Growing Mangroves and Growing Knowledge - Part 2
A U.S. Virgin Islands and British Virgins Island Learning Exchange. (Read part 1)
A guest post by Allison Holevoet, Allie Durdall and Dr. Kristin Grimes
After many months spent building anticipation, UVI students and staff finally made their way to Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI), on February 24, 2023, for the second part of the mangrove exchange between the BVI and USVI. In total, 17 representatives from the University of the Virgin islands traveled to Tortola for the exchange: 10 students (6 undergraduate, 4 graduate), and 7 employees, including Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics Dr. Sandra Romano, Research Associate Professor Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes, VI-EPSCoR Communications and Engagement Specialist from St. Croix Kai Nielsen, and four coral and mangrove research technician staff from the Center of Marine and Environmental Studies.
The exchange was led by HLSCC’s Head of Marine & Maritime Studies at the Centre for Applied Marine Studies (CAMS) Susan Zaluski and the Department of Marine & Maritime Studies Workshop Manager, Joseph Wells. A diverse group of folks from UVI attended the exchange and were excited to finally see HLSCC’s dreamy shade house in person, as it was only seen once in January 20201 via virtual tour. Vibrant and healthy red mangroves were happily shaded under green shade cloth. The icing on the cake of the mangrove oasis was the automated, fresh water irrigation system. In the USVI, the red mangroves are only grown in saltwater, so the irrigation system and appearance of the plants sparked lots of new ideas for the USVI team. “The learning exchange in Tortola was a very informative and engaging experience. It provided interesting insight on some similarities and differences we have when working with mangroves,” said UVI undergraduate student Aaliya Warner-Rawlins.
Group photo of UVI and HLCC faculty and staff on HLCC’s boardwalk. Photo: Kristin Wilson Grimes
H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s green house with red mangroves. Photo: Allie Durdall
The exchange winded through the sunny afternoon and included tours of active and past mangrove restoration sites, the HLSCC mangrove nursery, the mangrove boardwalk, as well as some afternoon lectures. One lecturer was an HLSCC graduate, Nia Jeffers, who now studies BVI mangroves for her Master’s thesis at the University of New Hampshire supervised by Dr. Greg Moore. Nia shared her thesis proposal which prompted a lengthy discussion on mangrove restoration techniques and site characteristics in the Caribbean. Rozina Norris Gumbs at the Ministry of Natural Resources shared her experiences of championing mangrove restoration in the territory for many years and what creative tools she has used to engage the public. Her creative flair and a need for communicating important environmental issues to the public began multiple public outreach campaigns via cartoon! Later in the afternoon, the group enjoyed a stroll through the mangroves on a boardwalk built by Gumbs years ago. As the saying goes, “When you can’t bring the people to the mangroves, you bring the mangroves to the people.” Mangrove ecosystems aren’t always easy to explore or access, so the building of the boardwalk was Gumbs’ way of facilitating that access, making these particular mangroves accessible to all.
The last stop before the USVI contingent was ferry bound was a past restoration site that had used the Riley Encasement Method. This method utilizes a two-part encasement system of PVC that ensures structural support for propagules on high energy shorelines. It was hard to believe that some of the trees we were looking at encased in PVC were 10 years old, yet looked as though they could have been planted yesterday. Restoration practitioners in the BVI and elsewhere, have moved away from this technique, especially to prevent additional plastic pollution in our nearshore waters and because its now recognized the technique may limit plant growth. Nevertheless, it is because of these restoration trials that we forge ahead into a brighter future for restoration, armed with more “know-how” and mangrove wisdom than ever before.
H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s boardwalk through tall red and white mangroves. Photo: Allison Holevoet
A young, red mangrove seedling at one of HLCC’s restoration sites, Frenchman’s Caye, planted in 2020. Photo: Allie Durdall
As new Securing STEM Island Pathways WorkForce Fellow Kwami Alexander noted, “The BVI learning exchange was very interesting. We got to see their nursery and how they raise their mangroves. One thing that really caught my attention was their shade house. Although our sit down information session really opened up the door to some interesting discussion topics, the most interesting part was when the HLSCC team showed us their restoration techniques at a restoration site.”
Learning exchanges such as these highlight how valuable continued communication between restoration practitioners is and can be. By sharing experiences, concepts, and ideas, mangrove restoration techniques can be enhanced in our own backyards, the greater Caribbean region and beyond.
Visit our page to learn more about mangrove research in the USVI, or follow the GRROE team on instagram.
To learn more about the BVI mangrove nursery or the Centre for Applied Marine Studies, please contact Susan Zaluski via email at szaluski@hlscc.edu.vg
This work was made possible by the following partners:
