(Word.doc File)
VIERS 45th
Anniversary Photos and Articles
Webcam
at VIERS Great Lameshur Bay Dock
NOAA's
Water and Air Temperature Observations for Great Lameshur Bay
NOAA's
Tides and Water Level Observations for Great Lameshur Bay
VIERS
TODAY: VIERS
welcomes anyone interested in expanding their knowledge and awareness about the
environment surrounding this unique center of learning.
Since 1966, VIERS has offered distinctive learning experiences for
anyone interested in environmental education, training and research of
terrestrial, coastal and marine communities of small tropical islands. VIERS’ remote location provides
many opportunities for overnight and day visitors of all interests and ages to
easily discover the local environment.
At VIERS, you are "in nature",
you are part of the eco-system. You are just minutes from being able to hike to
a mountain top or swim in the Caribbean Sea.
The area around VIERS has an ecological diversity that has drawn
visitors with an interest in just about every aspect of its surrounding
environment including (but are not limited to): students from kindergarten
through university, researchers and teachers; botanists and artists;
historians and geologists; hikers and snorkelers; divers and kayakers; star
gazers and bird watchers. VIERS has hosted NASA scientists, scout groups, family
reunions and church retreats. VIERS offers organized
programs or you can follow your own.
CENTER
FOR LEARNING: VIERS was established for environmental educational
activities and scientific research.
VIERS is not a hotel or a resort. VIERS is a biology field station, an eco-camp.
VIERS is ideal for
learning about marine and terrestrial natural resources and ecosystems, as well
as the cultural resources of the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean. VIERS is
appropriate for conducting field studies, eco-camps and other learning experiences
where the environment is an integral focus. VIERS also hosts
conferences, seminars, workshops, seminars, day meetings retreats and personal/
professional development activities.
VIERS promotes the conservation of resources and our daily operations
reflect our commitment to conservation, waste reduction, reuse, recycling and
being "green".
EDUCATION: VIERS can arrange cultural and historical
presentations as well as a variety of ecological learning experiences.
Activities include guided trail hikes, seashore explorations, mangrove walks,
plant and wildlife identification excursions and snorkeling outings to identify
marine life. VIERS’ library includes videos and teaching guides on
various ecological topics.
RESEARCH: VIERS has
hosted and worked cooperatively with marine biology and/or ecology programs
from numerous institutions and organizations. Research studies in marine
biology and tropical ecology are conducted by visiting researchers, faculty and
students from universities and research institutions throughout the world. To
protect the environment and resources of the Virgin Islands National Park, all
research and scientific studies require 
approved permits from the
National Park Service.
ACTIVITIES: Several hiking
trails are easily accessible from VIERS. These paths, some dating back to the
1600's, wind their way from seaside beaches to mountain tops passing historic
sugar mill estates and bay rum distilleries, as well as petroglyphs
(geologically significant rock formations), all within the Virgin Islands
National Park. The facility
maintains videos, slide presentations and teaching guides on various ecological
topics.
Hands-on activities that take advantage of the diversity of ecosystems
and isolation of the facility can be arranged for those interested in
environmental education. Guided land and water tours are available.
FACILITIES: VIERS is a very remote and rustic (yet charming) camp that can
accommodate up to 68 
overnight guests.
[Select
here for VIERS SITE DRAWING]
The 
station consists of a dozen
wooden cabins with screened in sides and steel roofs which includes guest rooms
(some with small kitchens), staff rooms, classroom, meeting tent, library,
office/store, restrooms and showers. Our kitchen staff provides three meals a
day in the dining hall/kitchen for overnight guests. All group visitors share
in dishwashing and light housekeeping responsibilities.
To supplement the natural marine and terrestrial research and education,
the station also includes a marine science laboratory on the water’s edge
(Great Lameshur Bay) which includes circulating sea water tables, a seaside
classroom, researcher diving support, dock and boats.
Select here to see
photos of the inside of Cabin 9 and 10.
ENVIRONMENT: St. John is about 20 square miles in size, 90% of it consisting of
tropical forest. The Virgin Islands National Park occupies almost three fifths
of the island. VIERS is located in a lowland Antillean tropical dry forest at
the base of Bordeaux Mountain within the Virgin Islands National Park and
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which offer protection for the various pristine
habitats. Semi-deciduous vegetation give way at higher
elevations to tropical moist forests. Native flora still
predominate with few introduced trees. Adjacent to the tree covered
field station are two sheltered bays with coral reefs and seagrass
beds, bordered by stands of mangroves.
[Select
here to see a larger view of the sky photo for a detailed view of Lameshur Bay
area.]
LOCATION: VIERS is
situated on the remote southern shore of St. John at Lameshur Bay. Directly to
the south are Great Lameshur Bay and Little Lameshur Bay which are divided by
Yawzi Point. Cruz Bay, the main community of St. John, is a 45 minute drive (17
miles) from VIERS. St. John, the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, is
accessible by ferry to Cruz Bay from St. Thomas (STT) which has an airport.
[Select here for detailed U.S.
Virgin Islands National Park Map (.pdf file is 581kb
- very large and takes a while to load)]
[Select here to visit the Trail
Bandit's website and maps]
Cruz Bay, the main
community of St. John, is a 45 minute drive from VIERS. St. John, the smallest
of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, is accessible by ferry to Cruz Bay from St.
Thomas (STT) which has an airport.
Most groups take the ferry from Red Hook and get a safari taxi in Cruz
Bay. [Select here for transportation information.]
BRIEF
HISTORY: VIERS was established by
the College of the Virgin Islands (now the University of the Virgin Islands) in
November 1966 as the Virgin Islands Ecological Research Station. In 1992, the
field station’s name was changed to Virgin Islands Environmental Resource
Station to reflect the center’s commitment to providing environmental
education. The field station’s
laboratory and researcher’s residence were originally housed in the Bay
Rum Mill Ruins on Little Lameshur Bay until moving to the present site in 1970.
The cabins were built in the fall of 1968 by the U.S. Navy Seabees for Project
Tektite, an underwater habitat and research project which was conducted in 1969
and 1970. The experiment not only provided opportunities for marine research,
particularly on the behavior and ecology of reef fauna and reef sedimentology,
but also provided data for a variety of behavioral, biomedical and engineering
studies. The project was sponsored jointly by the U. S. Department of the
Interior, U. S. Navy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the
General Electric Company with support from VIERS staff.
At the end of Project Tektite II in 1970, the cabins were transferred to
the University of the Virgin Islands to expand the field station. In 2006, the
Tektite Underwater Habitat Museum was established at VIERS.
MANAGEMENT:
VIERS is a facility of the University of
the Virgin Islands and is situated within the Virgin Islands National
Park. Since 1997, VIERS has been
operated by Clean Islands International, a U.S. IRS 501(c)(3)
and USVI nonprofit, organized exclusively for educational, scientific
and charitable purposes.
SUPPORT: As a self-sufficient non-profit
center of learning, the principal means of support for VIERS is through user
fees, donations, and sponsorships. VIERS does not
receive financial support from the University of the Virgin Islands, the Virgin
Islands National Park, or the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Donations
of money, equipment, and time are greatly appreciated. Volunteers are
welcomed.
For more
information on activities, staying at VIERS, rates
for use of VIERS, or to inquire about availability of dates, please contact:
Randy Brown, VIERS
Administrator(click for e-mail)
Tel: 410-647-2500
Stateside Office
Address: 8219 Elvaton Drive, Pasadena, Maryland 21122.
For on-site
information, please contact Jamie
Irving, VIERS Manager (click for e-mail)
St. John Office
Tel: 340-776-6721
Mailing Address:
VIERS, P.O. Box 250, St. John VI 00831
Click here to return to the home page of Clean
Islands International, Inc.
![[Select here for VIERS SITE DRAWING]](http://www.islands.org/viers/VIERS%20site%20map%20drawing%20web.jpg){kind=link}