United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Caribbean Area Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content












V.I. RC&D Awarded $2.7 Million NOAA Habitat Restoration Economic Stimulus Grant

September 11, 2009

Congratulations V.I. RC&D!

Photo of sediment damage to Coral Bay, St. John, from eroding roads, driveways & construction sites.The Virgin Islands Resources Conservation & Development Council, Inc. (V.I. RC&D) - in partnership with the V.I. Department of Planning & Natural Resources Coastal Zone Management Division, Coral Bay Community Council, Estate Fish Bay Homeowners Association, The Nature Conservancy, University of the Virgin Islands Center for Marine & Environmental Studies, and various researchers from the University of San Diego and University of Texas-Austin - have been awarded over $2.7 million in NOAA Coastal & Marine Habitat Restoration funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for their USVI Coastal Habitat Restoration through Watershed Stabilization project. “We are ecstatic to receive funding to help reduce the impacts of sediment [in storm water runoff] on our coral reefs,” said V.I. RC&D President, Marcia Taylor.

The main goal of the two-year USVI Coastal Habitat Restoration through Watershed Stabilization project is to reduce sediment damages to coastal ecosystems of three USVI watersheds [East End Bay on St. Croix and Coral Bay & Fish Bay on St. John] by installing erosion & sediment control practices to improve portions of foot trails and unpaved roads in each of the three sites. The project also contains terrestrial and marine monitoring components designed to assess the effectiveness of erosion control measures in reducing sediment loads and improve understanding of the linkages between terrestrial sediment inputs and coastal habitat condition.

These actions can benefit island communities by:

  1. Protecting fragile downstream coastal habitats (mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs) from damaging sediment-laden runoff;
  2. Creating full and part-time jobs over the two-year term of the project; and
  3. Improving infrastructure and safe public access by properly stabilizing erosion-prone land and roads.

For more information about the USVI Coastal Habitat Restoration through Watershed Stabilization or about V.I. RC&D and its projects, please contact the V.I. RC&D office at (340) 692-6932 x5 or visit www.usvircd.org.

< Back to Caribbean Area RC&Ds Page