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Many thanks to Diane Stresing for sending me this Press Release.

Press Release Distribution February 5, 2001
Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
http://www.travelwriters.com
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--- [ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ] ---

"Lt. Governor Rockefeller, Peter Jennings, Anne Hearst with Other
Well-known Americans Highlight BVI National Parks"

Contact Name: Remar Sutton
Company: Governor, Trustees of BVI National Parks, USA
Telephone: 404-229-5094
E-Mail: offshorewaves@aol.com

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands (2/4/02) - The importance
of preserving the British Virgin Islands' unique and fragile national
parks system, which comprises some of the world's most ecologically
diverse environments, as well as the importance of safeguarding the
thousands of pristine acres that encompass and surround the parks, was
highlighted by the visit of a group of influential and environmentally
aware Americans.

The visit was arranged by the Trustees of the BVI National Parks
Trust, USA, a philanthropic trust. The Trustees seek to raise
awareness of important issues impacting the BVI's national parks.

ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings, former CBS Anchor Walter Cronkite,
Jean-Michel Cousteau, Lt. Governor Winthrop Rockefeller of Arkansas,
actor Cliff Robertson and editor George Plimpton are some of the well-
known Americans serving as Governors on the Board of Trustees. They,
along with David Fanning, Remar Sutton, columnist for The Washington
Post, and Lester Hyman, Washington, D.C.-based presidential advisor,
are lending support for the parks and for the efforts to strengthen,
expand and preserve them.

Many governors of the Trust toured BVI territory, including the
national parks, as part of their board meeting in late January.

"Like so many people in these islands, I have a home near the border
of a national park," said David Fanning, founder and executive
producer of PBS Frontline and a Governor of the Trustees. "That this
land has been saved is an extraordinary gift," Fanning said. "There is
something fragile about all these places, something so easily lost."

"The land and ocean are inextricably linked together," added Jean-
Michel Cousteau, President of Ocean Futures and the eldest son of
Jacques Cousteau. "Parks are the symbol of this relationship. The
British Virgin Islands has an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen
and protect its economic future by protecting its parks, and the other
land and waters which surround them. I look forward," Cousteau
concluded, "to working with the BVI National Parks and the BVI
Government on this challenging and historically important project."

Walter Cronkite, a Governor, avid yachtsman and frequent visitor to
the territory for over thirty years, complimented the Government and
Parks for their efforts to safeguard the BVI environment. "As one
travels the rest of the world," Cronkite said, "the appreciation is
always greater for the efforts of the British Virgin Islands to
maintain the difficult balance between necessary economic development
and the great natural beauty bestowed on this territory."

"The beauty," Cronkite continued, "undoubtedly is the greatest asset
of the British Virgin Islands, as the majority of citizens seem to
agree. It is their support that has made possible the protection of
the unspoiled beaches, the glorious hills, the pristine waters of what
is certainly one of God's great gifts to humankind."

Those attending the Trustee's recent meetings and park activities
included Peter Jennings and his wife, Kayce Freed-Jennings, a
television producer; Anne Randolph Hearst, granddaughter of William
Randolph Hearst and contributing editor to Town and Country magazine;
Lt. Governor Winthrop Rockefeller of Arkansas, grandson of John D.
Rockefeller, Jr. and scion of a name synonymous with preserving the
extraordinary nature of the British and American Virgin Islands; Emmy-
Award-winning explorer Dan Buettner, a veteran of expeditions in over
100 countries; and Dr. Henry Jarecki, President of The Falconwood
Corporation and owner of Guana Island, an exclusive 850-acre private
nature preserve off the North Shore of Tortola. Dr. and Mrs. Jarecki
hosted the Trustees for their first night.

On his visit, Peter Jennings commented, "It's an honor to be included
with those who love the BVI and wish to see it thrive. The wonderful
people of the BVI understand they live in a unique environment worth
protecting. We all know that the national parks need constant
attention. They are being managed for the next generation and the
next."

During their visit, the Governors met with high-level BVI Government
officials, including the Honorable Chief Minister and Minister of
Tourism, Ralph T. O'Neal, and His Excellency, Governor Frank Savage,
appointed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Territory, Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II.

The Governors then visited Virgin Gorda, one of the BVI's largest
islands. There they toured The Baths and the centuries-old Copper
Mine, both national parks.

Little Dix Bay Resort, founded by Lt. Governor Rockefeller's uncle,
Laurence Rockefeller, and now of Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, hosted a
luncheon for the delegation and key government officials.

The delegation then headed out for a marine tour of Sir Francis Drake
Channel, which stretches through the territory's forty-plus islands.
The group visited Salt Island, Norman Island and the Indians and
conducted several dives at unique marine sites, including the famous
Wreck of the Rhone.

Lt. Governor Rockefeller toured pristine Sandy Cay, an islet off of
Tortola owned by his uncle, Laurence, with members of the BVI
Government, BVI Tourist Board and the National Parks Trust.
Additionally, the Lt. Governor, whose family has strong historical
connections to this part of the world, made an official address to key
members of government at Long Bay Beach Resort. "We do not inherit the
earth from our parents, but borrow it from our children," Rockefeller
said, using a favorite American Indian quote. "Our Governors are here
because we have been touched, even changed by these islands." Mr.
Rockefeller continued, "We are here because we love these islands and
their citizens, because we have made friendships here that are worth
having for life."

This meeting of the Governors will be followed in March by a special
visit to the BVI by Governors Jean-Michel Cousteau, George Plimpton
and Cliff Robertson. "One goal of our group," says J.C. Pierce,
President of the Trustees of the BVI National Parks Trust, "is to
develop materials highlighting the unique nature and problems of the
BVI Parks. We are also planning to develop a short documentary on the
Parks using the great talent of our Governors." Pierce, the great-
grandson of Count Ferdinand DeLessups, has had a home in the British
Virgin Islands for eighteen of his thirty-five years.

The BVI National Parks Trust actively manages nineteen national parks,
including eighteen terrestrial parks and one marine park. In total,
the Parks Trust manages 4,167 acres, or eleven percent of the land and
marine area of the BVI.

The National Parks Trust's program consists of five key project areas
in Biodiversity Assessment and Management, Management of Terrestrial
Parks, Marine Conservation Program, Historical Preservation and Public
Awareness, and Environmental Education.

For further information on the Trustees of the BVI National Parks,
USA, Inc., please contact Remar Sutton at 404-229-5094 or at
offshorewaves@aol.com. The BVI National Parks Trust, found on the
Internet at www.bvinationalparkstrust.org, can be reached at 284-494-
3904 or via e-mail at bvinpt@bvinationalparkstrust.org. Information on
traveling to the British Virgin Islands is available from the British
Virgin Islands Tourist Board by calling

1-800-835-8530 or by visiting www.bvitouristboard.com.

-- posted by Red