Franklin Powell Park was buzzing Friday morning as tents went up, booths were organized and banners were hung in preparation for this year’s Friends of Virgin Islands National Park’s Earth Day celebration in downtown Cruz Bay, St. John.
One of the many activities at the 2023 Earth Day celebration in Cruz Bay, St. John was planting seeds in soil and learning about the growing process. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)
Children from the different St. John schools arrived in droves and the excitement was palpable as they explored and learned about their island home. Conservation and preservation were the main focus of this year’s festivities and there were many educational and fun activities for all the visitors, young and old, to enjoy.
Archaeologist Brittany Mistretta point’s out a sea turtle bone uncovered on St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Gail Karlsson, local bird photographer and environmental lawyer, helps Levi Grimm, 3, of the Gifft Hill School, as he colors in a photograph of a local bird at the Audubon table during the Earth Day celebrations on St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)A young student from the Julius E. Sprauve School gets her face painted at one of the many booths at the celebration in Cruz Bay. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)National Park Ranger Mark Whitefoot hands out Junior Ranger badges to the St. John school children. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Ital Anthony shares many of the local medicinal herbs and plants with visitors to the Earth Day celebration, including wild thyme, balsam and bay leaf, pictured here. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)There were no shortages of photo opportunities at the Earth Day celebrations in Cruz Bay, St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Local school children learn about the Red Mangrove and have the opportunity to plant their very own propagule on Earth Day on St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Lionfish are an invasive species in the USVI and Frank Cummings of the Core Foundation teaches the children how he and his organization is working to shoot these fish. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Donning a turtle costume, Maxwell Morales, 11, dances alongside the VI Waste Management’s Litter Critter during the Earth Day Celebration. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)National Park Ranger Mark Whitefoot talks to students about the invasive Lionfish living around the island’s shores. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Children from different schools on St. John put on presentations for fellow visitors of the Earth Day festivities in Cruz Bay. Pictured here are three students from the Gifft Hill School talking about the dangers of overfishing and the importance of better practices. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Students from the St. John Christian Academy perform a song on the steps at Franklin Powell Park in Cruz Bay, St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)Toddlers from Gifft Hill greet the passing fire and police vehicles during the Earth Day celebrations on St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)For some kids, Earth Day is every day and one young girl showed off her Crocs at the festivities on St. John. (Photo by Nancy Borowick)
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