Jan. 7, 2005 –– When the Coral Bay Community Council meets Monday, its new two-page watershed protection brochure will get mention, president Sharon Coldren said.
The organization will meet from 7 to 8 p.m. at the John's Folly Learning Institute. Volunteer vision coordinator Terry Mahr will speak on the progress of the organization's project on determining how Coral Bay residents want the area to look in the future.
Coldren said the watershed brochure gives people, particularly those in the building process, tips on how to protect the environment.
"The owners must insist their builders follow good procedures," Coldren said.
Construction tips include clearing only the footprint for the house, build retaining walls, do paving, develop drainage, and complete site work before construction begins, and also preserve trees, and leave guts undisturbed.
Among the numerous tips, the brochure suggests using native plants as ground cover, minimize use of pesticides and fertilizers and use brush berms to slow water runoff.
Coldren said residents began to raise concerns about the condition of Coral Harbor after the November 2003 deluge turned the bay brown. The silt that caused the problem runs downhill from the hillsides that surround it, the Coral Bay watershed.
The brochure was produced with financial support from the University of Virgin Islands Water Resources Research Institute.
http://www.coralbaycommunitycouncil.org/Watershed.htm.
For information on the organization, call 776-2099.
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