By Mauri Elbel St. John Tradewinds Friends of V.I. National Park has just announced its diverse lineup of nearly 40 seminars guaranteed to provide a deeper glimpse into the island’s unique culture, ecol- ogy and history. “T think it is a great way for locals and tourists alike to experi- ence the park in a way they might never have had a chance to be- fore,” said Audrey Penn, Friends’ program manager. “And it’s a great chance to get to know our local artisans, botanists, entrepreneurs, and the rangers and employees who work in our park daily on the water and around the trails who are all experts on this is- land,” said Penn. Beginning December 19 with a native plant and bird hike stretch- ing from Lameshur to Europa Bay and ending on April 17 with a Maho Art Center expo, the Friends’ 2010 series promises an array of exciting seminars that have drawn popular attendance year after year as well as a few new ones sure to attract a strong following. Friends usually runs its seminar series from January to April, but this year the series is getting an early start. “We thought we were missing out ona crucial month, so we start- ed early this year,” Penn said. “It all worked perfectly and enabled You've tried the redt... now hire the BEST! us to fit in more classes — like the Kwanzaa drum circle classes on December 26 which will coincide with Kwanzaa celebrations.” Keeping always-popular events like the sea turtle sail, full moon hike and green building house tour on the calendar — and adding some zest with new seminars such as a pepper sauce making class led by local spice guru Trinidad Char- lie and a reef ecosystem explora- tion tour — Friends expects semi- nars to fill up in no time. “These popular seminars usu- ally have five to 10 people on the waiting lists each year and we ex- pect some of these new ones to be very well attended,” Penn said. “I am sure we ate going to have a waiting list.” One seminar in particular — consisting of three one-on-one wood turning lessons given by St. John native and master wood turn- er Avelino Samuel — already only has two more spaces available, ex- plained Penn. Another 2010 seminar sure to generate high attendance is the Hassel Island tour where partici- pants will kayak from Frenchtown to Hassel Island while soaking up a bit of history about the Danish and British Colonial ruins from VINP archeologist Ken Wild. “Friends is currently cleaning up the debris on Hassel Island with a grant from NOAA and the island w PROPERTY IKIING" LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION Monthly landscape maintenance programs Expert irrigation systems — design & installation w Drystack, masonry & hardscaping w Land clearing, tree trimming & fencing Tel. 340-643-6348 www.propertykingusvi.com lonski@propertykingusvi.com Fax 340-715-3313 (2% St. John Tradewinds, December 14-20, 2009 = 11 Friends of VINP Offering Interesting Seminars This Winter St. John Tradewinds News Photo Courtesy of Friends of VINP Participants enjoyed a mud bath during last year’s Eco Spa seminar. will be open to tourists soon,” Penn said. Fees vary based on individual seminars, but all proceeds will funnel into the Friends general fund which sustains important pro- grams such as SKIP (School Kids in the Park), pays for grants and scholarships for local students and supports projects to improve the national park, Penn explained. All seminars are tax-deductible, and Friends members receive a $5 to $10 discount while children under 12 receive 50 percent off all seminars excluding boat trips. Each year, Friends generates between $5,000 and $10,000 from Ate HOME ohn & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT mu.carefrectelaways.com P.O. Box 1626 St. John, USVI 00831-1626 info@carefreegetaways.com (888) 643-6002 / (340) 779-4070 its seminar series, according to the program manager. “This year, we expect to make more than $10,000 — that is the plan,” Penn said. “If we can get all the classes filled, we will make up- wards of $10,000.” The newly designed semi- nar brochure is available on- line at http:/Awww-.friendsvinp. org/2010seminarhtm or can be picked up at the Friends store lo- cated on the street level of Mon- goose Junction I. Interested registrants can sign up with Friends via phone at 779- 4940 or email seminars@friends- vinp.org. * FRIENDS SEMINAR SCHEDULE Dec. 19 Saturday - Native Plant & Bird Hike Dec. 21 Monday - SNUBA Dec. 26 Saturday - Kwanzaa Drum Circle Dec. 27 Sunday - Pastels Workshop | Dec. 30 Wednesday - Native Tea Time JANUARY Jan. 5 Tuesday - Eco Spa Jan. 9 Saturday - Using the 5 Senses in Writing Jan. 10 Sunday - Botanical Hike Jan. 14 Thursday - Spirit Doll Workshop Jan. 16 Saturday - Kayak the Mangroves of Hurricane Hole | Jan. 17 Sunday - Pastels Workshop II Jan. 23 Saturday - Marine Biology Boat Trip Jan. 27 Wednesday - Pepper Sauce Making Jan. 29 Friday - Full Moon Hike Jan. 30 Saturday - Hassel Island Tour | FEBRUARY Feb. 3 Wednesday - VINP Archive Tour Feb. 5 Friday - Kayak Caneel Bay Feb. 6 Saturday - A Glimpse into St. John ‘s Past Feb. 8 Monday - Archeology Boat Trip Feb. 10 Wednesday - Birds of the Park Feb. 13 Saturday - Coastal Ecology Feb. 14 Sunday - Romance in the Sky Feb. 20 Saturday - Kayak the Mangroves of Hurricane Hole II Feb. 24 Wednesday - Reptile Hike Feb. 26 Friday - Sea Turtle Sail Hardware MARKETPLACE Wishing Everyone Happy Holidays! ALL THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR FROM ; KATE, JIM, TOM & TERRY + PH: 693-8780 FAX: 776-6685 | Mon-Fri 7am to 5pm Saturdays 8am to 12 Noon