Night In the Life: Nocturnal Office work is has its perks but field work will always have my heart. 12 hours on the beaches of Buck Island allows for a whirlwind of emotions and different tasks. I was able to capture this and compile...
My supervisor Kristen Ewen is someone who inspires me. From our first interaction to the most recent, her energy has not wavered. I have always admired and looked up to Kristen, a truly remarkable individual who embodies the things I aspire to be. Her unwavering...
My project focuses on Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS), a 176-acre island located northeast of St. Croix, USVI. This beautiful area is surrounded by approximately 18,000 acres of federally protected water, teeming with coral reefs and diverse marine life. On the island, there is...
Hey everyone! My name is Larissa Sweeney, and I am proud to work from my home in St.Croix, US Virgin Islands. For most of my youth, I got to experience the parks through field trips that immersed me in the history of my island....
I spent most of this week in park wide training for first season park service staff but at the end of the week I led a hike on the Chilkoot Trail with the goal to reach several sample sites. When I was not in training...
"Consider the sea turtle when you boat where they feed; injuries can be avoided if we just reduce our speed. Consider the sea turtle when you're at the beach; trash, holes and castles make the sea hard to reach. Consider the sea turtle when installing outdoor lights; they misguide hatchlings...
Leatherback sea turtles are the largest of all living turtles, weighing up to 2000 pounds. They’re also the most pelagic (open ocean dwelling), while other sea turtle species spend most of their lives in neritic (nearshore) environments. Unlike other sea turtle species, leatherbacks lack a...
I spend a lot of my time counting. It’s essential for the research I’m helping with at Buck Island Reef National Monument (BUIS). I count in order to determine seagrass and macro-algal species composition, structural complexity, and percent cover of seagrass. These values will allow...
Seagrass ecosystems are incredibly important foundational ecosystems that provide a variety of ecological and economic services. These ecosystems, and the animals that rely upon them, have been threatened and disrupted by rapid declines and degradation in seagrasses worldwide. Much of the loss can be linked...
Laura Palma reporting for duty! Destination: US Virgin Island St. Croix I hail from the distant land of Miami Florida, born and raised. It’s also where I attained a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Florida International University. As a recent graduate, I can tell...