"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, U.S. Virgin Islands

[ Print Agenda Updated Oct 5, 2006]

[ Web Page of Agenda with Links to Speaker's Abstracts and Bios]

[ Print Text of This Page]

A three-day scientific and historical conference will be held in the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP). “Science in the Park”, the VINP’s 50^th 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 50^th anniversary, the Virgin Islands Environmental Resource Station (VIERS) celebrates its 40^th anniversary, and the Virgin Islands UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve (est. 1976), one of the first in the Caribbean, will celebrate its 30^th 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’ 40^th 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 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.

“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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