The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority is partnering with the University of the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service Division and the Friends of the National Park by being a part of the 27th Annual International Coast Clean Up. Coast Week Clean Up runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31. This year’s theme is “Trash Free Seas.”
The St. Thomas Kick-off will be held on Hassel Island from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 15, in conjunction with the National Park, the St. Thomas Historical Trust, the Audubon Society and the St. Thomas-St. John Chapter of the Virgin Islands Network of Environmental Educators (VINE).
The first 50 people registered will be transported free to Hassel Island aboard the vessel, the Sea Tow, for the Cleanup. Volunteers will be required to sign waivers to participate in the cleanup. Check in will take place at 8:45 a.m. A VINE group representative will lead the cleanup and be on hand for check in at the Frenchtown Marina.
The cleanup will take place from 9-11 a.m. Following the cleanup, the St. Thomas Historic Trust will host a guided tour of the newly opened active trail on Hassel Island from 11 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers should wear sunscreen, a hat, closed-toe shoes and clothing that can get wet, as cleaning takes place along the shoreline. Also, bring plenty of water, preferably in a reusable bottle, along with a snack. Trash bags, gloves and data cards will be provided to collect and tally items collected during the cleanup.
The St. John Coast Week Kick-off activities will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, at Trunk Bay. Contact Audrey Penn at the Friends of the National Park at 779-4940 for more information.
To volunteer for the St. Thomas-St. John Coast Week Kick-off or to organize a clean-up on St. Thomas, persons must register in advance with Olivia Robles or Kysha Wallace at 777-3073.
On St. Croix, the kick-off activities include a clean-up at the Frederiksted Pier from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Sept. 15. There will also be an underwater clean-up by CRABBS Dive Club, and they will be assisted on land by students from the St. Croix Educational Complex. Students from the complex will also be doing a shoreline cleanup in the immediate area around the pier.
There will also be a beach clean-up at Columbus Landing, Salt River. Good Hope School will be coordinating this event.
For more information on the St. Croix activities, contact Marcia Taylor at the University of the Virgin Islands at 693-4046.
Businesses, school groups and other organizations or clubs are encouraged to get involved in the effort to clean-up the V.I. shorelines.
