Dec. 27, 2002 – It's time to do more than think about signing up for the 2003 Friends of the V.I. National Park winter and spring seminars. "There are seminars for any interest," program manager Emily Burton says, and with space limited, some of them are already filling up.
Here's the schedule. Most programs are half-day presentations on Wednesday or Saturday. To sign up, call the Friends at 779-4940 or visit the organization's office at Mongoose Junction between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Friends members get a discount of $5 or $10 per seminar, depending on the fee.
Jan. 11 (Saturday) — Hawksnest Beach Botany Walk, 9 to 11:30 a.m., led by botanist Eleanor Gibney, who will talk about common coastal plants, some lesser-known species and medicinal plants. Participants are to meet at the beach parking lot with sunscreen, hat, drinking water and a snack in hand. The fee is $30.
Jan. 15 (Wednesday) — "English Creole: A History of the Spoken Word on St. John," 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Nazareth Lutheran Church Hall in Cruz Bay. Linguistic expert Elroy Sprauve will examine the structure of the local Creole language. $30.
Jan. 18 (Saturday) — "A Community in Transition: East End 1917-1960," 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Agriculture Department facility in Coral Bay. Economist Bernie Kemp and educator/historian Guy Benjamin will lead the discussion. $30.
Jan. 22 (Wednesday) — Tropical Photography Workshop, 8 a.m. to noon, National Park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay. St. John professional photographer Steve Simonsen will provide tips on improving your photography and lead a tour with stops at various photo-opportunity points around the island. Meet at the park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay. Bring your camera, its owner's manual, film, extra batteries, drinking water and a snack. $40 including transportation. This seminar will be repeated on March 1.
Jan. 25 (Saturday) — "Leinster Bay: Ireland in the Danish West Indies," 9 to 11 a.m. Historian David Knight will lead a tour of the ruins of James Murphy's Leinster Bay and Annaberg plantations, the Leinster Bay greathouse and Murphy's grave. Meet at the Annaberg Plantation parking lot. $30.
Jan. 29 (Wednesday) — "Creating the National Park: A Look at the 1930s-1950s," 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cinnamon Bay amphitheater. Crystal Fortwangler will lead the discussion. $30.
Feb. 1 (Saturday) — "Pirates of the Virgin Islands," 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., aboard Breath, a 42-foot, gaff-rigged ketch. Set sail from Skinny Legs Restaurant and Bar in Coral Bay for a trip that will include a snorkeling stop at Haulover Bay. $70.
Feb. 5 (Wednesday) — "Crafting Spirits from Wood," 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hawksnest Beach picnic area. Artist Jay Robinson will show participants how to create ancestral figures out of local woods using their hands and simple tools. Bring drinking water and lunch. $30.
Feb. 8 (Saturday)– Bird Watching Tour, 7 to 11 a.m., led by Lauren Brannick-Trager, V.I. National Park ranger and Audubon Society of the Virgin Islands president. She'll make several stops along the island's North Shore. Meet at the Cruz Bay taxi area and bring binoculars, insect repellent and plenty of drinking water. $35 includes transportation.
Feb. 15 (Saturday) — "The Wonders of Archaeology," 9 a.m. to noon, Cinnamon Bay archaeology laboratory. Park archeologist Ken Wild will talk about maritime, prehistoric and historic archeology. $30. This seminar will be repeated on April 23.
Feb. 16 (Sunday) — Marine Biology Sailing Trip, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., aboard the catamaran Adventure. Park ranger Jeff Miller will point out treasures above and below the surface of the sea. Meet at the park Visitor Center with snorkel gear, sunscreen, drinking water and lunch. $70.
Feb. 19 (Wednesday) — "When Sugar Was King: Annaberg at the Turn of the 19th Century," 9 to 11 a.m., led by historian David Knight. Meet at the Annaberg Plantation parking lot. $30.
Feb. 26 (Wednesday) — "Traditional Seed Beading," 9 to 11 a.m., at the Maho Bay beach pavilion on the North Shore Road. Park ranger Deanna Somerville will demonstrate the old ways of processing seeds. $30.
March 1 (Saturday) – a second Tropical Photography Workshop, 8 a.m. to noon. Local photographer Steve Simonsen will provide tips on improving your photography and lead a tour with stops at various photo-opportunity points around the island. Meet at the park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay. Bring your camera, its owner's manual, film, extra batteries, drinking water and a snack. $40 including transportation. This is a repeat of the Jan. 22 seminar.
March 2 (Sunday) — "Stars and Their Stories," 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Astro-mythologist Kelly Hunter will guide participants through the night sky. Meet at the Peace Hill parking lot on the North Shore Road, and bring binoculars and a blanket. $30.
March 8 (Saturday) — "Traditional West Indian Cooking," 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Annaberg Plantation cookhouse. Park ranger Denise Georges will prepare a traditional seafood dish. $35.
March 12 (Wednesday) — "Afro-Caribbean Drumming Workshop," noon to 2 p.m., at the Catherineberg ruins, taught by master drummer Eddie Bruce. Bring a drum if you have one. $30.
March 15 (Saturday) — Coastal Ecology Tour, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., aboard the Sadie Sea. Rafe Boulon, park chief of resource management, is the guide. Participants will snorkel, wade and float in the mangrove lagoons, coral reefs, seagrass beds and beaches. Meet at the park Visitor Center dock with wading shoes, snorkel gear, drinking water and lunch. $70.
March 17 (Monday) — Day 1 of a two-day "Taino Pottery Pit Firing Workshop," 9 a.m. to noon, Cinnamon Bay archaeology laboratory. Archeologist Ken Wild and artists Gail Van de Bogurt and Kat Sowa are the leaders. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty; bring drinking water and a snack. $70 for the two days.
March 21 (Friday) — Day 2 of a two-day "Taino Pottery Pit Firing Workshop," 1 to 4 p.m. See March 17.
March 22 (Saturday) – "St. John Architecture, Then and Now," 9 a.m. to noon. Architect Glen Speer will conduct a tour of old and new buildings around the island. Meet at Sun Dog Café in Mongoose Junction and be prepared to car pool. $30. This seminar will be repeated on April 16.
March 26 (Wednesday) — "Bats! Bats! Everywhere!" 7 to 8:30 p.m., Cinnamon Bay amphitheater. With park biologist Jim Peterson, participants will hunt for bats with an ultrasound detector and learn about the eight species that call St. John home. $30.
March 29 (Saturday) — "Conditions of Coral Reefs in the Virgin Islands and How to Help Them Survive," 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., aboard the 50-foot catamaran Allura. Nick Drayton of The Ocean Conservancy and Caroline Rogers, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, will conduct this all-day seminar at sea. Meet at the park Visitor Center with sunscreen, lunch and drinking water. $70 fee includes snorkel gear.
April 5 (Saturday) — "Marine-Life Enthusiasts' Snorkel Trip," 9 a.m. to noon, with marine naturalist Kathy Packo aboard her boat Sea Gypsy. She will take participants to visit three offshore spots. Meet at the Caneel Bay Resort dock with snorkel gear, underwater camera if you have one, a snack and drinking water. $70.
April 9 (Wednesday) — "From Moravia to Bohemia to St. John," 9 to 11 a.m., a history tour of the Moravian Church on St. John led by Janet Burton. Meet at the park Visitor Center. $35 fee includes transportation.
April 12 (Saturday) — "Sun and Recycled Art at Maho Bay," 9 a.m. to noon, Maho Bay Camps Pavilion restaurant. Resident glassblower Eric Burton will demonstrate how to turn trash bottles into art and how to make paper. Bring drinking water and a snack. $30.
April 16 (Wednesday) – A second seminar on "St. John Architecture: Then and Now," 9 a.m. to noon. Architect Gle
n Speer will conduct a tour of old and new buildings around the island. Meet at Sun Dog Café in Mongoose Junction and be prepared to car pool. $30. This is a repeat of the March 22 seminar.
April 23 (Wednesday) — A second seminar on "The Wonders of Archeology," 9 a.m. to noon, Cinnamon Bay archaeology laboratory. Park archeologist Ken Wild will talk about maritime, prehistoric and historic archeology. $30. This is a repeat of the Feb. 15 seminar.
April 27 (Sunday) — "Snorkel Identification Adventure," 9 a.m. to noon, aboard the boat of seminar leader Lucy Portlock, who will provide snorkeling instruction. Meet at the Caneel Bay Resort dock with snorkel gear, underwater camera if you have one, a snack and plenty of drinking water. $70.

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