St. John Ecotravel and Ecotourism
Luxury Vacation Islands Rely on Volunteers for Ecosystem Upkeep.
An interview with a Sierra Club Service Trip leader informs a Luxury Travel writer of the extent to which ecotour volunteers keep this upscale locale clean and green.
St. John is 2/3 US National Park land. The Virgin islands National Park, on over 7,000 acres of St. John, has a wild and diverse ecology, with more than 800 different species of plants. It is a luxury to travel to the tourist hotspot that is the US Virgin Islands group, and find such a seemingly untouched expanse of land. But luxury needs upkeep: Litter accumulates, and dry brush is a fire hazard. High end travel fans enjoy staying at upscale resorts on the US Virgin Islands and making use of the natural bounty St. John offers to visitors: Unseen by them are the eco travel volunteers, who do much of the work keeping St. John's National Park Land a clean and viable ecosystem.
I interviewed Peggy Hepburn, a trip leader of The Sierra Club. She told me that The Sierra Club's main objective for their ecotours, is to expose volunteer travelers to beautiful places that need protecting in the present and future. According to Ms. Hepburn, there isn't much awareness among luxury tourists that The Sierra Club works on projects on the island. "Sometimes we run into tourists and they are curious about what we are doing...some older retired folks that have made St. John their home are more interested in our projects, and definitely show their appreciation."
Hepburn went on to describe a typical day of a Sierra Club Service Trip ecotravel volunteer: Breakfast at 7am, ready to work at 8:15am. Drive or walk to the site, and clear the trails until noon. Relax and eat lunch, then put on swimsuit or snorkel gear, perhaps do a little exploring of trails to lookout points and secluded beaches. "We have plenty of time to play, and we also take time to help out [which is] a good feeling. We feel that we are not just using the island, but contributing to its environment's upkeep as well."
She has been leading or co-leading Sierra Club trips since 1999. Hepburn thinks that St. John is getting more crowded each year, but fortunately it can never become as overbuilt and tourist-filled as its sister island, St. Thomas, because of the Virgin Islands National Park. She told me that over the years, wealthy retired Americans have moved to the island in noticeable numbers. They coalesced to form a group, Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park, which involves these older pro-Earth folk volunteering their own time, and paying for interns in the park. That, plus the work of the Sierra Club ecotravel volunteers, has the trails in great shape. Peggy Hepburn ended our interview by saying, "When you go on a service trip, not only are you enjoying everything the island has to offer as a tourist, you are also being part of the care of the place...And when you return home after your vacation, you can really feel that you were a part of the place you experienced - and that you did something important and lasting."
If you're on a luxury vacation at an elite travel destination, and you see a group of scruffy, dirty, and tired Americans wander onto the beach, don't be alarmed; they might just be a volunteer green travel group from the Sierra Club, taking a break from helping to keep your upscale getaway as pristine and natural as it's meant to be. Say hi: They're a friendly bunch!
Related, on Suite 101:
US Virgin Islands - St. Thomas
Luxury Ecotourism Destinations
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