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St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
OUR STORY
1976
THE CYRIL E KING AIRPORT EXTENSION PROJECT
THE TURTLES
100+
American Airlines Flight 625 overruns the departure end of Runway 9 when landing at the Harry S Truman airport (later renamed to Cyril E. King runway). The aircraft struck an Instrument Landing System antenna, crashed through a chain link fence, and traveled another 1,040 feet (320 m) until stopped by a gas station.
Construction of the current airport terminal began in 1980 and was completed in October 1990. The runway was extended from 4,200 to its present 7,000 length in 1992. The Cyril E. King Airport features one of the largest deep-water, dredged runways in the Caribbean.
The extension project creates a 6 hectare artificial reef, home to a dense and abundant juvenile and sub-adult, critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle population. This habitat, combined with sea grass habitats in Brewer's Bay, is one of the most important habitats in the Caribbean for endanged hawksbill turtles and threatened green sea turtles.
In 2014, research began and through 2019 over 100 turtles have been documented, including over 60 critically endangered Caribbean hawksbill sea turtles. This work has led to numerous press releases, scientific publications, conference presentations, and the designation of Hawksbill Cove.
WHAT WE DO
IN WATER SEA TURTLE RESEARCH EXPLAINED IN 90 SECONDS
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
THE FUTURE FOR SEA TURTLES
THE. TEAM.
This work is extremely difficult. The Cyril E. King artificial reef is one of the most challenging locations to conduct in water research. Through 2019, over 160+ turtles have been documented and that is all due to the amazing research team. The players may have changed over the years but the goal has remained the same.
