April 22, 2003 – Mother Nature showed who's boss on Tuesday as St. John celebrated Earth Day. While the event organizers were a bit dismayed that their carefully planned event was all but rained out, the island itself looked magnificent as waterfalls cascaded down hillsides and clouds wreathed the hills.
The V.I. National Park and the Friends of the Park had set up a tent filled with exhibits on the field next to the park Visitor Center. Shortly after the tent went up, the rain came down. The field was soon awash, with the red ants out in full force.
Not easily deterred, nearly a dozen representatives of various environmentally oriented organizations and agencies welcomed a group of pupils from Guy Benjamin School. The expected students from Julius E. Sprauve School were no-shows. Park ranger Deanna Sommerville said that no one else came by, either.
With a break in the rain, the Earth Day team decided to pack it in before the heavens opened up again.
Emily Burton, a Friends staff member who helped organize the event, said that Earth Day is a time for education and awareness. "We need to realize our impact on the planet," she said as rain dripped from the tent.
Brooke Linford of Leave No Trace was on hand to explain the code of ethics the organization would like to see everyone adopt when camping, hiking and engaging in other activities in natural settings out-of-doors.
Among other things, the group advocates planning and preparing ahead, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly, leaving unspoiled what you find in its natural state, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.
While Tuesday was officially Earth Day, park divers and crews from Low Key Watersports had been out diving earlier to clean up underwater trash. Park diver Tom Kelley said they found some amazing things on the sea floor, including barbecue grills that obviously had come off boats, along with several hundred pounds of bottles, clothing and broken glass.
Kelley said he thinks many of the objects blew off boats by accident and, because they fell into the water, the boaters had no way to retrieve them.

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