30th January 2026

Long Bay, Beef Island Beach Picnic Area Ready to be Used

 The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change  announces the new public picnic area and “Living Classroom” at Long Bay Beach, Beef Island, marking the final phase of implementation of the Long Bay Beach Management Plan, co-funded by Government and Unite BVI. 

In partnership with Green VI and the Department of Waste Management, 15 picnic tables and 10 waste‑recycling bin sets—all made locally by VI Plastics using recycled materials from the ‘We Recycle Programme’—were installed last week. 

Director of Environment within the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change, Ms. Angela Burnett Penn, expressed her satisfaction with the work of her team and partners. 

She said, “I am happy to see another phase of this project completed. I hope that persons who frequent the beach are appreciative and respectful of this addition, which is intended to enhance the user experience. The picnic tables are placed within the natural vegetation line, and visitors will now be able to enjoy the shade and breeze, while having a clear view of the breathtaking scenery. The waste-recycling bins will contribute to a cleaner beach environment while supporting local recycling. Through the signage, the public can now learn more about the beach environment they enjoy and how to help protect it.” She emphasized that the success of the initiative will depend on the cooperation of the public. 

The picnic area offers comfortable seating along the beachfront, complemented by three‑part waste‑recycling stations for general waste, aluminum, and plastic. Beach visitors are expected to sort materials for disposal and place them into the correct bins and are encouraged to avoid bringing glass to the beach for safety purposes. Picnic tables should be cleared after use and not moved to new locations. 

The new picnic area complements the interpretive and enforcement signage installed at the beach in December 2025. The overall goal of the enforcement signage is to ensure awareness of beach rules and support compliance with relevant polices and laws, including related to the key issues such as sand mining, anchoring in the Bay, littering and lighting of fires. The educational signage supports the creation of a “Living Classroom” at the beach where the public, visitors and students can learn about coastal ecosystems that support a healthy beach, functions of the beach dune, the seagrape tree replanting initiative, native trees important to beach function and invasive species that harm the beach, turtle nesting activity at the beach and sargassum landings.

Environmental Officer Ms. Atoya George echoed these sentiments and encouraged public stewardship of the new facilities. “We encourage everyone to help take care of the newly installed picnic tables and waste-recycling bins so they can be enjoyed for years to come and continue to serve their intended purpose,” Ms. George said. 

Ms. George further explained that Green VI will be monitoring the use and contents of the recycling bins to better understand waste streams as part of its implementation of the Prevention of Marine Litter in the Caribbean Sea (PROMAR) project, in partnership with the Ministry. 

Since its start in 2023, the Long Bay Beach Management Plan has progressed in phases, including the creation of structured parking lots as Phase 1, replanting of over 360 native trees dubbed “Operation Restoration as Phase 2 and construction of a Vending Zone as Phase 3.  Funding for the Plan has been provided through a combination of Government support and two grants from Unite BVI. For this phase of the Plan, signage, picnic tables, and general waste bins were funded by Unite BVI, while the Government funded the recycling bins.

The Ministry thanks the community for its continued cooperation in protecting and preserving the Territory’s natural spaces.

For Additional Information Contact: 

Berta Mckelly Adams

Information Officer

Department of Infrmation and Public Relations

Telephone: 468-2730

Email: bmckelly@gov.vg