Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
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Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument |
Contact Information:
Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument
1300 Cruz Bay Creek
St. John, VI 00830
340-776-6201
http://www.nps.gov/vicr/
Size: 13,893 acres
Location: Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument is located in the submerged lands off the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Description: 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.
Activities: Boating boating, swimming, scuba diving, and snorkeling. A general management planning process is underway to determine ways to preserve significant natural and cultural resources of the monument for public enjoyment.Operating
Hours: Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument is under the administration of Virgin Islands National
Park and therefore shares the same Visitor Center in Cruz Bay, St. John. The Visitor Center is open daily,
except Christmas Day.
History: January 31, 2001.
See other National
Monuments
See other Virgin Islands National Parks