| The sea turtles projects of the USVI are designed to meet
the objectives of the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Recovery
Plans for
leatherback
turtles (Dermochelys
coriacea),
hawksbill
turtles
(Eretmochelys imbricata), and
green
turtles (Chelonia mydas).
Currently, we have the following sea turtle projects in the U.S. Virgin
Islands:
- Saving The Leatherback Turtle, St. Croix
- Buck Island Hawksbill Project, St. Croix
- East End Green and Hawksbill Project, St. Croix
We just completed our 26th consecutive year of
monitoring the leatherback sea turtle at St. Croix's Sandy Point
National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge has the largest nesting
population of leatherback's under U.S. jurisdiction.
Click here for additional information.
St. Croix's
Buck Island National Park
(BINP) has a significant
Hawksbill Turtle population and is an extremely important nesting habitat
for this critically endangered species. A long term monitoring program
started in 1988 Buck Island has continued this research and conservation
project under the National Park Service.
Click here for additional information.
In 2001,
The Nature Conservancy began long term monitoring of Green and Hawksbill
turtles on the East End of St. Croix. East End Bay, Isaac's Bay, and
Jack's Bay are monitored nightly for nesting Green and Hawksbill sea
turtles. Click here for
additional information.
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