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Virgin Islands Code Rules & Regulations
Virgin Islands Invasive Species Eradication Community Program
Bats are predators of night-flying insects and preserve the natural balance of the wildlife of the Virgin Islands. In the historic past, bats would have roosted in the enormous trees lost when >97% of forests were converted to agricultural pastures and development. You may find bats roosting in buildings where they become unwanted visitors. The best and safest way to interact with unwanted bats is to exclude them from your facilities. Bats have very strong homing instincts, so the holes must be closed and caulked after the bats have flown the roost.
Relocation is more successful for bats that find their own new roosts after exclusion. Almost all wild animals when moved involuntarily will go to great lengths to return home (tortoises, deer, bats). You may in conjunction with exclusion use bright lights or strips of fluttering aluminum foil around suspected entry ways to discourage bats from re-entering spaces.
One good method is presented in the schematic below. Please contact DFW with any technical questions related to bat exclusion.
Are you clearing land on St. Thomas? Please contact us to determine if your area is home to the native, endangered Virgin Islands Tree Boa! The site clearance protocol may be downloaded here and was developed in collaboration with the federal U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
DFW offers a variety of educational resources for resource users in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including brochures, posters, and handheld tools. Some of our brochures include the following:
We also have the following handheld tools to assist you on the water:
We also have coloring books, activity books, and educational guides for children, including:
Pick up your copies in the Division of Fish and Wildlife offices in Red Hook, St. Thomas, or Frederiksted, St. Croix Monday to Friday 8 – 5 to pick up copies of the brochures or other available resource materials!
Below are links to our partner agencies and programs:
Virgin Islands Code: http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/vicode/
U.S. Code of Federal Regulations: https://gov.ecfr.io/cgi-bin/ECFR
U.S.F.W.S. Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Funds: https://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/subpages/aboutus/aboutus1.htm
U.S.F.W.S. Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office: https://www.fws.gov/southeast/caribbean/
Coral World conservation programs: https://coralworldvi.com/
St. Croix Environmental Association: http://www.stxenvironmental.org/
Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue Network: https://www.facebook.com/STAR-Sea-Turtle-Assistance-and-Rescue-129293040434939/
The Botanical Garden of the Virgin Islands: http://sgvbg.org/
United States Department of Agriculture: website
4611 Tutu Park Mall
Suite 300, 2nd Floor
St. Thomas, VI 00802
Phone: (340) 774-3320
45 Estate Mars Hill
Frederiksted, VI 00840
Phone: (340) 773-1082
Monday – Friday
Cashier closes at 3:00pm
*Does not include Federal/Local Holidays