The VISFI Bohio Project is a modern-day version of the earliest known building style on St.  Croix. A project of the 2009 Ridge to Reef course, it provides wonderfully inspiring shelter from the elements with little impact on local and/or material-sourced environments. The structure consists of a very simple post frame octagonal in shape with a steep roof pitch to shed water off the palm thatching material. Before there were ship docks, great houses, windmills, and archways on St. Croix, there were bohios. With advisory help from the St. Croix Archaeological Society, local landowners and businesses who have generously donated palm leaves to be used as thatching, and many hands involved to “raise the roof,” St. Croix will be reintroduced to its native architectural vernacular.

Scroll below to see the project so far. At the bottom there is an invitation to our B & G Thatch Party! If this is your kind of thing you might also want to come to Bush Skills 2009.

The Bohio, made with sustainably harvested timbers, thatch palms, and farm-grown organic bamboo. A project of 2009 Ridge to Reef course.

Palm thatching has started to build the roof. This is an ancient building art, still practiced in everyday life around the tropics.

Our own organic bamboo split and created into blinds with hand-twisted sisal fibers.

Palm thatch is not only local, renewable, and functional. It’s gorgeous.

Together, these elements blend with natural settings.

The center pole radiates rafters like bicycle spokes, and is a great place to string hammocks (which is a derivative of the Taino word “hamaca")

Many, MANY palms have been inspected across the island. We settled on a native variety, of the coccothrinax genus, for most of the thatch material. The above is one we did not use, but it was worth showing!

The 10 students of Ridge to Reef, VISFI apprentices and interns, and directors all have spent hours finding and gathering our future roof!

We filled up one full dumptruck at one property, thanks to Michael Mongeau and his wife - THANKS!!

We have piles and piles, and need help to put them to good use!

Join us and learn!

It’s the B & G Thatch Party!  It’s a 1pm Sunday, Feb. 22nd brunch thatch-in, with Biscuits and Gravy provided. Please bring additional refreshments to share for the roof-raising!

Also learn other primitive cookery skills, as we prepare for Bush Skills 2009, from March 5th to March 8th!

For more info, or to register for Bush Skills, email

For directions to the farm, click directions.