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Environment
.sD.yN.. .R.dy. t. 8..1998 28
Park fee would help fight degradation
"The park will charSge a S4 clearly defineas public right.
daily fee for admiussion Io both sibllatitd by astom, to lbe
Trunk Bay and Aaashrg Plants, od sajoyment of wa area 'Tm
tion. lhb palrk'I two mot pola ll to" aid Ion of low tide. lo-
dtltnsiliOn-. Both aitactl more ing island a dilaste of fifty feet;
than 600,000 visitors sce year. orat tho (excrmme avauad boasd-
Visitors $nd families C* sy a sty lin of lom Ollde, ming Inlend
$15 yearly fts to got inho fliies. = disltnce of fifty feel; or to the
Individuals can pay $10. Chklldren xatmme sawud boundalry of nol.
under 12 and school goups enter uat o egellaol which pr. ad con-
free." Ithe Daily N'ws yrcporld e lnuously island; or io slustl
Mich 27. 1998. btriar; whicheve is th shorest
Some people might be crili'l do l '"
of the V.. Piolonel Pcas waiting Te propod fe by lbs pos is
to charge fee. Some might argue denep thn Ioos people rea i:. -
Ihll for donkey yeses, we entered mo- thIn Just charging viallots
lhe Virgin Islands Natsional Park od m aideno a fee to U irr Trank
frie. Olhiks might rgue aI all faBy ad Amnaberg PlnliMtOl.
he bcsach In I the VIginr Inliand OT the years. the park hau
are lea. thua we should not hbe dmded becue of the impact of
charged to anes TT k Bay. busmB.
Did we forget that for yYrn Romad .surfa e soion. il slo-
we've pay a fee I0 ntr M-lugea nie. homan dbvelopmonel sent
Bay beach? bousdaros of the pt., eagletaion
These fees ale shed for mainws degadallon. aachor damage oad
nasc and o sher opsmaias of bhe crele sanorkeolnn ill adverselty
bsah, affe the maine eavitanem.
Sao what i.s lbe problem of pay.- Por o lime lthe park has
iog faes at the park' h fm.um.er, findtie
Thn Vie8in Inland On and s -ona don sanimo.
Shoelines at t of 1971 doesn soy m ay n mo. Raoiy..lsdlm
anything shoul feeo to ensan man aopleptd by two toi.tl.la
beachis on them lands o poved nd opasved moa for
The Open Sholelines Ao very the park sevlece ion ee what
m --
Olasee
Davis
Our
impact oals hive on the environ-.
ment.
Before I give you lhe sceontific
Iladlng. you most undsesland the
hilsteical tad use of Si. Jobn snd
the impaci It might have on the
olonmsient.
SL John Is the third largest of
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Tha iasnd'n lopography Is
nigged, will thin solls ad lUmioed
wamo resources that bove made is
edItoticUy les n subnje to devl-
Prior to auopa noloolsaiion
of St. Joh o lI 1700, ladlinI
ocupiled the island.
Althong I ih lives cultivated
nmltl plots of bs land for food,
the mall ladlo po Inolloin a lbh
Illod suggesti.hal lbt calnIal
veglletalo s in ano modified
dlsnoelvsly.
I 1493, St. Jobs m di-aso
ared by CbM Buropesac.
Dai b this pAio"a mose-
rian. believedbat i. ree were
probably lgged for ppo like
hipb silding Ind Inel. Blt Ls.an,
Woodoriy end Weaner Itstd Ibdl
"'he level of exploltaltos mIs
anliklly Io haes lebaltllally
allered the vegelOlll cove0 t Or
erosois tiane."
Denmarlk seized cotm.l of St.
John in 1718. They estalbllshed
colon and sugorleoo planlslions
with help from African slave
labor.
A 1780 =opogssphl anid land.
uoa map ladlaies thai 35 pnrcnt
hi 40 pesoso of StL John lnd ws
coplesey fitled oand Oitl
Ulvsllon of luigareado sd cettoni
were In thls flaner no, the oin-
tral past aid along tBe ci t of the
islad.
HImilorlaI dniwilge add maps
slgget ts that eI fo'Msa sleeper
slopes. though exploited to some
extend for number, fasl and cOis-
Coal. were not syst.mi.ilally
cleared ft agiltlur.
Ill the late 1700a. commecial
"trdolos hsgn = o dtclmnI do. to
droughts, idvnen sngso prInce.
heiousaica mate fnnornble lam.
log ooadiliaoa no naetb Itsladt,
nod probably atbesnae eelioan.
BtwnD abe IBa~ 191sd 18001.
lbses*gssicaoestep dtsppnd hihite
than half its n lvlo., dellnlad-yb
l !ft ogla .fletW -mspslloo
ofolissesin l8dh1
,he c osdag '
Josoned 19W1 D:
The popullalon of lhe island
was about 800 flow Ihe 1900s to
1950s. The miaer tBinpO(Illlion
methods were donkeys and dit
00ili linking nte o the lbslod,
Hisloral otands suggest that
from 1493 to thelaiddli of the
20th ontulry..tinwo noinMn
*ivc sill ruslot.
Hluorical'ioTdm also nsure
mnollea~pyadjbsi ~mdritbtilf
1"his and otlir-evldeoce. ug*
gess tribal lbh a inB dVlopeanfot
ngriclsture nooOs obe won nat as
dsatruilve s' o o thought it
no- sad nn2od exdsdl
lae.
This vrilew aeft ofs
elM l Slt Crs ht"
Olasee DIvts St. Cro, otot
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