The Insiders' Guide to St. Barths: The Sand and Bay of St. Jean

Mes amis,

I just received this message from Dr. Brosnan. I hope Erik or someone on the island can attend and tell us all about it.

THE SAND AND BAY OF ST JEAN, ST BARTHS FWI

On Tuesday Night, The Collectivite of St Barthelemy will convene a presentation on the environment of St Jean Bay. What is the environmental story of St Jean Bay- a place that has deep cultural significance for the local community and is now vital to tourism? Why is the sand disappearing? What can we do to sustain this bay? What about re-nourishing the beach? What does the future hold? These are the questions that will be explored by a panel of three scientists currently on St Barths. The public is cordially invited to hear the presentation, ask questions and talk with the scientists. This is an opportunity to discover more about the beaches and nearshore waters of the island that so many cherish.

Time 6 p.m.
Place: Hotel de la Collectivite, Gustavia St Barthelemy

About the Scientists.
Dr Deborah BROSNAN Marine scientist and President of Sustainable Ecosystems Institute. Dr Brosnan works on coral reef and marine ecosystems throughout the world. Her work focuses on the impacts of humans, natural disasters, and changes in marine systems. This work has taken her to SE Asia after the tsunami and the Gulf Coast USA after Hurricane Katrina. As founder and President of SEI she heads an organization of over 1,000 eminent and nomnated scientists. The Institute convenes scientific teams to help solve issues of national importance. Dr Brosnan serves on several prestigious university and scientific boards. She has given testimony before the US Senate and House Committees on the role of science. She holds affiliate professorships and fellowships at several universities including Stanford University and NW School of Law. She also works in the public arena having been featured on Oprah Winfrey Show, Public Television and radio. She has worked on the marine environment of St Barths for fifteen years. She lives in the USA and in St Barths FWI.

Mr. Ralph CLARK M.S. Mr. Clark is a civil engineer and a coastal and oceanographic engineer. For over 20 years he has held responsibility for the maintaining and managing the beaches for the State of Florida. In 1988, he was the first to inventory and identify the critical erosion problems of the beaches, and he continues his work to the present day. Mr. Clark has been responsible for analyzing and making recommendations to identify beach resources in a critical state of erosion and to identify measures to mitigate the erosion conditions. As an engineer he is deeply rooted in the practical and technical aspects of beach restoration and maintenance. He has worked throughout the Caribbean and worldwide (from Africa to South America) where he is in much demand for his skills in identifying and solving beach erosion and beach restoration. He is the author of many influential works on beach inventory and beach mitigation.

Dr Joan OLTMAN-SHAY Physical Oceanographer and President and Senior Scientist of North West Associates. Dr Shay is a specialist in beach dynamics. Since graduating from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, she has spent most of her career studying and monitoring waves and currents in the nearshore environment (from the beach to 10m depth). Her work uses remote video data to understand the key processes especially the interplay of water movement and beach transport. Early in her career she designed the USACE 8m-depth wave-directional array and analysis software for the Field Research Facility and which remains operational today. As President of NWA she oversees a company of 80 scientists working on a range of engineering and environmental issues. She has published over sixty refereed articles, technical reports, and conference papers. Dr. Oltman-Shay is an affiliate professor at U. Washington, has been a member of the National Academies' Ocean Studies Board and the US Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Engineering Research Board, and several blue-ribbon National Research Council committees.

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There is no dilemma compared with that of the deep-sea diver who hears the message from the ship above, "Come up at once. We are sinking."
-Robert Cooper

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