| "What we have gained from the conference is the feeling that we are not alone in our challenges. By sharing concerns and collaborating with colleagues from other islands and island regions, solutions are much more easily derived." | |
| Janice Hodge, Virgin Islands Division of Coastal Zone Management |
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Nonpoint source solutions that work on the mainland may need significant alterations in order to be applicable in an island setting. To develop and explore different strategies to address this major environmental issue, coastal resource managers in the U.S. Virgin Islands host an annual conference where citizens as well as representatives from federal, state, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, universities, and businesses share information and ideas.
"What we have gained from the conference is the feeling that we are not alone in our challenges. By sharing concerns and collaborating with colleagues from other islands and island regions, solutions are much more easily derived," says Janice Hodge, director of the Virgin Islands Division of Coastal Zone Management. "It also has allowed us the opportunity to tune in to the community, to know what their concerns are, and to let them know what coastal and other environmental priorities are being addressed."
Hodge says the first annual Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference was held in 1993 to introduce the concept of nonpoint source pollution to the three U.S. islands. The conference was so successful, it was expanded to include other Caribbean islands—and the focus is now more on identifying problems and solutions to environmental challenges.
The sixth annual conference will be held December 6 and 7, and has the theme, "From Summits to Sea: New Projects and Programs for a New Millennium." More than 120 people are expected to attend.
A number of strategies have been incorporated into the coastal program as a result of past conferences, Hodge says. These include purchasing hydroseeders to speed grass growth in erosion- prone areas; designing and constructing wetlands for on-site sewage disposal systems in areas that cannot accommodate traditional septic systems; and establishing collaborative partnerships with other governmental and nongovernmental entities.
A 12-member committee made up of representatives from relevant government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and businesses organizes the conferences. After selecting the theme, the committee sends out a call for selected topics. Notices are sent out to past participants, and Hodge says the community is invited to attend through advertisements. To involve area schoolchildren, poster, essay, or photo competitions are held, and the awards ceremony is part of the conference.
"If you get the community involved and aware of what you are trying to accomplish, it makes our jobs a lot easier," Hodge notes. "You also get advocates out there who are contributing to increased awareness about environmental challenges and solutions."
"The big thing about the conference," Hodge adds, "is that you are introduced to a variety of technologies and innovative ideas, which without the conference, one would not have the opportunity to discover."
For more information on past Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source Pollution Conferences, contact Janice Hodge at (340) 774-3320, ext. 5116, or Janice.Hodge@noaa.gov. For information on attending the sixth annual conference, contact Bill Rohring at (340) 774-3320, ext. 5107, or rohringbill@netscape.net, or Julie Wright at (340) 693-1082 or jwright@uvi.edu.
