St. John Land Conservancy (SJLC)
is a non-profit 501(c)(3) community organization dedicated to
the protection of lands of cultural importance & natural beauty
​on St. John 

We share the concern that St. John is threatened with the destruction of natural habitat, cultural resources, and the loss of public access.  We are very proud of our first accomplishment — the preservation of historic Haulover on the East End of St. John in 2011 and 2014. These 3.6 acres of unspoiled beach property, fronting both north and south bays, were to be sold to off-island concerns for condominium development. The history, culture and life that this land sustains are now saved for all to enjoy. See Projects

Our second main accomplishment was the preservation of the eastern tip of Lovango Cay. This lovely piece of land — more than an acre on the very easternmost tip of Lovango — ​has been set aside for our community for public enjoyment, both scenic and otherwise, by current and future generations. The scenery and nature of this land and surrounding waters will be maintained, thanks to this generous donation and the efforts of all involved with the SJLC.

You love the warm breezes and the aroma of tropical blooms, the sounds of birds, the waves on a pebble beach that are the distinctive charms of our island, St John. We do too, and we believe in celebrating and protecting them for everybody – forever. 
​The future of preservation begins with you and you can make a difference. 

Please help us to save other endangered properties and keep St John, St John.

Our Mission

We're committed to the conservation of natural,  historic and scenic lands, for the enjoyment of the public in perpetuity. We implement land conservation through acquisition of property using donations from landowners and the public, and also through conservation agreements with landowners, providing for permanent land protection. 

Meet Our Team

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Officers and Directors

Rafael Muilenburg

President

Raf grew up on and around St. John (East End and Coral Bay as well as Lovango Cay), attended the Guy H. Benjamin and Julius E. Sprauve schools on STJ (and All Saints on STT), and later Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. After working as an environmental and business lawyer in San Diego for 12 years, he moved back full time to St. John in 2009 with his wife Thia and two daughters, where he practices real estate / land use and environmental law, among other areas.  In 2014, he moved with his family to Florida, and now runs his St. John law practice from there, Muilenburg Law LLC, and commutes back to St. John for a week each month and during the summer to meet with clients and continue his island conservation efforts. He is a founding member of the SJLC board, and has served as the President since 2015. 

Gary Ray, Ph.D

Vice-President

Gary holds a doctorate in Environmental Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1993) with a specialty in Restoration Ecology, having conducted his dissertation research on St. John dry forests. His Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees are in Botany from U. Montana and the U. of Maryland. Gary has coordinated rare plant conservation in Hawai’i, and he taught ten courses in the biological sciences at the University of the Virgin Islands over a span of about nine years. He is presently creating a native plant nursery business based in St. John with the intention of protecting native forests by helping islanders better understand its components. As a plant ecologist, Gary advises the SJLC on the conservation value of its land interests. Gary has served as the Vice-President of SJLC since 2015. He is Chair of the land committee.

Thia Muilenburg

Treasurer

Originally from Long Island, NY, Thia received her BFA in Arts Management, Business Minor from Long Island University, and her MA in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. Thia fell in love with the USVI as a 15 year-old on her first visit to her family's second home on St. Croix, and eventually sailed to St. Croix from New York, to make the USVI her home. She has spent a total of 10 years living on all three islands, seven of those on St. John. Her husband, Raf, and their two daughters have owed a home in Coral Bay since 2005, and lived there full time for 5 years from 2009 - 2014, where she practiced as a music and expressive arts therapist, and ran her vacation-villa business, Parrotfish Villas, LLC. A long time proponent of environmental conservation, Thia is credited with initiating the effort to save Haulover from development. She was the SJLC Secretary for 5 years from 2015 - 2020, and took on the role of Treasurer in July of 2020. She is in charge of designing and developing the SJLC website and overseeing SJLC's financial administration, among other duties. She is also Chair of the marketing and communication committee. Thia lives with her husband and daughters in Florida, works as a business consultant to Raf's St. John law firm, Muilenburg Law LLC, and enjoys frequent visits to their second home in Coral Bay, St. John.

Gabrielle Audain

Secretary

​Gabrielle spent much of her childhood and adolescent years with her family in the Virgin Islands. While Gabrielle was born and raised in South Florida, she didn't allow distance to get in the way of keeping deeply in touch with her cultural roots on St. John. She graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English where she studied various genres of literature from Shakespeare to Caribbean Women Writers. Gabrielle brings to SJLC a tenacious background in writing and editing, where her perspicacity and technique have led her to roles in the fields of Education and Public Relations. After years of spending her summer vacations on St. John, and after completing her college degree, Gabrielle decided to permanently stay on the island with a vision to work and engage with her community. Gabrielle became a SJLC volunteer in October of 2020, serving on the SJLC marketing and communications committee, where she exercises her skills in social media management. Gabby showed dedication to SJLC as well as excellent writing and administrative skills which lead to her take on the role of Secretary in January 2020. We at SJLC are extremely pleased to have Gabby on our board!

Other Directors

Dave Prevo
Kelly Larkin

Staff

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Alisha Kauffman - Workman

Executive Director

​Alisha Workman has lived on St. John since 2014. Originally from Dayton Ohio, she grew up in a family of naturalists and conservationists.  She studied at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, where she majored in Environmental Science.  Alisha has volunteered numerous hours for a variety of nonprofit groups in Ohio as well as on St. John and has helped raise funds for many charities, including the St. John Land Conservancy. Ms. Workman served a four-year term on the St. John Land Conservancy's board of directors.  She has served as the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, Development Committee and Chili Cook -Off Committee as well as serving on the Marketing Committee and the Search Committee.  Combining her fundraising, marketing and management skills to oversee a group of local volunteers, she along with others created SJLC’s largest and most successful community fundraiser, the annual Chili Cook-off.  Alisha has stepped down from her position on the Board of Directors as well as her chair positions to accept the Executive Director position in May 2020.  She is excited to help coordinate the work of the Board and volunteers with the community; as she puts it: “I am passionate about creating an environment within St. John Land Conservancy that is welcoming to everyone and open for all to explore.  I am looking for an opportunity to educate and learn from all those that support the conservation of land on St. John.“   

Past Board Members

Lauren Mercadante

Founding President

40 years ago, I began coming to St John annually with my parents, who had a condo on St. Thomas, long before there was a K Mart. When I was 15 a friend of mine and I rented a Sunfish at Red Hook for $3.00 and sailed it to Salomon Beach and back, my hands bloody and blistered. We hiked into the bush, not knowing where we were going, among bird calls and Gongolos, to the smiling faces who greeted us in a dusty and peaceful town - I was hooked. When life permitted, I continued the tradition with my own family, and now live part-time in St Quacco with my wonderful husband, George. I started working with the Friends of the National Park volunteer trail crew from its inception and was a docent at Annaberg. I am a gardener, a naturalist, a hiker and the luckiest woman on Earth. 

George Mercadante

Founding Secretary

Born, relatively happy childhood, school, more school, work, work, work, ..., work, retire. End of bio. 
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I'm on the last step and I can't think of a better place to be now than St. John! Pristine beauty and access to beaches, trails, and ruins; her undeniable "quaintness" and slow, comfortable pace. And what could be more fun than donkeys, sheep, and chickens in the road? I love everything about this delicate island. (Lion fish - not so much.)

But, as we all know, her many charms are endangered by relentless over-development. How long can St. John remain St. John against that pressure? Is her decline as inevitable as it seems? I don't know. But I can not accept this slow mutation into non-uniqueness. So I hope to add, "... and tried to protect St. John along the way", to the end of my bio.

Actually, chickens are a mixed blessing. Hens are great and baby chicks too, of course. But when you're trying to sleep, roosters can be a real pain in the ... island, let's say.. 

Athena Swartley, Founding Treasurer
Mary Vargo, Treasurer
Matt Crafts
Marty Beechler
Andrea Hedrington

A special thank you to Steve Simonson for donating his great photography for this site!
See his work here.