Today

The American way of life prevails today in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it has swept across to the British Virgin Islands as well. The region's traditional recipes and remedies, as well as the self-reliant arts of fishing, boat building, farming, and even hunting, are all but gone. When islanders need something, they have it shipped from Miami. In clothes, cars, food, and entertainment, America, not Great Britain, rules the seas around both archipelagos. The British Virgins even use the U.S. dollar as their official currency, instead of British pounds.

If there is one overriding concern in both the U.S.V.I. and the B.V.I., it can be summed up in just two words: "Preserve Paradise." During the 1980s, a total disregard was shown for the environment. Natural beauty gave way to real estate development, and underwater resources weren't being protected. The B.V.I. government rebuffed Jean-Michel Cousteau and his reef-saving measures in the '80s, but Cousteau has returned. He is so impressed with the recent conservation methods that he's now a trustee of the British Virgin Islands National Parks. In 2002, the B.V.I. added 10 new locations, including the Anegada Nature Reserve, to its existing parks. St. John, the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is the most protected landmass in the Caribbean, with some 60% of its acreage directly controlled by the U.S. National Park Service.

On the other hand, St. Thomas has been so overly developed that a battle is currently raging over the future of the 360 acres surrounding Botany Bay, on the western end of St. Thomas, long a refuge from the bustle of Charlotte Amalie, the capital. The area is a final refuge for deer and a nesting ground for sea turtles, with some of the healthiest coral reefs around St. Thomas. Developers want to turn this pristine area into a resort complex with hotel rooms, timeshare apartments, and condos. The island is $1 billion in debt, and needs the cash that development could bring. Caroline Brown, of the Environmental Association of St. Thomas, has issued a dire warning that islanders may find themselves "living in a concrete jungle." The future of Botany Bay may be decided by 2008, and clearly much is riding on the decision.

Other grandiose plans have stalled, including the creation of a Caribbean Cultural Heritage Center and Discovery Park adjacent to the cruise-ship dock at Havensight. If it ever gets the green light, it would be funded by issuing tax-free bonds. It's certainly on the table for the future, but is currently deadlocked.

After decades of neglecting their surroundings, islanders have awakened to the fact that what they have to sell to the tourist market -- their natural resources -- must be preserved for future generations. But the temptation of the money that development brings is powerful bait.

A 51st State?

U.S. Virgin Islanders are not allowed to vote in national elections, a sore spot among some of the local residents. Many hope to see another star added to the American flag in the near future, but others prefer not to rock the boat.

When the 1936 Organic Act of the Virgin Islands was passed under the Roosevelt administration, residents ages 21 and over were granted suffrage and could elect two municipal councils and a legislative assembly for the islands. In 1946, the first black governor of the islands, William Hastie, was appointed. By 1970, the U.S. Virgin Islanders had the right to elect their own governor and lieutenant governor.

Today, the U.S. Virgin Islands remain an unincorporated territory administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Politically speaking, the Virgin Islands, like Puerto Rico, remain outside the family of the United States. They are only permitted to send a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Islanders are beginning to demand more representation. Many feel that only full statehood will provide the respect, power, and influence needed to turn the islands into more than just a "colony." But as of yet, it seems unlikely. The question of statehood is raised at each new election of Congress or of a president, but progress in this direction moves sluggishly along, if at all.

In late 1996, Water Island, off the coast of St. Thomas, became the fourth U.S. Virgin Island, when Washington officials agreed to transfer it to the U.S.V.I. government. Even though it's basically only a very small cay, it's dear to the hearts of space-starved St. Thomasites (St. Thomas has the same population as St. Croix, but half the landmass). Any plans to develop Water Island would most likely elicit screams of protests from the many eco-sensitive St. Thomasites.

Also in 1996, U.S. senators agreed to allow the opening of gambling casinos in the U.S. Virgin Islands, granting permission for the building of two casino hotels on St. Croix. In a bow to the islanders, senators agreed that majority ownership of the casino hotels will be reserved for locals. The arrival of gambling conflicts with the desire of many islanders to preserve the scenic beauty of their land. Nonetheless, the gambling wheels are spinning at St. Croix's Divi Carina Bay Casino. The establishment of a second casino on St. Croix was approved at a building site in Robin Bay several years ago, but ground has not been broken yet. Local governments are struggling to balance the preservation of the islands' number-one resource -- scenic beauty -- with modern economic realities.