Jan. 11, 2009 — When times get tough people turn to what matters most, Trust for Public Land President Will Rogers said Sunday at the Friends of V.I. National Park annual meeting, citing land conservation, which is TPL's mission.
"Land conservation is profoundly democratic," he told the more than 100 people gathered at Cinnamon Bay Campground's T'ree Lizards Restaurant. "Conservation cuts across politics, age and socioeconomic status. It's something that brings us all together."
Plunging real-estate prices across the country have created opportunities for TPL to buy land, but Rogers said that money for those purchases is in much shorter supply than before.
TPL bought the more than 400 acres at Maho Bay to protect it from development. The non-profit organization borrowed nearly $20 million to buy the land.
"The land will be conveyed to the National Park Service in phases over the next two to three years as federal appropriations become available," Park Superintendent Mark Hardgrove said in his State of the Park address.
The protection of Maho Bay was the work of TPL's John Garrison, who once served as the Friends president, and the park's Rafe Boulon. At the park Boulon serves as chief of resource management, and he received the Park Service's Southeast Region Natural Resource Management Award for his work. Hardgrove announced that Boulon would receive a paid week off for his efforts.
TPL is currently working to obtain the 14 acres of land currently occupied by Stanley Selengut's Maho Bay Camps. The lease on the land, which sits in the heart of the park, runs out in 2012, sparking fears that the campground may close if a developer buys it.
Hardgrove also noted that TPL worked with Selengut to obtain 2.2 acres at Nanny Point. The land is near Selengut's Concordia Eco-tents and Condominiums.
The annual meeting marked the Friends' 20th anniversary.
"In these 20 years, the Friends has accomplished quite a lot," Friends President Joe Kessler said.
He ticked off a long list of accomplishments, including sponsoring field trips for 750 students during the past year.
Rogers also touched on the importance of helping youths appreciate nature.
"What's the extinction of a condor to children who have never known a wren?" Rogers said.
Hardgrove announced that the park would have a role in the new Ken Burns film about national parks.
"We don't know how much will be shown," he said.
Hardgrove provided a slew of statistics about the park, including the fact that it gets nearly one million visitors a year. Lifeguards at Trunk Bay, the park's most popular beach, assisted or rescued 253 people and provided medical care to 113 injured people.
The park has a budget of $4.6 million, with the Coral Reef National Monument operating on a budget of $360,000, Hardgrove said.
While the park is authorized to hire 73 full-time employees and the monument three, it currently only has funding for a total of 56 people. Last year the park had 62 employees, Hardgrove said.
And he said the park has a $22 million maintenance backlog for what it calls "front-country" facilities, those that visitors use.
The Friends gave its volunteer of the year award to former Friends Chairman John Fuller, who spent seven years heading the group's board of directors.
Hardgrove also announced the park's volunteer of the year award. It went to Minnesota resident Terry Petersen, who spends her summers volunteering at the park.
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