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Project name: |
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Fish Bay Watershed Erosion Control Strategy |
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Project number: |
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1003C |
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Project status: |
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Complete |
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Grant Administrator: |
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Gulf of Mexico Foundation (for NOAA) |
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Grantee: |
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Island Resources Foundation |
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Project location: |
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St. John, US Virgin Islands |
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Grant period: |
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Jan 1, 2006 - Dec 31, 2007 |
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Grant amount: |
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$26,171 |
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Land Ownership: |
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Public & private lands |
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Lat/Long: |
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18.32, -64.77 |
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Types of Habitat: |
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Coral reef, salt pond, marine environment |
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Project leader: |
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Bruce Potter – IRF President
Dr. Carlos Ramos-Scharrón - Hydrologist
1718 ‘P’ Street NW, Suite T4
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.irf.org |
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Species Benefiting From Restoration:
• Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)
• Starlet coral (Sidastrea siderea)
• Finger corals (Porites porites)
• Red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle)
• Seagrass beds (Thalassia testudinum and others)
Acres of Habitat To be Restored:
Approximately 38 acres seagrass, 21 acres coral colonized bedrock,
2.8 acres coral colonized pavement
and 26 acres linear reefs.
Project Summary:
The poor quality of the marine environment in Fish Bay (more
than 51 percent of macroalgae cover, less than 15 percent of
coral cover, high sedimentation rates of up to 11 mg cm-2
day-1, high water turbidity and sediment-laden salt ponds)
is in sharp contrast to other nearby bays along the southern
shores of St. John. Experts agree that increased erosion
associated to land development occurring on the 6 km
watershed draining into Fish Bay is responsible for its
deteriorated condition. The actions taken in this
project are directed at improving the quality of the marine
habitat in Fish Bay by reducing the amount of sediment being
produced by land development.
Island Resources Foundation
(IRF) will be responsible for completing a sediment budget analysis
by conducting field surveys and applying a GIS-based erosion
model to identify problem sites for the implementation of
erosion control strategies. In collaboration with project
partners IRF will organize meetings with local experts and
stakeholders to develop cost-effective erosion control
strategies for selected sites. Erosion control methods will
be selected from proven methods described in both local and
regional handbooks. Funds for the implementation of these
methods will be provided by both private stakeholders and
CRP funds distributed by IRF. The effectiveness of
structures and the re-vegetation strategies in reducing
erosion rates will be monitored for a one-year period after
implementation. Project achievements will be disseminated in IRF’s website and in the VI Non-Point Source (NPS) Newsletter
and Conference.
Project Objectives:
The main objective of this project is to implement an erosion
control strategy to reduce sediment loading rates into the
heavily silted Fish Bay on the island of St. John, USVI. The goals of the study are to:
- Conduct a sediment budget analysis to identify the most important sediment sources within the Fish Bay watershed
- Develop and implement sediment control strategies for specific problem sites in Fish Bay by collaborating with community members and local experts
- Promote the use of similar strategies in other priority sites in Fish Bay
and elsewhere in the Virgin Islands
Community Involvement:
The local community will be involved particularly in the
development, implementation, and monitoring of erosion
control methods. Local experts from St. John and other
community members will be an integral part of the workgroup
making the decisions on this project.
Project poster presentation - click to enlarge
