Many guts in the Virgin Islands have been severely damaged by human activities: vegetation removal; alteration of natural water flow paths; excavation, filling and paving of gut channels; and trampling by livestock. The impacts of gut destabilization and loss of native habitat include increased sedimentation & flooding of downstream properties, roadways, ponds and coastal habitats and mass-wasting of channels that undermines homes and public roadways. These degraded and unstable water courses also cause significant flooding and land-slide problems during severe storm events, as seen during the heavy rains from Hurricane Omar in October 2008. The symptoms of severely eroded guts include incised channels; eroded, mass-wasted banks; and bank undercuts.

We invite all interested parties – government agency personnel, local engineers, architects, landscapers, hotel personnel, contractors – to attend and participate in this field tour demonstration & tree planting to receive hands-on training as to the proper design and implementation of this practice.