National Park Service officials say they are pleased with the response they've received from the public in the first input phase of formulating long-term marine and commercial use management plan for the V.I. National Park.
Park Supt. Russell Berry Jr. and consultant Jim Owens held a "scoping" meeting for members of the St. John Rotary Club Friday. A series of five public scoping sessions concluded in late January. Since then, Berry said, he's been taking the plan idea to civic organizations and business associations on St. Thomas and St. John.
In addition to the information gathered at scoping meetings, Owens said, a number of ideas have been gleaned from survey questionnaires submitted by citizens. Many contain favorable remarks about the park's new mooring program, which is a part of the marine use management plan. More than 100 moorings have been installed at various sites in national park waters around St. John.
The mooring plan was instituted to curtail anchor damage to seagrass beds and coral reefs. Noting that the NPS plans to impose mooring fess by next year, Owen said some survey respondents would like to keep several anchorages in park waters. Also, he said, many respondents and meeting attendees have asked what park services they can expect in exchange for having to pay mooring fees.
In the area of commercial services, Owens said, survey respondents have expressed interest in splitting up the Caneel Bay concession. Within the park boundaries, Caneel operates one of the territory's most exclusive resorts as well as the Cinnamon Bay campground. Another area of interest conveyed in questionnaires, he said, is in improving land-based transportation.
Berry encouraged the Rotarians who had not already completed survey forms to do so. Those turned in have been filled out "pretty comprehensively," with "very thoughtful answers," he said. Owens said NPS personnel will analyze the information gathered via the public-opinion outreach. "We'll come up with an array of alternative management strategies — some choices to be made — and we'll kick that back out and ask if we're on track," Owens said.
Based in part on the analysis of public input, NPS officials will prepare a draft management plan and then put it out for feedback in another round of public presentations. Berry said he expects the finalized plan to be ready by June.