Community support is vital for local environmental science in the USVI, because it ensures the long-term health of the islands' fragile ecosystems, provides local expertise for projects, and fosters community resilience through education and sustainable practices. Engaging community members in initiatives like beach cleanups, citizen science, and local business sustainability helps protect natural resources, promotes environmental stewardship, and creates a shared commitment to the territory's ecological future.
Our islands thrive when we work together. Share your expertise, volunteer your time, and help us write the next chapter for our environment. Let's build a sustainable future for the USVI, side by side.
>> Friends of the East End Marine Park - “The (EEM)Park offers the opportunity to get up close and personal with St. Croix’s natural habitats and creatures through three citizen science programs. We also have occasional needs for volunteers to help setup for events, paint signs or walls and other small projects, so join our email list and we’ll let you know when there’s something happening.”
> “You can be a Friend of the Park anytime you help protect the marine environment on the East End, whether it is by picking up trash on your beach walk, reporting something unusual to the DPNR Tipline, or calling STAR (Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue) at 340-690-0474 for any sea turtles in distress.”
>> Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism (CHANT) Conservation Corps Training Program - Follow their journey on Facebook! They're training the next generation of Crucian conservationists through hands-on work with local initiatives. An amazing program building our islands' future environmental leaders.
>> Black Heritage Tree Project (St Croix site) - “The Black Heritage Tree Project is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Black communities through the powerful presence of trees. These living witnesses stand in places where history unfolded—sites of resistance, struggle, and resilience. By preserving and sharing their stories, we aim to connect people to the land and the memories it holds. This work is about recognition, remembrance, and healing through place-based storytelling.”
>> St. Croix Environmental Association - “We promote the conservation of environmental resources, provide education and advocate for environmentally responsible actions that benefit St. Croix.”
>> The Nature Conservancy (Virgin Islands) - “From sun-drenched green hills to rolling turquoise waves, The Nature Conservancy works to ensure that the wonders of the Virgin Islands are inherited by future generations.”
>> Virgin Islands Conservation Society (VICS) Eco Schools - “Most young people care about environmental issues, and wish to make a positive change in the environment around them. The Eco-Schools program provides an ideal way for fostering environmental awareness in the entire school in a way that links to many curriculum subjects.”
>> Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service - “As an extension to the University of Puerto Rico's Sea Grant College Program, the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service (VIMAS) works to promote the education and awareness of our natural resources in the Caribbean. Operating within the University of the Virgin Island's (UVI) Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES), our team is able to leverage partnerships and collaborations with researchers at UVI and the local Virgin Islands government to accomplish our goals. From annual beach cleanups, marine science summer programs for youth, or the recycling of glass beverage bottles, we use innovative outreach and research tools to tackle locally relevant issues within our Virgin Islands workforce and economy.”
>> Mangrove SPY USVI - “The Mangrove SPY USVI project is a Citizen Science project that relies on community support to better understand what types of animals inhabit our mangrove sites. This measure of biodiversity is one metric that our team uses to get a snapshot of our ecosystem's health.”
>> Clean Swell (app) - “Join a global movement to keep beaches, waterways and the ocean trash free. Head out to your favorite beach and use the app to easily record each item of trash you collect. Then share your effort with family and friends.”
>> Island Green Living - “The organization is dedicated to expanding sustainability and resiliency while inspiring people to “Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” Sustainability is among the most important global issues of our time and the Caribbean’s fragile eco-systems, reliance on outside sources for many goods & services, waste management issues and dependence on tourism make our islands especially vulnerable to environmental damage, economic devastation and the health/wellness issues that come with it.“
>> Environmental Association of St Thomas St John (E.A.S.T.) - :”The Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John (EAST) was founded in 1989 as a private, non-profit, volunteer-based community organization whose three areas of environmental focus are advocacy, awareness and education. EAST is a chapter of the Virgin Islands Conservation Society (VICS), and an affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation”
>> Coral Bay Community Council - “CBCC is a public charitable non-profit organization that serves both people and the natural environment in Coral Bay. We approach our mission through watershed management. The watershed in this case is not limited to the actual action of water flowing across the land, but rather the land, resources, and people within our watershed area.”
>> Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge - “Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1984 when 340 acres were purchased from the West Indies Investment Company. The land was acquired specifically to protect nesting habitat of endangered leatherback sea turtles. An additional 43 acres have been acquired since then to conserve the Aklis pre-historic archaeological site and a stand of the endangered Vahl’s boxwood tree.”
>> St. JanCo - “Known as “St. JanCo,” The St. John Heritage Collective is a community land trust, on the small island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). St. JanCo is on a mission to preserve the history, identity, and culture of St. John’s people, especially those whose ancestry on St. John predates the 1917 American Purchase of the USVI from Denmark, and the 1956 establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park. At St. JanCo, we firmly believe that the conservation of St. John’s pristine landscape must be coupled with cultural stewardship. The people of St. John face a host of socio-economic and political challenges that threaten their food culture, heritage preservation, knowledge transmission and access to resources. Many of these issues were exacerbated by the devastating impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.”