Aug. 11, 2008 — A white-cheeked pintail duck fluffed its feathers Monday morning as it gazed at a group of people taking a baptismal walking tour of its new home, the Red Hook Salt Pond Nature Trail.
Andrea King, president of the Red Hook Community Alliance (RHCA) snipped a bright red ribbon officially inaugurating the boardwalk and welcoming sponsors, partners, and benefactors to the official restoration of the pond, something all have contributed to over the past two years.
The once-neglected pond shimmered Monday, the new boardwalk hugging its roadside exposure, protecting it from traffic. The pond is located right on the Red Hook road, a heavily trafficked area many drivers have traveled for years unaware of the beauty a few feet from them, as many threw trash to the side of road, contributing to the pond's deteriorating hold on life.
That life blossomed Monday because of the energy and determination of a group of people, youngsters and those not so young, who have come out to the pond for six hefty clean-ups over the past two years. The clean-ups have removed all manner of trash and debris including vehicles, junked boats, large appliances and now and then a few squatters.
The RHCA has had its eye on the project for the many years. In 2003, it requested the Department of Planning and Natural Resources designate the pond a marine sanctuary and wildlife refuge, but it wasn't until 2006 that it got go-ahead support and funding.
At that time, King said, she heard about a Gulf of Mexico Community-based Restoration Partnership grant. "It seemed ideal for us," she said Monday before a diverse audience who shared a concern for the environment.
"I'd never written a grant proposal before," King said. "I never thought we'd get it, but in about a month they said we were being considered, and we got it in 2006." The grant is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Community-based Restoration program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program.
Quenton Dokken, Gulf of Mexico executive director, and Daphne MacFarlane of NOAA were on island Monday to view the group's handiwork, and add a bit of congratulation.
"My background is in marine science," said Dokken. "If you look at wetland maintenance, you can see where this project is controlling the runoff and providing a natural filter to protect the bird life and the regrowth of the mangoes."
MacFarlane said, "We would like to fund more projects like this here, and in Puerto Rico, and see these kinds of results. I know how hard this has been, and I know they must have wanted to just throw up their hands. But they didn't."
Just after Barbara Petersen delivered remarks and congratulations for Gov. John deJongh Jr., who is off-island, there was a rustle to the rear of the dedication, as Mario Francis appeared with about 40 of his Junior Gardening and Ecology Academy students in tow.
"They want to see this pond today," Francis said. The youngsters, all sporting bright blue T-shirts, looked raring to go.
"This is my outdoor classroom," Francis said. "This is where I saw my first yellow-bellied warbler."
Matching funds were donated by Ricardo Charaf, East End Plaza owner. In-kind services were donated by Andy Smith, Island Roads Corp., engineering design by Greg Miller and BGM Engineering; with technical support from Judy Pierce, V.I. Division of Fish and Wildlife director.
Members of Anna Francis' Environmental Rangers, the Environmental Association of St. Thomas (EAST) and Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Junior ROTC, who have worked along side King's group, were on hand Monday to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
King conducted a guided tour of the boardwalk, pointing out the handsome signs interpreting the pond's wildlife with professional illustrations of the birds to be seen, giving a running commentary. Leading with her stalwart RHCA "worker bee," Ellen Stewart, Francis and lots of youngsters, King was in her element.
Michael Hillaire, Francis' son, a lanky 17-year-old about to enter his first year at the University of the Virgin Islands, shook his head as he pointed to trash still on the roadside. "We just two weeks ago took out truckloads from here. People have to learn to care for where they live," he said. "This is everybody's home."
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