Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
1300 Cruz Bay Creek
Saint John, VI 00830
Phone:340-776-6201
Web: www.nps.gov/vicr/
Size: 13,893 acres.
Established: January 31, 2001.
Location:In the submerged lands within the three-mile belt off the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Monument extendseastward from Estate Hermitage to Haulover Bay along the southernshoreline of the Island. Once on St.John, the only part of the monument accessible by land is in Hurricane Hole; the other sections must be accessed by boat.
Facilities:No separate facilities for this site. Administered by the management of Virgin Islands National Park (see separate entry for description).
Special Features:The island of St. John rises from a platform that extends several miles from shore before plunging to abyssal depths in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean. The platform contains a multitude of species that exist in a delicate balance, interlinked through complex relationships that have developed over tens of thousands of years. The monument contains all the elements of a Caribbean tropical marine ecosystem and several threatened and endangered species. Humpback whales, pilot whales, four species of dolphins, brown pelicans, roseate terns, least terns, and the hawksbill, Leatherback, and green sea turtles all use portions of the monument.
See other parks in Virgin Islands.