Fact Sheet

Genti Bay



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Membership Info

The Virgin Islands Audubon Society, an affiliate of the National Audubon Society, has over 45 members. The Audubon Society promotes conservation of native animals and plants, environmental protection, environmental education and appreciation of the natural world.

General Meetings

General Meetings take place on the third Tuesday of each month (Nov thru May). They begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held at the Legislative Building, Conference Room, in Cruz Bay, St John. The programs emphasize natural history and national and local conservation issues. The public is always welcome.

Field Trips

The Society conducts field trips each month, also open to the public. The trips are usually to local areas, but several outings each year have more distant destinations, such as Trinidad and Southern Venezuela. These more distant trips are weekend or weeklong trips. Occasional field trips are designed specifically for beginning birdwatchers.

Education

Audubon Adventures, an environmental education program for 3rd-6th grade students, introduces children to the wonder and beauty of the natural world. We sponsors this program in Virgin Islands. In addition, the Society presents programs and leads field trips for school classes, youth and senior-citizen groups and prepares educational displays for libraries, schools and shopping malls. Our major fundraising event is an annual Plant Sale, held in February. We have several other fundraising efforts throughout the year.

Frank Bay Pond

A focus of our activities in St John is Frank Bay Pond. Located within walking distance of Cruz Bay, St John, the sanctuary has a dual purpose: to provide a unique wildlife habitat within Cruz Bay and to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy and learn about that wildlife.

Field Ornithology

The Christmas Bird Count is the largest cooperative ornithological exercise in the world. The Count has been conducted for 99 years. The Virgin Islands Audubon Society sponsors a Christmas bird count on St John; 2000/2001 will bring the 23rd VI AS participation in the Count. In addition to providing enjoyable recreation, the counts contribute to a nationwide database on winter bird distribution. We maintain records of bird observations in the St John area and makes these available to government agencies, scientific organizations and interested individuals.

Environmental Protection

Air quality, water quality and water conservation are additional important Audubon concerns. The increasing human population of the Virgin Islands places huge strains on our air, land and water resources. Ensuring a healthy environment in the future will be a major challenge; one we cannot ignore. We promote, at the local level, the Audubon Society's national and regional conservation efforts. The VI Audubon Society coordinates its environmental advocacy efforts with VICS, The Virgin Islands Conservation Society. VICS was voted "1998 Affiliate of the Year" by the National Wildlife Federation.

Publications

The Bananaquit, published six times a year, is the newsletter of the Virgin islands Audubon Society.
All members receive The Bananaquit as one of their membership benefits.
For more information, please contact:
Virgin islands Audubon Society Inc.
PO Box 1233
St John, VI 00831-1233
USA
or e-mail to:
VI Audubon Society / bbell@islands.vi/Cruz Bay, St John USVI

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Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
Please e-mail to:
VI Audubon Society / bbell@islands.vi /Cruz Bay, St John USVI