By: Staff Writer
January 15, 2021
Philanthropist, financier, and St. John homeowner Donald Sussman announced today the donation of Mingo Cay island to the Trust for Virgin Islands Lands (TVIL). Mingo Cay is a nearly 50-acre island situated two miles off the northwest coast of St. John and two miles off the northeast coast of St. Thomas.
In a release sent through the Trust for Virgin Islands Lands (TVIL), Sussman, the founder and chief investment officer of Paloma Partners, is said to be “an avid sailor and longtime champion of Virgin Islands economic development as well as the preservation of open lands. He has owned Mingo Cay since 2003.”
“’Mingo Cay, like all of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is a natural treasure. These islands are a gift for all who have had the privilege of experiencing their breathtaking vistas, spending time in and on the Caribbean Sea, and witnessing local wildlife in their natural and undisturbed habitat,’ said Sussman. “While other Virgin Islands continue to be developed to share that beauty with visitors from around the world, I have preserved Mingo Cay for the past 17 years and am pleased to entrust its future protection and preservation to TVIL.”
“The Trust for Virgin Islands Lands is a non-profit, community-based conservation organization. Its mission is to protect tracts of agricultural and natural landscapes that provide significant benefits to the citizens of the Virgin Islands.
“’I am thrilled at the transfer of Mingo Cay to the Trust for Virgin Islands Lands,’ said Eleanor Gibney, TVIL Board member, horticulturist, and former President of the St. John Historical Society. ‘Mingo has great value to the natural and historic heritage of the Virgin Islands, and its importance as an open space and a refuge will certainly grow over the coming years. I am extremely grateful that Mr. Sussman has made the generous decision to donate the cay to a Virgin Islands-based organization.’”