Henry Tonnemacher
Oral Histories about Great Pond lagoon, St Croix as part of the Great Pond Restoration Action Plan
St. Croix, USVI has only a handful of coastal lagoons that serve as critical habitats for many commercial marine fish species, as well as providing other ecosystem services for the small island community. Great Pond Lagoon, located in the East End Marine Park, is one such area that contributes to food security and hazard mitigation. As part of restoration planning for this priority site, the territory has included oral histories from community leaders. These perspectives provide historical context and characterization of Great Pond over time and highlight the importance of restoration for the future.
This project was made possible by principal investigators at the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), including the Coastal Resilience Coordinator Hilary Lohmann and the East End Marine Park Coordinator Kelcie Troutman. The oral histories were funded by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and produced by Soundstage VI through an agreement between CZM and Tysam Tech, LLC to host a community charrette and produce a Great Pond Restoration Action Plan. More information can be found on the project website and DPNR’s website.
Henry Tonnemacher is an environmental biologist who moved to St. Croix in 1977. There, he helped initiate the Hydrolab Program and taught scientific diving at the West Indies Laboratory, formerly part of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s campus on the island.
Scope and Content Note
Conducted by Hilary Lohmann, this interview with Henry Tonnemacher highlights the ecological functions of Great Pond as well as Tonnemacher’s own experiences living and working on St. Croix since the 1970s. Tonnemacher recalls visiting Great Pond for educational excursions with his students and for his own solo kayak ventures. At the same, Great Pond was an example of a healthy saltwater pond and mangrove ecosystem, serving as the habitat for a thriving population of Cassiopeia jellyfish. Tonnemacher attributes the recent changes in the Great Pond environment to both natural and human causes. Such agents include alterations to the watershed, invasive lionfish, increased sedimentation, and climate change. Despite these pressures on St. Croix, Tonnemacher is optimistic about future prospects and plans for restoration. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining the region’s watershed and executing any conservation plans with care.
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