Department of
Planning & Natural Resources
Department of
Planning & Natural Resources
Written By Chantelle Quinones and Dan Mele
Photos and Captions By Dan Mele
From the air, travelers can spot Perseverance Bay simply by looking out the window as they fly into St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands — a stunning view of one of the island’s most beautiful ridge-to-reef landscapes. Nature seekers can explore this land by following an unmarked trail that starts at the top of the hillside, passes through various forest types, and eventually reaches the shoreline. Yet this quiet, hidden stretch of land holds a deep and powerful history.
The name itself, Perseverance, tells a greater story. University of the Virgin Islands professor and community leader Olasee Davis mentioned that “Perseverancia,” meaning perseverance in Spanish, reflects the determination to overcome hardship. Ruins of a sugar factory located on the land serve as a lasting reminder that the Perseverance Bay estate was once home to many enslaved Africans who were forced to work in unimaginable conditions. Olasee explained that the estate earned its name both from the difficult terrain that made farming challenging and from the story of those enslaved Africans who escaped the sugar factory and used the rugged surrounding land as a jump-off point to escape to Puerto Rico—symbolizing resilience and the relentless pursuit of freedom. Exploring the ruins, though difficult to find, can be one of the most powerful and thought-provoking parts of the hike, as plantation life represents one of the greatest injustices in human history. Due to Perseverance Bay’s historical significance, as well as the ecological services it provides to Virgin Islanders, preserving and protecting it is essential.
When it comes to protecting the natural beauty of St. Thomas, few people are as dedicated as Sarah Haynes-Brinn, President of the Trust for Virgin Islands Lands. She has been collaborating with the Division of Territorial Parks and Protected Areas, along with other community partners. Together, they are working to permanently preserve the cultural and ecological importance of the Perseverance Bay watershed through the support of the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge Grant (CRRC). Sarah mentioned that “Properties have come and gone from the list, but the mission has stayed the same: protect and preserve the island’s precious green spaces.”
With sparse land and open spaces available on St. Thomas, Perseverance Bay has emerged as a key historical area for conservation. Spanning nearly 140 acres—roughly the size of 100 football fields—it holds both cultural and ecological importance. This remarkable stretch of land is one of the last truly untouched areas on St. Thomas. Sarah explained that “this purchase will secure most of a single estate”—a rare opportunity in today’s rapidly developing landscape. What makes it even more special is that it includes one of the island’s only remaining undisturbed salt ponds, home to a rich variety of wildlife: birds, mangroves, native plants, and even a few rare species.
But this isn’t just about conservation for conservation’s sake. Perseverance Bay is a place where the community can connect with nature. Whether you are out for a quiet walk, a challenging hike, or hoping to explore some of the historic ruins hidden across the estate, the land will be accessible for all to enjoy. Sarah also mentioned, “As St. Thomas is, we have very few public hiking trails that we can utilize… having spaces that have well-marked trails for families or school groups to take students to is super important.”
Perseverance Bay is more than a scenic spot—it’s a living laboratory. With forests, salt ponds, beaches, and coral reefs all in one place, it offers a rare chance to study how these ecosystems interact. GRROE USVI Mangroves regularly surveys the mangrove habitat, while graduate students from the University of the Virgin Islands use the area for hands-on research. In the coastal waters, UVI’s Reef Response team leads coral restoration efforts, from planting corals to studying the natural reproduction of several endangered coral species. The information learned here doesn’t just stay here—it helps shape our understanding of ecosystems across the U.S. Virgin Islands.
On an island where land is limited, conservation is a growing concern. It’s not just about saving land from development—it’s about preserving something meaningful for future generations while still making it usable for the present. According to Hilary Lohman of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Coastal Zone Management Division, “protecting watersheds will improve the VI’s resilience to climate change, to future development demands and opportunities, and to community well-being for people and the environment.” The hope is to strike a balance: protecting what we have while making it available for the people who live here now.
