2008 Summer
Eco-Camp 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)
WIDER CARIBBEAN
ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH PROGRAM INFORMATION
NEW:
NOAA's Water and Air Temperature Observations for Great Lameshur Bay
NEW:
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 to visit the Trail
Bandit's website and maps]
![[Select here for VIERS SITE DRAWING]](http://www.islands.org/viers/VIERS%20site%20map%20drawing%20web.jpg){kind=link}
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.
Links to groups
who have enjoyed an educational experience at VIERS or to research programs
being conducted from VIERS:
University of Massachesetts
Amherst Tropical Field Biology Class, March 2002 (a great site full of
photos with links to their 2001, 2000 and 1999 trips to VIERS)
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
Toll-free Tel: 888-647-2501
Stateside Office Address: 8219 Elvaton Drive, Pasadena, Maryland 21122.
Click here to return to the home page of Clean
Islands International, Inc.