Aug. 21, 2003 – With visitation slowed down for the summer, the V.I. National Park is using the time to expand the sidewalk by the Trunk Bay beach.
"Human traffic has created some erosion," said Troy Lissimore, who arrived last week from the National Park Service southeast regional office to serve as acting superintendent until Art Frederick arrives in the fall.
The sidewalk expansion is behind the beach and near the concession area. Lissimore said the work was not extensive and that the project has been planned for some time.
While the project is small in scope, one person is upset about it. The individual, who did not want to be identified, complained that building a sidewalk goes against the park's ethic to protect the environment.
However, Lissimore said the park anticipates that the number of visitors to Trunk Bay will continue to increase, so without attention the erosion problem would only get worse. "The area tends to compact, and this is away to stop it," he said.
Trunk Bay sees more visitors than any other part of the park, most of them between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. It is the most popular destination for cruise ship passengers who come over from St. Thomas on a tour as well as for hotel guests and residents from both St. Thomas and St. John.
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