St Croix #5

 Today was the grand opening of the Nature Conservancy Coral Innovation Hub in the Virgin Islands. This is the lab and facility I have been working at for the last week and it was just opened to the public as the biggest coral Innovation Hub in the world. It was incredible to see the turnout of the opening, the Governor of St. Croix was there and so were the majority of the donors for the lab. This includes senators, private business owners around the area, supporters, and the donators. The Gov. gave a speech followed by traditional music and dance performance by some of the locals to celebrate not only the opening of the facility but the deeper meaning behind it. The facility is based out on an old sugar plantation. When Christofer Columbus came to America, the first place he landed was actually St. Croix, because of this the English enslaved the West Indian Natives to the Island. This day was not only a reminder of the dark past of the island but also a sign of the bright future. They took a place that was used for evil and turned it into a place where scientists, locals, and volunteers can come to make a change in the world. The dancers are called Moko Jumbie's and to find more about them use this link:https://www.gotostcroix.com/st-croix-blog/dance-moko-jumbie/








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