The Virgin Islands Trail Alliance (VITAL) is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a four-year grant through the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Grant under the Inflation Reduction Act .

This is a reimbursement type grant totaling $2.5M and will fund VITAL’S project “Healing Forests to Heal the Underserved for Life” to provide underserved communities with access to revitalized urban forests in St. Croix USVI by creating trails and planting trees, primarily in watershed gut areas. Planning will identify guts that flow through neighborhoods. Onsite meetings will stimulate community engagement. Workdays will encourage efforts to remove invasive species, and plant native species and fruit trees. Project signage will share local history and culture, tree species, and their medicinal uses. Benches and tables will provide rest areas in nature and build pride in community. Healthy forests will provide health benefits for the community and provide tools for resiliency to face daily and future environmental stresses. Also, local citizens will be employed through the grant. VP Alma Winkfield states that “This grant is not just an investment in trails, it’s an investment in the well-being of our entire community. Over the next four years VITAL will expand its workforce, engage neighborhoods, and design pathways that lead to healthier, happier lives.”

President Aaron Hutchins is pleased that this grant “Will provide better access for all to improved and enhanced outdoor recreational spaces on St. Croix, and be available for public use.” The VI Trail Alliance is thrilled to know that the St. George Village Botanical Garden has also received this once in a lifetime Federal support to enhance our green spaces and community resiliency. VITAL hopes to partner with the Garden as their grant will provide tree species that could be planted in the areas identified by VITAL.

VITAL wishes to thank Diana Collingwood at the VI Department of Agriculture, Professor Olasee Davis, AARP in the VI, Community Foundation of the VI, the The STX Hiking Association, NPS, and our wonderful contributors and volunteers for their ongoing support of the VI Trail Alliance’s work, as well as the Biden/Harris Administration for their commitment to the health and well being of our nation.

Alma Winkfield’s enthusiasm is contagious when she says “We will use this grant to pave the way for a healthier, more resilient future. We will remove invasive species, nurture native beauty, and provide access to the therapeutic embrace of our forests.”

For more information on the project please contact: Alma Winkfield: vitrailalliance@gmail.com or Barbara Walsh: barbara@vitrails.orgFor more information on VITAL please check our website: https://vitrails.org