Blue Flags raised over four Virgin Islands beaches
Published: October 20, 2011
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ST. THOMAS - A blue flag denoting green eco-symbolism soon will fly over four Virgin Islands beaches.
The Virgin Islands have been awarded four Blue Flag designations by the Blue Flag International Jury.
The Blue Flag is an internationally recognized voluntary eco-symbol that means a beach or marina meets stringent water-quality, safety, educational and management standards. The symbol has been awarded to more than 3650 beaches in 44 countries worldwide.
The first four Blue Flag beaches in the Virgin Islands are at beaches highly impacted by human use - Lindbergh Bay and Great Bay on St. Thomas; Pelican Cove on St. Croix; and Trunk Bay on St. John.
The beaches were chosen because they are popular but still remain beautiful with work and education.
"We didn't want to do the Neltjebergs," said Valerie Peters, coordinator for Blue Flag USVI. "These are beaches that are heavily impacted by humans. It's about sustainability."
Each beach will have a care-taking agent nearby.
The Emerald Beach Resort will manage the Lindbergh Bay site, and the Ritz-Carlton will work with the Great Bay designation.
The Palms at Pelican Cove will be the partner company at Pelican Cove, and the National Park Service will manage Trunk Bay.
Each of the sites will be tested regularly for water quality. Educational outreach programs will take place at each site, and signs will inform visitors about the environmental importance of the beaches.
Each beach also must have life-saving equipment available.
The Blue Flag Program, managed by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education, is a voluntary designation that must be sought by locally based non-profit organizations. The Virgin Islands program is administered by the Virgin Islands Conservation Society.
The Virgin Islands began the campaign to be included in the Blue Flag program about two years ago, Peters said.
The program also is a useful marketing tool, said St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association President Lisa Hamilton. The program has become so recognized worldwide that customers have begun to search for the Blue Flag designation when booking travel, she said.
Hamilton said she expects the program to also grow in the United States and that the Virgin Islands will be ahead of the curve when American tourists begin searching for Blue Flag sites.
The start-up cost for the program was about $5,000 for the territory, including water testing and signs, Peters said. It was paid for by HOVENSA and the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association.
The business partners at each beach also will pay into the Blue Flag effort to continue water monitoring and other programs, Peters said.
The Blue Flags will be hoisted over the beaches on Dec. 1 and will be the only four this season. Organizers hope to include three more beaches and two marinas in the program by the 2012-2013 season.
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