Buck Island Reef
| Buck Island Reef | |||
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| Location: | US Virgin Islands , United States | ||
| Next city: | Christiansted | ||
| Surface: | 77 km² | ||
| Founding: | December 28, 1961 | ||
| Visitors: | 47,883 (2005) | ||
The Buck Island Reef [ bʌk ˈaɪlənd riːf ] (German - reef ) is a coral reef off Buck Island , a small, uninhabited island in the US Virgin Islands , declared a National Monument .
description
Buck Island has a size of 0.7 km² and is 2.4 km north of Saint Croix . The reserve was designated by John F. Kennedy by a Presidential Proclamation in 1961 with an area of 850 acres . Gerald R. Ford added 30 acres to the reserve on February 1, 1975. In 2001, against the bitter resistance of the local fishermen, it was significantly expanded by Bill Clinton to the current size of 18,135 acres.
Large parts of the area administered by the National Park Service are under water. The maritime ecosystem around the island consists of a coral reef, almost 2/3 of which surrounds the island. Many endangered species of fish live in this reef. Many sea turtles lay their eggs on the island itself , and it is also home to the little tern .
There is a marked underwater trail for snorkeling near the eastern tip of the island. The western part consists of a white sandy beach, from which boat trips to the coral reef are possible.
Web links
- National Park Service: Buck Island Reef (official site; English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Proclamation 3443 — Establishing the Buck Island Reef National Monument in the Virgin Islands of the United States
- ^ Proclamation 4346 — Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands
- ↑ Proclamation 7392 Boundary Enlargement and Modifications of the Buck Iceland Reef National Monument
Buck Island
Turtle Beach
