Salt River Bay

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Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education
Center
Planning a World Class, Sustainable Marine
Laboratory in the United States Virgin Islands
JICMS Project Update February 2011
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Concept

• Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education
  Center (MREC) will be
• A world-class, sustainable facility serving many
  partners through programs in
• Collaborative marine research
• Caribbean studies, history, archeology and
  related fields

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• The MREC also will create opportunities to
• Demonstrate emerging technologies in green
  building design, and sustainable energy systems
  in the tropics
• Showcase the unique concept of research in a
  park including
• Ridge-to-Reef environmental education programs
• Local educational programs (K-12/adult)
• Museum collections facility and archeological
  field school

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Salt River Bay MREC

• The Office of Insular Affairs, NPS and four
  university partners are working together to
  create a state-of-the-art, sustainable marine lab
  on St. Croix
• Much of work focuses on efforts in research and
  education, but one very important element is
  ensuring the MREC engages the local Virgin
  Islands community and provides for education and
  research opportunities for Virgin Islanders,
  especially the people of St. Croix, within its
  broader mission

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Joint Institute for Caribbean Marine Studies

• Consortium of four universities
• University of North Carolina Wilmington
• University of the Virgin Islands
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
• University of South Carolina

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Federal and Territorial Partners

• MREC brings together long-term support of
• Department of the Interior
• Office of Insular Affairs
• National Park Service
• Government of the Virgin Islands

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Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education
Center
Project Partners
Joint Institute for Caribbean Marine
Studies University of North Carolina
Wilmington University of the Virgin
Islands Rutgers, the State University of New
Jersey University of South Carolina
Department of the Interior
Office of Insular Affairs Karen Koltes, Coral
Reef Program Manager
National Park Service Joel Tutein, SARI
Superintendent
Denver Service Center Design and
Construction David Aitken Todd Alexander Amy
Sebring, Project Manager Andrea Lind, Project
Coordinator
SARI NHP EP Joel Tutein, Superintendent Zandy
Hillis-Starr, Chief of Resource Management
Southeast Region Dennis McCarthy, DAB Coordinator
Technical Partners
Executive Leadership Team (deans of the four
universities) Robert Roer, UNCW Robert Goodman,
Rutgers Camille McKayle, UVI Mary Ann
Fitzpatrick, USC
EPA
DOE
Government of the Virgin Islands (Co-manager of
SARI) John deJongh Jr., Governor Karl Knight,
Policy Advisor
Labs21
ERM Michael Bayer, Project Manager for JICMS
I2SL
FEMP
Management and Operations Team Steve Meinhold,
UNCW (JICMS liaison) Bob Wicklund, UNCW Cisco
Werner, Rutgers Charlene Glascock, Rutgers James
Morris, USC Sonya Brown, USC Jay Pinckney,
USC LaVerne Ragster, UVI Nasseer Idrisi, UVI
Cultural Resources and Collections Mary Troy,
SERO Dan Scheidt, SERO
ACSA
NREL
Lord Aeck Sargent Design Lead
Partnerships Chris Abbett, SERO Linda Neal,
WASO Karyn Ferro, WASO
Charrettes?
International Student Design Competition
Southeast Archeological Center Meredith Hardy
Industry Alliance?
Curriculum (USC) Sonya Brown
Outreach (UVI) Camille McKayle
Landscape Architecture Studio (Rutgers) JeanMarie
Hartman Holly Nelson David Tulloch
Fundraising (JICMS ELT)
Archeological Field School (USC) David Goldstein
Research (UNCW) Steve Meinhold
Seawater (UNCW) Bob Wicklund
Potential Partners
NOAA
Other universities
JICMS Work Teams
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(No Transcript)
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Salt River Bay NHP EP Proposed Marine Research
Education Center
Buck Island Reef NM
East End Marine Park (Territorial)
Christiansted NHS - HQ
Proposed Castle Nugent Farms NHS 11,500 acres
from Ridge to Reef
St. Croix Heritage Area (HR 1594), 2003 SRS
Alexander Hamilton Boyhood Home Associated
Sites, 2009
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Significant Marine Resources
PARK UNIT SUBMERGED ACRES
Buck Island Reef NM (BUIS) 19,015
Salt River Bay NHP EP (SARI) 612 (co-managed with GVI)
Castle Nugent NHS (CANU) 8,600 (plus 4 to 5 miles of shoreline)
Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) 5,650
Virgin Islands Coral Reef NM (VICR) 12,708
East End Marine Park (STX EEMP) 38,400 (incl. 5 sq. mi. of no take)
TOTAL 84,985
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History of Partnership in Marine Research
1960s Fairleigh Dickinson Universitys West Indies Laboratory
1970s NOAAs NURP Underwater Habitats at Salt River Bay
1989 Hurricane Hugo
1999 MOU among JICMS, DOI and NOAA establishes the MREC Concept
Former West Indies Laboratory, East End, St.
Croix, VI
Unique, long-term studies led to expansion of
BUIS and establishment of SARI and East End
Marine Park MREC will build upon historic data
to deal with current resource threats
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Perfect Site for the MREC
SARI was created to preserve, protect and
interpret nationally significant historical,
cultural and natural sites and resources with
particular emphasis on the preservation of both
the cultural and natural resources and long-term
scientific study of terrestrial, marine and
archeological resources(Public Law 102-247)
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MREC Planning Efforts
2001 NPS acquires 73 acres at Salt River Bay
2004 Feasibility Study
2006 Environmental Assessment
2009 FONSI signed for East Site location
MREC East SitePreliminary Concept Plan
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Significant Progress Has Been Made
2008 JICMS launches Strategic Business Plan
2009 Cooperative Agreement with GVI signed
2009 Park access road cleared
2009 OIA provides additional 1.25 million for design (OIA total gt 2 million)
2010 DOD/National Guard provides 1.4 million for site restoration/road work
2010 MOI signed with NPS
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Planning the MREC Parallel Tracks

• Goal Get the MREC concept and JICMS in position
  for design/partnership/fundraising to move forward

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JICMS Mission

• To establish a multidisciplinary partnership of
  academic, government and private institutions to
  better understand the sustainability and health
  of tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems in
  the waters of the Virgin Islands and other
  Caribbean regions through scientific studies,
  student education and public awareness of the
  economic and cultural heritage associated with
  coral reef systems.

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JICMS Objectives

• To foster understanding and proper management of
  coral reef and other tropical and subtropical
  marine ecosystems by initiating a comprehensive
  long-term research and education program in the
  U.S. Virgin Islands
• To foster public awareness of the importance of
  coral reefs and other marine ecosystems from
  economic, esthetic and global health standpoints
  through educational programs for students and the
  general public
• To share information and research and to form
  partnerships with other nations within the
  Caribbean and adjacent regions with common
  interests and problems in the marine environment.

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Why St. Croix?

• A large array of base-line data on marine
  ecosystems and organisms available (NOAA, FDU,
  UVI, UPRSG, VIG)
• National Park Service partnership/interest
• Only English speaking U.S. territory in the
  Caribbean
• U.S. Laws, technology capacity and access
• Located in the international Caribbean proximate
  to nearby nations

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Synergies and Linkages

• Improved collaboration among GVI, UVI, DOI (NPS,
  USGS, FWS), NOAA
• A capacity building project for VI
• More data and information for local resource
  management
• Strengthening K-12 environmental sciences
  discovery experiences
• Increased opportunities for research for VI
  students faculty
• Facility example of green-construction and
  sustainability
• Increased opportunities for collaborative
  research with JICMS partners
• Additional revenue for Territory

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Broadening the Concept

• Marine and Non-Marine Components
• Museum Collections Facility (NPS)
• Archeological Field School
• Program to kick off in May 2011
• Opportunities for students to take full semester
  class loads, including courses taught at UVI
• Visiting faculty/use of other facilities
  integrated into facility design

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Entering the Next Phase

• Programming/Conceptual Design
• Refine building program and design facility to
  secure NPS approval and create vision to share
  with funders
• Lord Aeck Sargent of Atlanta selected as
  contractor
• Process kicked off in December 2010, wraps up in
  May for presentation to NPS in July 2011
• JICMS component Students from landscape
  architecture studio completed site design
  analyses and presented concepts to the JICMS
  (demonstrating partnership before facilities
  built)

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Site Programming/Master Planning

• Master Plan Considerations
• Sustainability goals lead to important
  considerations
• Carrying capacity of park what is it?
• Gateway to project on UVI campus?
• Integrating other UVI sites into the plan
• Providing a mechanism to support UVIs St. Croix
  campus needs/planning
• Implications for transportation
  systems/connections on island

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JICMS Work Teams

• Seawater Team
• Designing the Optimal System
• Water quality monitoring in Salt River Bay
• Interaction with NPS on site/park issues may
  affect design
• Curriculum Committee
• Designing program components examining fee and
  revenue model as input to the Strategic Business
  Plan
• Local Outreach
• Engaging students, local educators, environmental
  groups, and the public as the facility is being
  designed
• Local JICMS/UVI presence on St. Croix

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Design Team Schedule

• December 2010 Kickoff at Rutgers
• January 10-14 Workshop on St. Croix
• Feb. 3 Lab follow up webinar
• Feb. 7-11 Eco Charrette (in Atlanta)
• March 7-11 Programming II (in Atlanta)
• April Preliminary Design Workshop (on site at
  SARI)
• May 9-13 Final Design Workshop and CBA (in
  Atlanta)

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Preliminary MREC Building Program
6 buildings All owned by NPS, 2 operated by NPS
4 will be operated by JICMS, including the
marine lab facility
Building Owner Operator Estimated Cost
Marine Operations Facility and Wet Labs NPS (Federal) JICMS 15 million
Research Building NPS (Federal) JICMS 15 million
Dormitories NPS (Federal) JICMS 7 million
Maintenance Building NPS (Federal) JICMS 2 million
Education Building NPS (Federal) NPS 7 million
Museum Collections Facility/ Archeological Field School NPS (Federal) NPS 3 million
() Marine Operations and Museum Collections
facilities could function independently of MREC
Estimated Cost for Site Preparation
Construction 54M
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Initial Architectural Program
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Lab and Lab Support Components
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Accommodations
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JICMS Input into Lab Spaces

• 1. How many researchers working at a bench at the
  same time should be accommodated based on the
  business plan? based on institutional needs?
• 2. Will there be a need for chemistry lab/s with
  fume hood capacity?
• 3. What specialized facilities are required
  environmental chambers? Incubators?
• 4. What level of microscopy should be provided
  for 400 X 1000 X greater than 10000 X?
• 5. What special aquatics features/equipment need
  to be accommodated? Aquaria? Tanks? Raceways?
• 6. Should all laboratories be served with salt
  water? Are their minimum flow rates and or
  pressures required?
• 7. What laboratory utilities should be provided?
  Which need to be centralized and which are point
  of use needs? Compressed air? Vacuum? Specialty
  gasses? 110V, 208V, 480V power? Data?
• 8. Will there be centralized facilities for all
  users to share? Analytical testing? Specialized
  environments? Microscopy? Growth chambers?
  Aquatics?
• 9. What laboratory work will require controlled
  environments temperature, humidity,
  contamination control?
• 10. What laboratory work can be done in
  non-controlled or minimally controlled
  environments?

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Environmental Conditions in Lab Space

• ZONE A The most stringent environments
  currently being considered includes
• Temperature ambient to 78 F (no heating)
• Humidity ambient to 60 (de-humidification and
  cooling)
• Pressurization positive
• Outside air 15 fresh air (85 recirculated air)
  
• Utilities salt water (raw and filtered) 110V
  and 208V with 1ph and 3ph service compressed
  air potable water. (Vacuum, lab grade water,
  specialty gasses will be provided by the
  researchers as point of use systems)

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• ZONE B These environments will meet the
  following criteria
• Temperature ambient (temperature may fluctuate
  from ambient due to de-humidification required)
• Humidity ambient to 60 (dehumidification only)
• Pressurization neutral (no directional airflow)
• Outside air 15 outside air (when conditions
  require de-humidification) 100 natural
  ventilation when de-humidification is not
  required)
• Utilities salt water (raw and filtered) 110V
  and 208V with 1ph and 3ph service compressed
  air potable water. (Vacuum, lab grade water,
  specialty gasses will be provided by the
  researchers as point of use systems)

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• ZONE C These environments will meet the
  following criteria these environments will occur
  under shade structures and in totally open
  environments
• Temperature ambient
• Humidity ambient
• Pressurization neutral (no directional airflow)
• Outside air 100 natural ventilation
• Utilities salt water (raw and filtered) 110V
  and 208V with 1ph and 3ph service compressed
  air potable water. (Vacuum, lab grade water,
  specialty gasses will be provided by the
  researchers as point of use systems

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Salt River Bay Marine Research and Education
Center
Planning a World Class, Sustainable Marine
Laboratory in the United States Virgin Islands
JICMS Project Update February 2011
34
SARI East Side Shoreline Comparison
1958
1982
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JICMS Seawater Team Scope

• Define environmental parameters for location of
  seawater intake and discharge points, and need
  for holding tanks
• Establish realistic minimum and maximum
  quantities of seawater required for experimental
  and aquarium operations
• Define the need for redundant piping and pumping
  systems
• Define the parameters for unfiltered vs. filtered
  seawater based on water quality assessments
• Define the need for temperature control of
  seawater based on ambient measurements
• Determine the locations and timeframe to take
  ambient water quality samples

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Site Analysis and Selection of Intake Points

• The team identified water quality parameters,
  frequency of measurements, length of time and
  sites to be monitored as part of a study
• From hillside vantage points, the team evaluated
  potential seawater intake sites by observing
• wave action
• relative depth
• tidal current patterns
• distance to upland staging areas
• proximity to navigational channels
• water clarity
• Inspected sites underwater

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Potential Locations of Seawater Intake
Site Depth
1 14
2 12
3 6
4 6
5 15
6 46
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Potential Well Point

• Site in eastern bay selected as potential well
  point
• Well point about eight feet deep in sediment
  would eliminate problems with filtering because
  of significant sand cover also would eliminate
  the problem of constant maintenance due to
  bio-fouling, (to be tested by jet probe)
• Could well-point location be intake to deliver
  raw unfiltered water to the facility?

Next Steps

• Monitoring study to determine best site for
  intake point
• Provide future researchers and NPS with water
  quality data in Salt River Bay

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Research Collections Management
JICMS
Outdoors
Zone C
Zone A
Zone M
Field prep
Clean Prep
Archive (Paper and Digital Storage)
Natural History Specimen Storage
Archeology geology storage
Cataloging and research copy area
JICMS Generated Collections Long-Term storage
Other off-island collections in jeopardy
Existing Museum Collections (on STX) NH/CR
GVI Existing Natural and Cultural Collections
Collectrons Process