Steve Somers

Land use directly affects marine ecosystems through soils, topography, agriculture and development.

This is specifically apparent on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix. For hundreds of years the island of St.

Croix has been a major producer of sugarcane and other crops. Plantation owners were not stewards of

the land and helped contribute to the degradation of the soil. Droughts, heavy rains, and fires also

contributed to the soil problems. After the sugarcane era ended in St. Croix the majority of agriculture

was abandoned, and soils were left exhausted and infertile. Hundreds of years later the effects are still

seen. The lack of terracing and improper farming has led to massive amounts of soil erosion and the

increase of invasive species, all which have a major impact of the coral reefs and other marine life. The

diagram that I have drawn is a section cut, using words, through the MREC site in Salt River Bay, from

the bay to the highest elevation on site. The intent is to illustrate the effects that land use and natural

disasters has had on marine life. I used many words to describe the natural disasters and land uses that

have gone on in St. Croix. This concept drawing will further help lead my design of the MREC site in Salt

River Bay.

Steve Somers

Prof. Holly Nelson

Landscape Architecture 432

Salt River Bay, St. Croix USVI

Arrival to the southeast entrance of the park the visitor will be greeted by an entrance sign

which will help direct visitors through the park. At that point the visitor will have the option of either

entering the Marine Research Education Center, or traveling further north. Driving into the MREC you

drop down in elevation quite a bit and can feel the sense of entering some place different. The buildings

in the campus are two and three stories high with connecting balconies, and courtyards between them.

Parking is accommodated on ground level under the buildings. The buildings are placed on the hillside

directly adjacent to Triton Bay, which is home to 45 acres of red, white, and black mangroves, and also

supports the highest diversity of birdlife known in the Virgin Islands. Bio-swales are located uphill and

downhill of the buildings in order to control erosion and intermittent rainfalls. The courtyards have

slightly raised paths that lead you closer to Triton Bay and meander through the mangrove forest. Along

these paths are resting areas that provide opportunities to bird-watch or relax in the shade and enjoy

the view out into the bay. If the visitor or researcher was in the hiking mood they could actually follow

the path through the mangrove forest, over a ridge, through Sugar Bay and north to the Columbus

landing site. Kayaking, snorkeling, and diving tours can all be accommodated from the campus through

the use of the boat launch.

For visitors who choose to skip the Marine Research Education Center would follow the road

north and park in front of the archeology garden. Here the visitor or archeologist has the opportunity to

have lunch or rest under a shade structure in the center of the garden. Trails lead from the center of the

garden meandering through the large archeology site up a series of terraces to a vista point or follow it

down to an underwater snorkeling and diving trail that explores the abundant coral reefs and deep sea

submarine canyon. There is also a bioluminescent lagoon adjacent to the major archaeology area, and is

a popular tourist attraction. Preserving the bioluminescent lagoon by not disturbing with artificial light

has been an influencing decision in the building locations closer to Triton Bay. Terraces, bio-swales, and

underwater trails are included to visualize the fusion between land and water, and most importantly to

educate the public on how the management of the land directly affects marine life.