Nigel Fields Winds Up Busy Tenure as VINP Superintendent

Back in the day when St. John was a sleepy little island, Virgin Islands National Park superintendents had twice the staff and only half the number of critical issues to address compared to present times.

For decades, a superintendency in tropical paradise was considered a reward, a spot for veteran administrators to ease their way out of service after long careers.

But times have changed, and this was not the case for Nigel Fields, who came in on the heels of a hurricane and went out with something of a whirlwind last week after serving for 4 ½ years as superintendent of the VINP.

In July, during his last two weeks as superintendent, Fields announced the NPS’s decision to rebuild a resort at Caneel Bay, met with Virgin Islands senators on the eve of a critical land swap vote and promoted a major construction project that will change the park’s ability to protect natural resources.

“I’m trying to get as much done as I can before I go,” he told the Source.

Unlike some previous superintendents, Fields landed on St. John in mid-career, having served with the NPS for eight years and with the Environmental Protection Agency for 15 years prior to that.