Buck Island Reef National Monument protects Buck Island, a small, uninhabited 176-acre (712,000 m²) island about north of the northeast coast of

Saint Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

, U.S. Virgin Islands, and 18,839 acres of submerged lands, totaling 19,015 acres. It was first established as a protected area by the U.S. Government in 1948, with the intention of preserving “one of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean Sea.” The

U.S. National Monument In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments prot ...

was created in 1961 by John F. Kennedy and greatly expanded in 2001 by Bill Clinton, over the opposition of local fishermen. Buck Island National Monument is one of few places in the Virgin Islands where brown pelicans and threatened least terns nest. BuckIslandReedNM

Most of the Monument area, which is administered by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

, is underwater and attracts around 50,000 visitors a year. With its reef there is plenty to explore and experience in the water. Snorkelers can follow a marked underwater trail on the eastern tip. It is one of only three underwater trails in the United States. Along the trail are plaques denoting information about marine flora and fauna commonly found in the area. Two thirds of the island is surrounded by an

elkhorn coral Elkhorn coral (''Acropora palmata'') is an important reef-building coral in the Caribbean. The species has a complex structure with many branches which resemble that of elk antlers; hence, the common name. The branching structure creates habit ...

barrier reef, providing an ecosystem for over 250 fish species and a variety of other marine life including spotted eagle rays,

nurse shark The nurse shark (''Ginglymostoma cirratum'') is an elasmobranch fish in the family Ginglymostomatidae. The conservation status of the nurse shark is globally assessed as Vulnerable in the IUCN List of Threatened Species. They are considered t ...

s and

lemon shark The lemon shark (''Negaprion brevirostris'') is a species of shark from the family Carcharhinidae and is classified as a Vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Lemon sharks can grow to in length. They are ...

s, and juvenile

Blacktip reef sharks The blacktip reef shark (''Carcharhinus melanopterus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins (especially on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fin). ...

and

Whitetip reef shark The whitetip reef shark (''Triaenodon obesus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, and the only member of its genus. A small shark that does not usually exceed in length, this species is easily recognizable by its slen ...

s. In the spring endangered

Leatherback turtles The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weights ...

come onto the beach to nest while

Green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

s and

Hawksbill turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is lar ...

s nest during the summer months. Turtle Beach on the western edge of the island features a pristine white sand beach and has been voted one of the world's most beautiful beaches by National Geographic. The National Park Service has been monitoring Buck Island for over 40 years. Most of the research is focused on coral, fish, sea turtles, brown pelicans and least tern nesting. West beach is one of the most active turtle nesting beaches in the world with one of the longest continually operating research programs. To ensure the ecosystem continues to thrive, the National Park Service requires all visitors to use authorized concessioners providing guided tours or have
permit
if on private vessels without paying customers. To help protect the natural environment, visitors are encouraged to wear non-toxic reef safe sunscreen or a rash guard while swimming in the waters surrounding Buck Island Reef National Monument.

Gallery

File:BuckIsland StCroix.jpg, Buck Island seen from the East File:BuckIsland.jpg File:Buck Island Turtle Beach.jpg, Turtle Beach at the western tip of the island File:buckislandandturtle.jpg, Buck Island and Sea Turtle File:hobiecatonbuckisland.jpg, Hobie Cat on Buck Island File:buckisland1.jpg, Buck Island from East End File:BuckIsland StCroix fire coral.jpg File:Buck Island Reef National Monument firecoral jackfish.jpg File:Buck_Island_Reef_National_Monument_Acanthurus_coeruleus.jpg, Shoal of blue tangs File:Buck Island Reef National Monument parrotfish.jpg,

Stoplight parrotfish The stoplight parrotfish (''Sparisoma viride'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a parrotfish from the family Scaridae, inhabiting coral reefs in Florida, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda and as far south as Brazil. It mainly feeds ...

File:Buck Island Reef National Monument End of Trail.jpg, End of the underwater marked trail

References

External links

NPS: official Buck Island Reef National Monument website

Fish Assemblages and Benthic Habitats of Buck Island Reef National Monument (St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) and the Surrounding Seascape: A Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Patterns

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

{{Authority control National Monuments in the United States Virgin Islands Marine parks of the United States Virgin Islands Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Uninhabited islands of the United States Virgin Islands Protected areas established in 1961 1961 establishments in the United States Virgin Islands