V.I. National Park and Coral Reef National Monument officials are considering adopting a smoking ban and the public has two weeks to have their voices heard on the matter.
VINP officials are considering prohibiting smoking and tobacco use on all VINP beaches, pavilions and inside restroom facilities. If adopted, the action will be included in the 2013 VINP Compendium, which will be issued this month, explained VINP Acting Superintendent Mike Anderson.
“We wanted to give the public an opportunity to comment on this proposed action,” said Anderson, who will serve as VINP Acting Superintendent until Brion FitzGerald takes over the post in March. “Once we review the comments, the 2013 Park Compendium, which will be completed this month, will contain guidance on visitor use for smoke-free beaches.”
VINP officials plan to install cigarette disposal containers at heavily used areas like Trunk Bay, with signs announcing the Smoke Free area, Anderson explained.
If adopted, VINP, with its sensitive marine environment, will become one of the first National Park Service beaches to ban smoking, the Acting VINP Superintendent added.
“As far as I know, we’ll be one of the first parks to do this and I think with our situation with the marine environment, the sea turtles, our abundance of shore birds and marine animals, we need to mitigate the risk of wildlife choking on cigarette butts and becoming sick or poisoned by the accumulation of cigarettes,” said Anderson.
“This is a really preventable impact to park resources that is going to be good for the children who may be playing on the beach, good for the marine life and certainly good for the water quality in the park,” Anderson said.
Smoking and smoking debris poses a second hand smoke hazard to all park visitors and constitutes a general safety and sanitation hazard to small children playing in the sand, according to a prepared statement by VINP.
The accumulation of toxic cigarette butts and other tobacco by-products directly onto VINP beaches is a preventable hazard to park marine life, according to the statement.
Birds and marine animals can ingest cigarette butts leading to choking, poisoning, and or death. The plastic and toxic chemicals found in cigarette butts leach into the marine environment leading to the bioaccumulation of toxins in the marine environment.
Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic that breaks down into smaller pieces over time. Research has shown every littered cigarette butt can take from two to 25 years to breakdown as toxic chemical compounds continuously leach into the environment, according to information from VINP.
If adopted, VINP beaches will be posted with “Smoke Free Beaches” signs along with cigarette disposal receptacles in heavy visitor use areas. Smoking will be allowed in other areas of VINP, excluding areas specifically designated in the Park Compendium.
The proposed rule is expected to also enhance visitor experiences especially at Trunk Bay where hundreds of cruise ship passengers enjoy the VINP daily, according to VINP information.
The purpose of the park compendium is to provide the public and park employees with a document that lists the special designations, closures, public use limits, permit requirements and other restrictions imposed under the discretionary authority of the Superintendent, according to information from VINP.
The Superintendent’s authority to implement these provisions is found in Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 1.5(a). The compendium is available to the public upon request. The compendium will be reviewed and updated annually to ensure adequate protection of the park’s resources, provide for public safety and enjoyment and to address changes in public use patterns.
The provisions found in the compendium constitute only one of many tools designed to manage and protect the Virgin Islands National Park. It is important to utilize this document in conjunction with Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, which includes the full text of National Park Service regulations, including those authorizing the provisions outlined in this compendium. Chapter I, Parts 1-7, of Title 36, include sections addressing resource protection, public use, recreation, boating, vehicles and traffic safety, commercial operations, and special regulations.
These regulations are applicable on all federally owned lands and waters within the boundaries of VINP and on lands and waters under the administrative control of the National Park Service.
In addition, certain regulations found within Title 36 are applicable on non-federally owned lands under the legislative jurisdiction of the United States. Interested parties may also wish to review the VINP planning documents including the General Management Plan (1983), Resource Management Plan (1999), and Commercial Services Plan (2001).
36 CFR Section 2.21 Smoking (As Proposed)
61. Smoking is prohibited as follows:
Within the interior portions of all NPS buildings.
At locations posted as no smoking areas.
Within 50 feet of a gas pump or flammable materials storage area.
Smoking is prohibited on all Park beaches, Park pavilions, and inside restrooms.
Determining Factors: This regulation provides for a smoke free environment inside NPS buildings and provides for visitor safety and resource protection.
