Jan. 28, 2002 – Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg met with a group of biology students from Harvard University Monday to talk about Virgin Islands environmental issues.
The group, in the territory with their professor to research biodiversity, asked to meet with Donastorg to hear how V.I. environmental laws and public policy decisions are made, according to a release from the senator's office.
Donastorg outlined current conservation concerns, including the controversy over the recent rezoning of property at Botany Bay on St. Thomas's West End for resort and residential development. He told the students that the case "perfectly illustrates the struggle between the long-term benefits of preservation and the short-term economic gains of building a resort."
According to the release, the senator gave the group copies of the 1993 Area of Particular Concern report on Botany Bay, which outlines its natural and cultural resources. The students, who were to return to the mainland on Tuesday, were excited to learn that the area is "home to so many rare forms of plant, animal and marine life," it said.
It was evident from the students' questions that they "have completed a great deal of research about the Virgin Islands," Donastorg said.
