The Historical Analysis team has facilitated a familiarization with the historical and social factors that intersect with our project’s primarily science-based goals to best serve the St. Croix community. This team researches and collects archival documents (i.e., archival maps, Danish Archive tax records, plantation export statistics) to gather data regarding St. Croix plantations. Gathered data will be utilized for creating a Plantation Intensity Index, an index that will categorize plantations by how significantly they used the land by considering several factors such as acreage, sugar exports, population of enslaved laborers, and windmill presence.

The GIS Analysis + Remote Sensing Team is responsible for collecting GIS/remote sensing data to aid in performing various spatial analyses, including, but not limited to, georeferencing historical maps, analyzing Landsat data for differences in spectral signature over time, and conducting raster overlays. These analyses will allow our team to provide our client with high-quality deliverables like maps, shapefiles, and geodatabases to help inspect how plantation intensity has impacted various ecological factors on St. Croix. They are responsible for the vital task of visualizing our raw data in clear, understandable ways to not only demonstrate the sum of our research but to ensure that all findings are presented in an accessible and educational way.

The GIS Analysis + Remote Sensing Team is responsible for organizing and maintaining a database for lab data. The team will also perform lab procedures such as eDNA purification, PCR, and qPCR on soil samples from St. Croix. They will also complete all necessary lab safety and lab procedure training and will have a primary role in synthesizing and analyzing the resulting data. These analyses will provide our client with data to supplement the current understanding of the relationship between plantations and St. Croix forests' current observable ecological conditions.

The Community Outreach Team is responsible for connecting communities around UCLA all the way to St. Croix, USVI, to information regarding the ecological scars of slavery and the current research being done by the Critical Ecology Lab  through media and communications.