Greetings Members!

"That's Right - Coral Bay is ... Not Cruz Bay!

In every vision focus session CBCC held a couple years ago - all the residents said they did not want Coral Bay to become like Cruz Bay or St. Thomas, or the states. Thanks to the anonomous person who put up the sign along Centerline Rd. (Tell us who you are and we will credit you!) It may have been a response to the proposed condo development on Bordeaux Mountain, for which there was a well-attended public hearing on March 9th.

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Click Here for Property Tax Information

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USVI since 2004. In 2006, DeAngelis and Skomal being collaborating with other NOAA scientists to track shark movements in the Virgin Islands, with an emphasis on shark nursery areas.
A summary handout on results of the Coral Bay research study to-date is available on the CBCC website at http://www.coralbaycommunitycouncil.org/Ocean.htm .
“Our research has demonstrated that the shallow waters of Coral Harbor and Lagoon Point are among the most productive shark nursery areas in St. Thomas and St. John….Since 2005, 46 longline fishing sets have been conducted [here]. The average catch rate was 8.1 sharks per 100 hook hours,” according to researcher Bryan DeAngelis of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
When the sharks are caught, they are tagged with a numeric tag on their dorsal fin, which provides the researchers with valuable information if the shark is captured again. Other sharks are implanted with small acoustic transmitters that allow the shark to be electronically tracked for up to one year.
Over the years, this valuable research has continued through the dedicated collaboration, funding and donations by Bryan DeAngelis and Dr. Greg Skomal, NOAA and other federal agencies, the New England BioLabs Foundation, Project AWARE, and the members of the Coral Bay Community Council.
If a fisherman catches one of these tagged sharks, please note the number on the tag, fork length of the fish, and location of capture, and return the tag for a reward. Please provide the information to CBCC at 776-2099 or directly to Bryan.DeAngelis@noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, contact Sharon Coldren at coralbaycommunitycouncil@hotmail.com or 513-4298, or Bryan DeAngelis at Bryan.DeAngelis@noaa.gov

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Coral Bay Vision Statement Process

Beginning in April 2004 and continuing through October, vision sessions were held with small groups of residents representing a cross section of people in Coral Bay to gain their input on three questions vital to the future of Coral Bay and creating a vision and framework for citizen-based planning, in cooperation with the V. I. government.

Purpose: This is a first report based on those discussions and includes
some background statistics. The next step is active discussion of this
draft - encouraging residents to comment on it, make improvements, and work toward achieving a written draft of a Vision for Coral Bay that has community consensus for final approval and adoption.

The Vision Statement will be used as a guiding document in land use and infrastructure planning for Coral Bay.

Membership Development:

Efforts are being made continuously to contact churches, homeowners associations and other community organizations to encourage and welcome everyone who cares about Coral Bay's future to become a member. Flyers have been posted and articles have appeared in the island's newspaper, Tradewinds, and meetings are being announced in the Daily News, the territory's main newspaper and other media outlets.

Much of our effort in 2004 was involved in setting up the organization, and formalizing its legal and operating structure. This has been very successful. Membership development has continued through the year, from founding membership of about 50 to a November 2004 total of 209. We work to serve the whole Coral Bay community, but want to encourage all local residents and landowners to identify with CBCC and become active members.

Office in operation:

The Coral Bay Community Council has an office at the Town and Country Building at 8-1 Estate Emmaus, directly above K2 Video in Coral Bay. We are beginning to build an information library with many resources. The office is usually open 11-1, weekdays, or longer. Look for the CBCC Banner outside - if its there, the office is open, staffed by volunteers. The phone number is 340-776-2099.

Membership applications can be printed off of the web site by
clicking here or picked up and dropped off at Connections East,
which is also the CBCC's mailing address:

Coral Bay Community Council
9901 Emmaus
St. John VI 00830-9587