Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

distribution of juveniles of marine organisms such as sea
turtles, and regional and transoceanic dispersal of pollutants
and larvae.
MacDonald, Lynne, Ralf Boulon, and Julie Wright
72
The U.S. Virgin Islands Clean Roads -- Clean Reefs Campaign, A
Multi-Agency Approach to Addressing Marine Debris
University of the Virgin Islands, Marine Advisory Service, St.
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Educational efforts that address marine debris in the United
States Virgin Islands, as in all coastal and insular areas, must
target a number of diverse audiences. Some of the prominent
marine resource user-groups include: beach-goers and picnickers,
commercial and recreational boaters and fishers, and
shipping/transportation interests. In order to effectively
address all of these "target-audiences a number of agencies and
organizations in the Territory have joined forces to develop the
marine debris educational program "Clean Roads -- Clean Reefs"; a
program adapted from the U.S. Environmenta. Protection Agency
Region 2 "Clean Streets/Clean Beaches" campaign. This
collaborative effort by the University of the Virgin Islands'
Marine-Advisory Service (VIMAS) and Cooperative Extension Service
(CES), the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands (Department of
Planning and Natural Resources' Division of Fish and Wildlife
(DFW), Public Works Department (DPW) and the Department of
Education's Environmental Studies Program (ESP)) allows each
agency to work with the user-group(s) with whom it has
established relationships to build more "personalized" programs
upon, each target-audience is more receptive to the campaign's
'message." At the same time this approach allows program-,
material-. and information-sharing among their participating
agencies, thereby preventing/reducing redundant efforts in
program development. This increased efficiency in program
development allows efforts to be directed with greater
effectiveness and to a broader audience than a solitary effort by
any individual agency could achieve.
This poster presentation illustrates the various materials used
by each agency in the Clean Roads -- Clean Reefs campaign to
address specific audiences. It also highlights the campaign's
common theme that marine debris is aesthetically, economically,
and environmentally harmful, as well as threatening to human
health.
The Virgin Islands Clean Roads -- Clean Reefs Campaign is funded,
in part, by the U.S. Environmental protection Agency Region 2,
the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI), and Maho
Bay Campgrounds, Inc., St. John, USVI.