The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $723,571 in federal funding to the U.S. Virgin islands department of planning and natural resources for the usvis FY25-FY26 crcp…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded $723,571 to the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources on October 1, 2025, under the Coral Reef Conservation Program (CFDA 11.482) to support implementation of the U.S. Virgin Islands Territorial Coral Reef Initiative through September 30, 2027.

The recipient will use funding to continue the Territorial Coral Reef Monitoring Program and support multiple complementary conservation activities across the territory. In FY25, the award funds the St. Croix East End Marine Park demonstration nursery, expanded coral reef and marine park outreach, a disturbance response coordination workshop, targeted research on Acropora palmata restoration interactions with wild populations (measuring survivorship and recruitment), no-anchor buoys in St. Thomas Bay, legal counsel for environmental violation enforcement, and no-take zone marker buoys for the marine park. In FY26, the award sustains programmatic functions including marine park management, education and outreach coordinator and ranger staffing, coral reef monitoring, and continuation of FY25 outreach activities, buoy installations, and Acropora palmata research.

Place of performance is the U.S. Virgin Islands. The total obligated amount is $1,423,855.

The University of the Virgin Islands, through its Office of Sponsored Programs, serves as a sub-grantee under this award, conducting targeted research assessing endangered and outplanted Acropora palmata populations and evaluating restoration effects on recruitment in the U.S. Virgin Islands (sub-award dated February 4, 2026).

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $723,571 in federal funding to the U.S. Virgin islands department of planning and natural resources for the usvis FY25-FY26 crcp state and territory coral reef conservation block grant. Specifically, the usvi department of planning and natural resources will use these funds to support implementation of the usvi territorial coral reef initiative, which includes several complementary elements: the ST. Croix east end marine park (stxeemp), the territorial coral reef monitoring program (tcrmp), implementation of the 2020-2025 usvi coral reef management priorities, recommendations of the usvi capacity assessment, and implementation of strategies from noaas coral reef conservation program strategic plan. In FY25 this award will provide funding to continue the research based tcrmp and fund additional projects including: support for the stxeemp demonstration nursery, expanding coral reef initiative and stxeemp outreach efforts, continuing the coordination of the coral reef initiative by supporting a workshop for disturbance response, conducting targeted research to assess the interactions between the restoration of acropora palmata and wild populations for metrics such as survivorship and recruitment potential, installing no anchor buoys in a ST. Thomas BAY, hiring a legal counsel to support enforcement of environmental violation fines, and finally, installing no take zone marker buoys for the stxeemp. In FY26 this award will continue to support programmatic functions including stxeemp management and staff the education and outreach coordinator and ranger positions, tcrmp, and the coral reef initiative coordinator. IT will also continue several FY25 projects including outreach activities, buoy installations, and targeted research on acropora palmata.