S t. G e o r g e Vi l l a g e B o t a n i c a l G a r d e n

David Hamada: A Tribute I am saddened to report to our membership that our Executive Director, David Hamada, has resigned his position at the St. George Village Botanical Garden effective April, 2015. David has been with the SGVBG in various capacities since 1998. He has served as our Executive Director since 2010. We can all be proud of the status of our Garden now because of David’s leadership. The Garden is in a position to expand and grow. Whenever I went to the Garden and looked for David, I often found him out on the grounds— establishing a new orchid variety in a tree setting, leading a tour for visitors, or preparing one of the halls for an event. He often gave educational lectures to the public, prepared grants, and interacted with governmental agencies. David never tired of talking about “this property” and its rich history. He continued our mandate for preservation, conservation, and education to our community. Also, with the help of volunteers, he maintained our elaborate botanical library and the Caribbean’s finest Herbarium. In addition, David aided the volunteers in the Nursery with his knowledge and willingness to teach us botanical and horticultural concepts. Above all, David’s enthusiasm and professional drive will be deeply missed. He is now moving into a new chapter in his career, and we wish him well. Lawrence Sickinger

Dear Garden Supporters, In April of 1998 I moved to St. Croix for a position as Horticulturist for the St. George Village Botanical Garden. Now, 17 years later, I have made the difficult decision to leave St. Croix. I first visited SGVBG in March of 1998, as a part of the interview process for a position that was originally only funded for two years. It was during a particularly dry period in what is normally the drier time of the year. Ken Jones, the Botanical Curator at that time, led me on my first tour and kept apologizing profusely for the appearance of the dry lawns and wilting plants. What struck me more than these temporary symptoms themselves was the resilience that the property represented. I saw mature plantings and trees that testified to having survived conditions far worse than this short period of drought. A large, dry streambed attested to large amounts of water that historically and periodically moved across the land. Historic structures and ruins told a story of a time when one plant was at the very center of life for hundreds of people from two other continents. The intertwined stories of the people and plants of Estate St. George are a fascinating background against which to remind both residents and visitors that the many plant resources in our region are important to preserve and protect. It has been an honor to help tell the stories of the people who have inhabited this property for almost 2,000 years and help visitors understand that the plants growing here have always been the food, medicine, clothing and materials of daily life in the Caribbean. I thank the many volunteers, supporters and members of the St. George Village Botanical Garden for sharing that value of the ethnobotanical heritage of this region. I am overwhelmed when I think of the many individuals, businesses, organizations and agencies that also believe the stories of the people and plants of Estate St. George are important ones to interpret and have helped us to do so. I have learned so much from the residents of, and visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Thank you” to everyone who shared their time, skills, information, and enthusiasm! Thank you, most of all, for the opportunity to have been part of the rich human history of Estate St. George! David M. Hamada

Schedule of Events Our Living Legacy Noon-5: Food and Drink Vendors —East Lawn Good to Chew box lunches—West Gallery Noon-5: Folk Crafts - East Gallery Calabash Art Veronica Gordon Wood Workers Guild Caning—Lavonne Wise Noon- 5: Agricultural Vendors—West Drive Noon-5: Horticultural Societies—Great Hall Orchid Society Hibiscus Society Bonsai Society Noon-5: Quilt Raffle Great Hall Noon-5: Exhibit and Sale of Art Scheduled Events Great Hall 1:00 Willard John Moko Jumbie demonstration 2:00 Pearl B. Larsen Quadrille Dancers’ 3:00 Bamboula Dancers 4:00 Factory Tour with David Hayes 4:30 Hat Contest Winner Announced 4:30 Winner of Quilt Raffle Announced

to Sonya Hough of Sonya, Ltd. For her continued support of of the Garden’s mission of conservation of St. Croix’s rich ethno-botanical heritage. Sonya has consistently supported the Garden and other organizations for many years, stating “It is important to give back to the community”. She recently demonstrated her commitment to the Garden with another significant donation that helps care for the beautiful and historic property at Estate St. George.

Thank You!

Fix the Roof Project Completed Gleaming new gutters can be seen on the Bodine Visitors Center replacing the rusted, holey gutters that lost so much water to our cisterns. What can’t be seen from the ground is the repaired and recoated flat roofs over the entrance portico and galleries. Thanks to our donors to our GoFundMe site and other private donors, as well as the support of local contractors Rooftops and Kevin Moran at Clearwater, and our volunteers, we were able to fix the roof and replace all of the damaged gutters.

Our Living Legacy A Celebration of the Crucian Connection between People and Plants On Sunday, March 22, the grounds and Great Hall will be filled with the sounds, scents and beauty of Crucian Culture that reflects the Botanical Heritage of our island. The Great Hall will be filled with displays of the horticultural talents of island residents in orchids, hibiscus and bonsai. Orchids and hibiscus will be sold by the societies. The beauty of the living plants will be reflected in the exhibit and sale of paintings by local artists Agriculture and cultural uses of plants will be on display and for sale in the west courtyard, and traditional food and drinks will be sold on the grounds and special box lunches by the students of the St. Croix Educational Complex will be available. Willard John will be demonstrating moko jumbie skills with his young students, and the Per Ahnk dancers will perform in the Great Hall. Island youth will show off traditional music and dance with quadrille and quelbe Traditional crafts including wood working, caning, and basket making will be on display on the east gallery with demonstrations of calabash art by Veronica Gordon. All are invited to a varied and interesting family experience on a Sunday afternoon at the Botanical Garden.

Annual Meeting of Members Members learned about the accomplishments of the Botanical Garden during the 2014 year and plans for the coming year. A guest, keynote speaker. Mr. Christian Tórres Santana, the Director of the Parque Doña Inés, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, discussed the role of Botanic Gardens as an important component of conservation and education in the Caribbean, with an emphasis on Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. After the meeting was adjourned, members enjoyed a BarBQ and pot luck lunch.

Good-bye and Thank-you! In February, the Board of Governors of SGVBG, facing difficult budgetary decisions, decided to suspend a number of the educational programs at the Garden. So in February we said “Thank you” and “good-bye” to Saskia Corke, our Education Coordinator for the last 3 years. We wish Saskia all the best in her future activities and thank her for helping young minds grow at the St. George Village Botanical Garden! Please check our our website www.sgvbg.org and our Facebook page St. George Village Botanical Garden. You will find our hours and contact information, and other fascinating stuff about our garden paradise.

Gabang Palm is Flowering! The flowering Gabang Palm (Corypha utan)has been the focus of attention for the past few months at St. George. The palm is located behind the Great Hall on the back road to the nursery. It is a majestic sight and a lifetime treat to see the massive flowering structure. This palm flowers only once in its lifetime, producing the biggest inflorescence in the flowering kingdom. The palm grows for 30 to 80 years, storing up energy and strength in its trunk to send out this massive inflorescence. After flowering and fruiting the plant will die. The flowering stalk grows to 6 m tall and may bear over 20 million tiny cream flowers. The golfball-sized dull green fruits will take almost a year to mature. Gradually, all the food reserves accumulated in the trunk over the decades would be used up and the plant dies. This mode of life is called monocarpic which mean "once fruiting".

An Invitation from the New Garden President, Robert Boyton This year will be the 42nd year that the Community of St Croix has had the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere associated with the serene environment of a Botanical Garden. As the new President of the Board of Governors, I personally want to invite each and every family member, organization, community group, and Government officials to visit St. George Village Botanical Garden in 2015. We are diligently asking for community involvement. As an example, the Garden hosted a Scouting weekend retreat for Scout Troup 34. In mid-January five Scouts and their leaders spent Friday and Saturday nights camping out in the Tropical Fruit Orchard. They worked at cleaning and racking the Mint Gut paths on Saturday and had a guided historical tour through the Garden. In the afternoon, Mr. Otto Tranburg, at age 97, gave the boys a talk on the history and development of our Sandy Point Turtle Program which he started in 1973. He also spoke of and answered questions regarding his experiences growing up as a small boy on St Croix. This example is the type of community involvement we are working for in 2015. St. George Village Botanical Garden offers a pleasant atmosphere and the community of St Croix should experience the history, the beauty and the foliage of this 2000 year old land mark. Please join us at your Botanical Garden this year.

R J Boyton, President

Nursery Sale All Garden Variety Hibiscus on Sale For the Month of March $8.00 Easy to Grow Wide Variety of Colors

Saving the St. Croix Century Plant On September 9, 2014, a rule published in The Federal Register, the Daily Journal of the United States Government, granted Endangered Species Status for Agave eggersiana. This succulent plant is native only to the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This rule grants this species protection under the Federal Endangered Species Act and starts the process for the development of a recovery plan to re-establish this plant in sustainable quantities in the wild. This protection was finally possible after 18 years of effort and two lawsuits in Federal Court. The original petition to consider Agave eggersiana for protection was submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) by the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) in 1996. Since then, the St. George Village Botanical Garden has worked with USFWS and DPNR to steer this effort through the convoluted process to protect this important plant species. The St. Croix Century Plant (Agave eggersiana) was first described and named by the American botanist, entomologist, explorer, writer and educator, William Trelease, in 1913. The name honors Henrik Franz Alexander Baron von Eggers, a Danish soldier and botanist who traveled throughout the West Indies collecting and describing the plants he found. In 1879, Von Eggers published The Flora of St. Croix and the Virgin Islands, a complete list of the plants he encountered. Agave eggersiana occurs naturally on rocky, sea-side cliffs where few other plants are able to cling to the exposed rock surfaces. The tenacious, fibrous, roots help to anchor these plants, which over the course of the next 10 to 15 years grow to form a rosette of succulent leaves. These leaves are well-adapted to the drying effects of wind and salt-spray and are capable of storing a large amount of moisture, resulting in a plant that can weigh well over 100 pounds, perched on the exposed cliff, held by a perfectly adapted root system. After these 10 to 15 years of growth the plant produces its terminal growth, a flower structure that starts to emerge in December, and can reach over 20 feet in height. By February, the branches of this tree-like bloom structure start to produce hundreds of bright yellow flowers, and it is in full bloom in March – the driest month of the year in St. Croix. The generous amounts of nectar are enjoyed by bats, birds, and bees, supplying a critical source of nutrition for local wildlife during a time when other sources are scarce. As the individual 2-2 ½ inch blooms fade they form bulbils - miniature replicas of the parent plant. Like a good mother, the parent plant diverts all the food resources it has manufactured and stored during the last 10-15 years to these newly formed propagules. Having assured that the many young plantlets have reached a size at which they can survive on their own, the parent plant then begins to die. As the plant deteriorates, the weight of the developing bulbils breaks the branches of the inflorescence and the durable youngsters are distributed along the rocky coast on which not many other plants can survive. Even after the death of the parent plant, the fibrous roots persist for many years, providing vital anchorage and structural support for the rock formations of the coastal area that is so susceptible to erosion. The dead root mass also helps to serve as a “toe-hold” for other plant species to grow in this difficult environment. Here is an organism so perfectly adapted for a harsh environment where few other species can survive. It has developed a special relationship with the physical spaces that it occupies and with the other organisms that exist around it. So how then, did we reach a point where it was to be considered endangered and require legislative protection? It is the human inhabitants of St. Croix that have not taken the time to understand and value a plant that makes this island biologically unique from any other place on earth. When people do not understand the specialized relationship these plants have with their harsh environment we disturb and degrade the delicate coastal areas. In an instant we can damage and destroy the work of a plant that takes many years to stabilize a place for itself and start accumulating resources that will result in a food source and habitat for other wildlife. We won’t realize later why those coastal cliffs begin to erode dramatically and quickly. We won’t notice the birds searching for a food source in the dry season. We won’t realize that it was the plants that were disturbed and not able to recover quickly enough that resulted in these other changes to our natural surroundings. These plants that evolved over many centuries to be so perfectly suited for this particular environment potentially suffer from bad land management and every new pest and disease that is accidently introduced as we continue to bring in exotic plants from around the world. Unfortunately, as we celebrated this achievement in gaining protection for this plant species, we also learned that a new pest had been confirmed on St. Croix. The Agave snout weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus), originally from Mexico, was detected locally in 2014. This insect, and the damage it does, was responsible for huge losses in Agave crops in Mexico several years ago. This was devastating for the tequila producing industry for a number of years. The Agave Snout Weevil was accidentally introduced to St. Thomas and St. John in the late 1980’s and was responsible for a loss of more than 75-80% of the population of the species of Century Plant native to the Puerto Rican Bank (Agave missionum). The discovery of this new arrival will be a significant consideration in developing a recovery plan for Agave eggersiana. Hopefully, with the continued cooperation of organizations like SGVBG, and local and Federal agencies, future generations of island residents and visitors will enjoy this species that is an important part of a natural landscape that is unlike any other place in the world!

First Quarter: Renewed Members

Individual Members Edward Liversedge-Castellar Platinum Palm Members Lea Ann Robson Rebecca Merwin Joy and Malcolm Lightsey Richard Schierloh and Heidi Gaillard Sondra Catts Sara Sue Sorenson Gold Palm Members Senior Couple Members Gerald Groner and Lisa Yntema George and Marie Schofield Dick and Sally Capra Marybeth and Andrew Slaon Carolyn and Orville Sheldon’ Silver Palm Members Gayle and Stanley Vanasse Robert K. and Amanda Crone Ellen Roecker and Donald Cox Jack and Judy Egnatinsky Barb Osborne and William Mosiman Doug and Cecile Castruccio-Dereu Sandy and Paul Radczenko Lynn and David Kent Bronze palm Members Karen and Rob Goodwin Lorine E Williams Janet and John Wick Kurt Cramer Sheila and Rick Miller Thomas Zimmerman Gail Nagle and Bob Boyton Woody and Kathleen Montier Carol and Dennis Dickerson Ken Haines and Kris Vandenberg Carol and Lawrence O’Toole Daniel and Nancy Putnam Catherine and Rick Pollard David Hayes Pattie and Jim Bland James and Jean Burger Constance and Thomas Hadala Keith and Esther Peregrine Virginia and Stiles Stevens Kathryn and Van Wood Lesley and Robert Hoffman Alan Bronstein Couples Members Karen and James Smith Andreas and Debra Tutein Irene and Bill Woodall Richard and Sally Mahurt Chuck Britain and Chris Ginagrosso Brenda and Jay Isherwood Elizabeth Pedersen Amy and Marc Bontrager Rosemary and George Aldrich Johanne and William Finley Linda and Gary Doty Pauline and Robert Price Kathy and Jim Thobe Joyce Richardson Gail and Jim Nealon Bob and Joanne White Sharon and Steve Grimes Tina and Victor Roberge

Platinum Palm David Watts Gold Palm The Piel Family Charitable Trust Douglas Mockett Silver Palm Mary and William Sterling Judith and Lawrence Moon

Senior Members Christine DeRemer Jane Kelly Marlene Weller Maisie Willie Claire Church

New Members Couple Kris Weinheimger and Taylor Harward Julia Edwards Individual Erick Belker Cathy Bolin Loma Marvinny Robert Robillard Patricia Hadama Chris Andreas

Donations Diamond Palm Sonya, Ltd

Senior Couple Rayisa Elkins Margaret and John Bradshaw Barbara and Paul Richer Charles and Gretchen Freehling Ellen and Tom Rusling

Senior Members Myrna Wilson Richard G Harris Patricia Huyett Connie Robert Julie Hansen-Hodge Elizabeth Nixon Frances Molloy Phyllis Spaulding Ann Weikel Dorene James William Schultz Debbie Flavia Dolores Petachenko Sharon Stockholm Winston Quammie Barbara Murray

Garden Hours Monday through Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nursery Hours Tuesday & Friday 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Museum Hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and on weekend days when a cruise ship is in port.

Thank you to all our members, new and renewed, for supporting the ongoing mission of St. George Village Botanical Garden.

Board of Governors 2015-2016 President: Robert Boyton Vice Preseident: Larry Sickinger Secretary: Phyllis Charles Treasurer: Sandy Radczenko Vicky Bandola Claire Church Scot McChain Michael Mongeau Robert Quinn Miles G. Whitfield Nina York

Bronze Palm Daniel Bourdganis Phillip Holtzman and Laurie LeGrande Laurie Ellen LeGrande Edward Liversedge-Castellar Sarah and Richard Mahurt Carolyn and Orville Sheldon

Museum Store Hours

Library Hours

Phone: 340– 692-2874

In Honor of David Hamada Phyllis Charles

Available to researchers or members by appointment

Fax: 340-692-6854

Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and during special events. Open any day that a cruise ship is in port

Contact Us! 127 Estate St. George Frederiksted, VI 00840

Email: [email protected]

In Kind Donations

Rooftops Kevin Moran, Clearwater

Don’t Forget -Remember the Garden!