U. S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix)

Established: December 28, 1961

880 acres

Annual Visitors: 30,436 (2012)

Official Site: https://www.nps.gov/buis/index.htm

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Island_Reef_National_Monument

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuckIslandReefNPS

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI4s8mPLArPjQ6jz9pXDm-g

From Wikipedia:

Buck Island Reef National Monument, or just Buck Island is a small, uninhabited, 176 acre (712,000 m²) island about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the northeast coast of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 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 was created in 1961 by John F. Kennedy and greatly expanded in 2001 by Bill Clinton, over the bitter 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.

Most of the Monument area, which is administered by the National Park Service, is underwater and attracts around 50,000 visitors a year. With its 4,554-acre (18.43 km²) long reef there is plenty to explore and experience in the water. Snorkelers can follow an underwater marked trail on the eastern tip. It is one of only three underwater trails in the United States.

Links