National Park Service and the Virgin Islands

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the role of the National Park Service in the Virgin Islands of the United States. While the National Park Service plays a vital role in preserving the natural and cultural resources and facilitating outdoor recreation throughout the Nation, I must acknowledge that the relationship between the people of the Virgin Islands and the National Park Service has not always been and is not the best.

On St. Croix, the park sits on some of our most sacred ground, and it is incumbent on them to appreciate and preserve that, of course, which is important, but also to make it accessible to those of us who are living there. On St. John especially, St. Johnians are concerned and have a history in which Laurance Rockefeller was able to take so much land. There are questions even today about who owned what land, how was it taken, and how did it become part of the National Park Service.

I have continually expressed concern about the National Park Service's hiring and staffing practices in the Virgin Islands. I have encouraged the recruitment of native Virgin Islanders who understand the historical context of park spaces and possess a greater degree of cultural awareness. While there have been some hires, I have yet to see meaningful progress, and extended vacancies of National Park Service positions are a concern.

Additionally, for the past 3 years, I have suggested the formation of just a community garden within the Virgin Islands National Park Service boundaries. Such action is authorized by the National Park Service management plan of 2006.

In fact, the Virgin Islands National Park Service general management plan of 1983 included the development of an approximately 2-acre garden plot.

The park comprises 7,259 acres, and to not have a plot for the people who live on that island to be able to garden, people who are locked around water, who have an inability to be able to get fresh fruit and vegetables to their families, it would also foster a better relationship between the community and the national park.

Last week, my office hosted a meeting to ensure that Virgin Islanders' voices--not just written comments--were received by the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and the Government of the Virgin Islands about the proposed Government of the Virgin Islands National Park Service St. John land exchange for the construction of a K-12 school on St. John. During this meeting, my office learned of the barriers and difficulties to submit a written statement during the final comment period.

Thankfully, the park allowed us to extend this until March 15.

While my office can advocate for the people of the Virgin Islands-- presently my office and Congress is not a party to the agreement--the land exchange between the Governor of the Virgin Islands and the National Park Service seems to be going through.

While I may not always agree with our Governor, in this instance I recognize that he is between a rock and a hard place presently as Virgin Islanders are quickly approaching their deadline for using Federal funding to rebuild the school. As we all know, the National Park Service process takes time.

Indeed, Senator Angus King, who last Congress headed up the Natural Resources Committee in the Senate, was only able to get the National Park Service to donate land in Maine after 30 years of advocacy.

The children of the Virgin Islands do not have that time.

Additionally, we are approaching the end of the Caneel Bay Redevelopment and Management Environmental Assessment public comment period. The National Park Service owns 70 percent of the island of St. John, making it one of the most pristine islands not only in the Virgin Islands but in the Caribbean.

The path forward for a resort at Caneel Bay must consider the socioeconomic and environmental impact on the Virgin Islands. Caneel Bay contains some of the best beaches in the world, and to not utilize the property as a world-class, five-star resort would put the Virgin Islands at a disadvantage for tourism dollars.

The path forward for Caneel Bay impacts not just St. John but the entire territory. If Caneel Bay is relegated to a third-rate facility, it will have a cataclysmic impact on the Virgin Islands economy. From reluctance to place plaques at sacred places to rangers stopping people in public parades, among other things, the National Park Service has to do better in terms of how it deals with native Virgin Islanders.

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