Petition

Thank you for your help and concern! Together we can raise awareness and save Salt River Bay. All recipient names checked below will be sent a petition letter from you when you submit the form at the bottom of this page. We ask that for maximum benefit, you leave ALL of the names below checked off. Please complete the signature section below the letter. A copy of this will be emailed to you as well.

Secretary Sally Jewell (Department of Interior) The Honorable Stacy Plaskett (Congress) Governor Kenneth E. Mapp (USVI Administration) Lieutenant Governor Osbert E. Potter (USVI Administration) Director Jonathan B Jarvis (National Park Service) Acting Regional Director Gordon Wissinger (National Park Service) Associate Director, Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands Steve Whitesell (National Park Service) Associate Director, Cultural Resources Stephanie Toothman (National Park Service) Deputy Superintendent Brion Fitzgerald (National Park Service) Acting President Theresa Pierno (The National Parks Conservation Association) General Counsel Elizabeth Fayad (The National Parks Conservation Association) Senior Regional Director John Adornato III (The National Parks Conservation Association) Commissioner Dawn L Henry, Esq. (Department of Planning and Natural Resources) Director of Philanthropy, Caribbean Erin Allen (The Nature Conservancy) Commissioner St. Clair N. Williams (Department of Housing, Parks, & Recreation) CEO Wayne L. Biggs, Jr. (Department of Economic Development VIEDA) Commissioner Lynn A. Millin Maduro (Department of Property & Procurement) Commissioner Darryl A. Smalls (Department of Public Works) Assistant Administrator Eileen Sobeck (NOAA Fisheries Service) Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture Jean Marie Hartman (Rutgers) Associate Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture David Tulloch (Rutgers) Vice President of system Planning Mary Ann Fitzpatrick (University of South Carolina) Interim Provost Camille McKayle (University of the Virgin Islands) The Honorable Beverly Nicholson-Duty (US Virgin Islands Dept. of Tourism) Chief of Education & Interpretation David Goldstein (National Park Service) Superintendent Joel Tutein (National Park Service / Buck Island Reef National Monument) Senator Terence Positive Nelson Senator Myron Jackson Chief of Staff Toya Malone (The Legislature of the Virgin Islands) Dr. Karen Koltes (Department of the Interior) Associate Professor Dr. Jay Pinckney (Marine Science Program & Biological University of South Carolina) Marine Advisor Marcia Taylor (Center for Marine and Environmental Studies University of the Virgin Islands) Senator Sammuel Sanes Chairman Mark W. Eckard, Esq. (St. Croix Chamber of Commerce)

Dear (stakeholder name),

We are writing to you to raise awareness regarding the potential environmental, cultural, historical and economic impact the development of a new Marine Research Education Center (MREC) will have on Salt River Bay, St. Croix, USVI.

We ask for your help to recommend the relocation of this project to Christiansted or another less endangered area. The project, proposed by the National Park Service (NPS) in conjunction with Rutgers University, The University of North Carolina-Wilmington, the University of South Carolina, and the University of the Virgin Islands, will have a devastating impact in the following areas:

Violating a designated National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve and Natural Landmark by building a research campus, lab, housing and auditorium on it. Salt River Bay was identified by the National Trust for Historical Preservation as one of the eleven most endangered sites in the US and Territories.
Dredging Salt River Bay and Bio Bay to accommodate a research marina will destroy the delicate ecosystem currently in place, including destroying the one of the brightest Bioluminescent Bays in the world!
In 1990, the NPS stated that the area currently being considered for the MREC project was where an archeological discovery of an Amerindian burial ground (AD 660 – 1015), located adjacent to Cabo de las Flechas, “may be the most significant find of its nature in the Caribbean”. How can we let history and culture be destroyed?
Salt River Bay houses over 25 endangered and threatened animals, species and plants. Building on this site will disturb, displace and in some cases destroy many of these treasures we should be fighting to protect and appreciate.
The planned site is located in an unprotected area, ripe for destruction by hurricanes and tropical winds. Hurricane Hugo destroyed the last marine research center on the island, and neither the universities or USVI have yet to repair or remove this blighted structure.

We propose alternative suggestions that would protect Salt River Bay and help foster revitalization of the economic and social vibrancy of the island. Relocating the project to Christiansted or any of our proposed alternatives would allow the island the opportunity to revitalize a depressed area, encourage new investment, promote job growth, and protect one of the only bioluminescent bays in the world.

We welcome the MREC project to St. Croix and do not oppose its development, just the current planned site. Please review the supporting documentation detailing the negative impact and alternative suggestions at www.savesaltriverbay.com .

We need to promote investments in our future that do not sacrifice the cultural, historical, and environmental legacy and treasures we are entrusted to protect.

Thank you for your attention and consideration to this matter and your help in relocating the MREC project from the planned Salt River Bay location.

Sincerely,

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