More Than 3,000 lbs of Hurricane Debris Removed from Coral Bay

ST. JOHN, USVI — Volunteers removed more than 3,000 pounds of debris from the shoreline during the 2021 St. John Great Mangrove Cleanup.

The event, hosted by the University of the Virgin Islands, drew more than community volunteers, ages 22-77 on Saturday, July 27. They cleaned a 0.25 miles of mangrove debris, much of which had lingered as a result of the hurricanes.

“This is the most debris removed by weight from community clean-ups of USVI mangroves, to date,” said project lead, Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes, Research Assistant Professor of Watershed Ecology at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Center for Marine and Environmental Studies. “This was a tremendous effort by volunteers, despite the rain we experienced on Saturday. It really speaks to what a dedicated group can achieve together,” said Grimes.

Volunteers sorted the trash and found they had collected 1,074 beverage bottles and cans, 579 plastic pieces, and 461 pieces of construction material. Unusual finds including a scuba tank, a kayak, a dog collar, one container of airsoft pellets, a grill, 2 patio chairs, a car battery, a full can of paint, one toilet seat, a wood sailboat boom, 9 tires and 23 “lost soles” (flip-flops and other shoes).

The St. John Great Mangrove Cleanup was planned after the success of previous Great Mangrove Cleanups on St. Thomas and St. Croix. Those events had more than 375 volunteers and removed more than 7,300 pounds of marine debris from territorial shorelines. With the 2021 St. John Great Mangrove Cleanup, community volunteers have now removed 5.4 tons of debris from mangrove shorelines across the territory since 2018.

Start your day with the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here. And follow Patch USVI on Facebook to get the latest, breaking news.