The 2nd Annual Great Mangrove Cleanup of the St. Thomas East End Reserves (STEER), took place Saturday, April 13. STEER is a vital marine protected area on the east end of St. Thomas. One hundred and fifteen volunteers, ages 9-70, removed 1,786 pounds of debris from mangrove shorelines in kayak-based and land-based cleanups of mangrove shorelines.

In her second year of study for her Masters of Marine & Environmental Studies degree at the University of the Virgin Islands, Zola Roper’s thesis focuses on marine debris in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a pervasive and important local environmental issue. How did she get here?

The Youth Ocean Explorers program provides a broad overview of a variety of marine career opportunities including oceanography, watershed resource management, marine biology, larval ecology, fisheries science, robotics science, and DNA engineering. It's primary goal is to encourage more local young people to gain interest in and pursue STEM careers.

The NOAA Marine Debris Prevention Grant through UVI provides the opportunity for teachers and students to develop projects to engage and educate the greater USVI community about marine debris problems and solutions.