By CTFG
As we continue our mini-series At the Center of UVI we venture over to the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service (VIMAS) where the Director, like many in the UVI family, is Alum turned Faculty/Staff. This month we highlight a champion of marine education and restoration; a son of the soil who is passing on his passion for the sea to the next generation, Howard Forbes, Jr.
“There’s no part of our daily lives that Science hasn’t touched and so you begin to see the world differently when you understand how things work.”
Howard Forbes, Jr.
Who is Howard Forbes, Jr.?
I am a native Virgin Islander from the big island of St. Croix. I am a marine scientist by training who loves cooking, SCUBA diving, a good book, and video games; I’m a kid at heart. I knew from a young age that Science was my thing, and I am happy that I am now in a position where I can inspire others to pursue a career within the marine sciences.
When did you discover your love for marine science?
I developed my love for marine science, not to sound cliche, but at an early age like most people and this love gradually grew into a rewarding career later on in life. My family and I spent the Easter holidays camping at Kramer’s Park and naturally, spending that much time on the beach helped to improve my swimming proficiency. When I was a high school student, I worked for the National Park Service’s Youth Conservation Corps Program and it was here that I acquired my first snorkel set and was able to better explore underwater, now that I could actually see what was in the water with me. Once that initial fear was removed, I saw the ocean more for its wonder and importance in our every day lives and less on the aspects that make it seem scary.
“…the ocean becomes a little less scary when you better understand it. That has always been my philosophy which I have used for the Ocean Explorers Summer Programs; “Where the ocean is your classroom.”
Howard Forbes, Jr.
When did you know you wanted to make it your life’s work?
Funny enough, my story is a little different than most. I bounced around from one career trajectory to another; I knew whatever I ended up settling on, it would always be within STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics). I spent some time after graduating UVI (2010) with my BS in Biology pursuing a PhD in Pharmacology at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University);
however, I did not complete that degree although I am grateful for the experiences and friends made while there. Upon returning home, I enrolled into UVI’s Masters in Marine and Environmental Sciences (MMES) program where I earned that degree in 2014. During this time, I had the opportunity to intern for the then Coral Reef Discovery Week Program which I credit to building the foundation that got me started on this journey. Being able to use my knowledge and love for the ocean to inspire others has been what keeps me grounded in this work.
You have done extensive research regarding the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, worked on coral and mangrove regeneration, and spearheaded a glass bottle to sand initiative in the territory, can you tell us a little about each of these initiatives and how they impact our daily environment? So, I do want to preface that I am partially involved in some of these efforts, but will speak on what I am able to.
STCLD – Dr. Marilyn Brandt (UVI CMES) and other coral restoration practitioners across the territory are primarily involved in better understanding the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) and improve methods used for treatment and/or slowing disease progression. I have accompanied some of the dive teams, primarily to either assist with treatments or to document the work being done. Through the Ocean Explorers Summer Programs that I lead at UVI, our programs have been able to provide the support for over 150 USVI youth to earn their SCUBA certification (to varying levels) and some of these students, have worked alongside these coral practitioners to assist with coral restoration efforts, disease treatment, and conducting coral health surveys. As it relates to the importance of this work – corals are living animals that are superheroes in a sense; they provide shelter for other fish and marine invertebrates, medicines for humans, or supporting healthy fisheries. But like us, corals can get sick too, hence why this work is needed.
Mangrove and Coral Restoration – Dr. Marilyn Brandt (UVI CMES) and Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes (UVI CMES) primarily lead the coral and mangrove restoration efforts; I have some involvement in mangrove restoration efforts.
I conducted research on the red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) for my UVI MMES Masters thesis which helped me to develop a greater sense of appreciation for mangroves. So much so, that I integrated it into the outreach programming I do as the Territorial Coordinator for VIMAS (Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service).
I am a huge proponent for outdoor education and thus visiting school groups would help our teams plant more mangroves using reclaimed plastic water bottles. With the help of the USVI community, specifically our Ocean Explorers students, these mangroves have been growing on Range Cay, St. Thomas since 2017 with over 250 red mangroves planted at this location. Red mangroves in particular, because of their prop roots which give them the appearance of walking on the water, enable them to, like corals, also provide shelter and habitat for a variety of animals. They also help to reduce wave and wind energy from storm events. The USVI has lost a lot of mangroves over the last few decades and through this work and that of other restoration practitioners, we are bringing awareness to the problem whilst also working towards training the next generation.
Glass Recycling – I am the Territorial Lead for the International Coastal Cleanup, which is an annually occurring international effort led by The Ocean Conservancy. This effort mobilizes volunteers to support beach cleanups on the 3rd Saturday in September; this works for all other participating countries except us in the Caribbean as that time is usually peak hurricane season. In either case, we clean a variety of beaches on that one day whilst also recording what types of trash we collected as well as the amounts; the USVI has data going back to 1986. Existing environmental legislation in the territory unfortunately targeted plastic bags and straws, 2 items that rarely end up in the top 10 items removed from beaches annually. Looking at the data, which is site-specific, bottle caps (plastic and metal), their associated bottles (plastic and glass), and cigarette butts are the items that we remove in large quantities. With that in mind, I utilized this data to apply for 2 small grants (Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and the other from The Ocean Conservancy) which funded our glass recycling efforts. With both of those grants, I purchased 7 glass crushers which were used primarily to crush glass beverage bottles back into sand to make sandbags that were distributed to residents prior to hurricane season. There are over 30+ different uses for recycled crush glass sand (RCGS) from sand blasting, water filtration, landscaping, gardening, non-structural concrete applications, terrazzo countertops, etc. The grants that funded this work have ended; however, our community partners who were provided with a glass crusher have been putting them to use in small-scale recycling efforts. This project’s main goal was to reduce the amount of glass beverage bottle waste entering USVI landfills while also creating a proof of concept that glass recycling could be done locally.
Can you tell is more about VIMAS and how interested persons can support the Advisory Service’s work?
VIMAS or the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service is a NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) funded program primarily coordinated through the Sea Grant College Program. There are about 34 Sea Grant College Programs, usually housed within Universities and along the coasts, since most of our work involves the ocean. VIMAS has been sustained over the last 30+ years through a subaward agreement with the University of Puerto Rico’s Sea Grant College Program which is based in Mayaguez. Funding was sought in 2023-2024 to start the process of becoming the 35th Sea Grant College Program; however, due to funding challenges with Congress, the prospect of obtaining Sea Grant status for the USVI is on hold. This additional funding would help to bolster VIMAS’ capacity to offer more, consistent programming across the territory. While we wait though, interested persons can always volunteer or donate to support our efforts.
You’ve long been an advocate for youth marine-focused programmes. Can you tell us more about the Oceean Explorers programmes?
That is indeed correct; the ocean becomes a little less scary when you better understand it. That has always been my philosophy which I have used for the Ocean Explorers Summer Programs; “Where the ocean is your classroom.” Ocean Explorers grew from the then Coral Reef Discovery Week Program and have since evolved into 2 separate, distinct programs, Junior Ocean Explorers (JOE) and Youth Ocean Explorers (YOE). JOE was started in 2018 and targets youth in grades 3-6 (ages 7-12) and primarily focuses on teaching the fundamentals of learning to swim, water safety, snorkeling, with components of STEAM infused throughout the curriculum. While not a requirement to be a marine biologist, knowing how to swim certainly helps, especially towards developing an appreciation for the ocean. Approximately 70% of USVI youth do not know how to swim which can make the prospect of pursuing a career in the ocean sciences farfetched. Through JOE, students can build their confidence in the water, better understand how to be safe in and around water, and might be able to tell you five interesting fun facts about checkered pufferfish. YOE was started in 2016 and targets youth in grades 7-12 (ages 12-18) and primarily focuses on building on students’ swimming foundation to hone their snorkeling proficiency, earn their SCUBA certification, dive deeper into understanding the ecology of marine and terrestrial plants and animals, and receive technical marine science training while working at a paid internship. YOE and JOE have been supported by various federal, governmental, and private charities over the years, and their continued support has made these programs what they are. Through both programs, we have begun seeing YOE students now enroll at UVI and major in STEM; it has been a decade of investment and is absolutely worthy of every penny.
How important is it that the people of the Virgin Islands, and the wider Caribbean, learn more about the ocean environment that surrounds us all? I really like this question as it reminds me of a teaching / reflection moment early in my career. I was fortunate enough to attend a SCUBA dive with my work colleagues to document the presence of SCTLD on a reef. Following the dive, I recounted all the fish and healthy coral I saw; completely unaware of my colleague who was in tears. I later found out that they were emotional because of the state of the reef; the reef they knew and had visually imprinted on their mind
was not the reef we observed that day. This is a phenomena referred to as “Shifting Baselines”; a person today would consider the current state of our reefs to be healthy – the current normal. Whereas, someone who knew that reef 10-50 years ago remember it being vibrant and full of life. Because so many of us are not in the water everyday, we assume that all things are great with the ocean, and for the most part, they kind of
are. But it is important that we better connect with the ocean; understanding what we have lost, stand to lose, and how we can preserve what remains for future generations.
“…corals are living animals that are superheroes in a sense; they provide shelter for other fish and marine invertebrates, medicines for humans, or supporting healthy fisheries. But like us, corals can get sick too, hence why this work is needed.”
Howard Forbes, Jr.
How did your time as a student at UVI shape your approach to teaching STEM education?
My time at UVI helped shape my approach to teaching STEM education. While my background is primarily in Biology, I was a Teacher’s Assistant for several upper-level Science courses which better prepared me for communicating my Science more effectively across audiences of varying ages. Through UVI, I was also able to take advantage of the ECS (Emerging Caribbean Scientists) program where my summers were spent conducting research with various faculty both at UVI and abroad; again, further improving my science communication and STEM education teaching portfolio.
If you could bring your dream youth-focused marine programme to the territory, what would it be and why?
TBH, I am content with the Ocean Explorers Summer Programs, though making it my dream program would require additional funding support. Ocean Explorers to date, has been able to engage over 577 students across the USVI, since 2016; however, additional funding support would enable our teams to effectively reach more students. Both programs are currently providing aquatic training for USVI youth that ranges from swimming fundamentals to SCUBA certification. In the future, I would like to add a component to the Ocean Explorers Summer Program that includes more marine vocational training for students who do not wish to pursue the traditional academic route. We are starting to have those conversations, but everything takes time.
Define Success
Success looks different across the programs I manage. For Ocean Explorers, for example, I would be overjoyed if every student we engaged became a marine scientist; however, I know that is not completely feasible. So, in this scenario if a student leaves our program being more competent in the water, is more environmentally conscious, or is now more aware of careers in the field of marine science, I would say we did a great job. This is all made even more real when parents share anecdotal stories of their child’s improvement with our team. I have gotten tons of feedback over the years, ranging from my child now swims at the swim buoys with their father or that a parent obtained their SCUBA certification just so that they could dive with their child. Yes, there might be some statistical test I could perform to measure our success; but, these stories are enough for me to know that what I am doing is making an impact.
Looking five years into the future, what are your hopes for VIMAS and the wider University as a whole?
Looking beyond, in the next five years, I would like for VIMAS to become a Sea Grant College project, thus starting our journey towards becoming the 35th Sea Grant College Program. That status would allow for us to further expand our reach to St. Croix and St. John where we currently do not have full-time staff. Along that same thread, I want to see the programs we currently facilitate continue to prosper and grow, even if I am not at the helm of the
VIMAS ship. For the wider university, I would like to see the development of a competitive marine vocational program that could complement the amazing work being done within the Marine Science Department. Traditional academics do not always appeal to everyone; however, UVI could stand to benefit from showing students how vocational trades support academic-based careers and vice versa.
Why does what you do matter?
The work I do matters because we live in a society that unfortunately disregards science; mostly because it isn’t seen as something “cool”. That narrative along with the fact that students lose interest in Science around middle school age, is absolutely the reason why I prioritize fun and educational science education for all ages. There’s no part of our daily lives that Science hasn’t touched and so you begin to see the world differently when you understand how things work. Students need educators who will think outside of the box and who will take the curriculum to the next level; I like to think I carry the torch held by some of the greatest Science Educators who taught me to keep that momentum going.
What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in marine science?
Advice I would give to someone interested in pursuing a career in marine science would be to get as involved as possible. Knowing how to swim is not a requirement for a successful career in marine science as there are many career pathways within marine science where you never actually get into the water. However, I will say that knowing how to swim, and by virtue, having a connection to the ocean, makes it easier for me to care and want to protect what I love. What I will also note is that no two person’s journeys will be the same; there are several pathways you could take towards pursuing a career within the marine sciences. If your school has a class / course for marine science, take it. If there are internships, summer enrichment programs, or volunteering opportunities that focus on marine/environmental science, get involved. Get connected with the people doing the work; these are some of the tips I used to get to where I am today and could potentially help an aspiring marine scientist.
Where can we follow your work?
I don’t post as much as I would like to but you can follow my work via the following:
- Facebook: Howard Greywolf Forbes (personal account) / UVI Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (UVI CMES Facebook account)
- Instagram: greywolf162 (personal account)
“Knowing how to swim is not a requirement for a successful career in marine science…However, I will say that knowing how to swim, and by virtue, having a connection to the ocean, makes it easier for me to care and want to protect what I love.”
Howard Forbes, Jr.
