Salt River Bay

https://www.nps.gov/sari/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_River_Bay_National_Historical_Park_and_Ecological_Preserve Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve is on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. It also contains the Columbus Landing Site, a National Historic Landmark that is the only known site where members of a Columbus expedition set foot on what is now United States territory. The site is marked by Fort Salé, a remaining earthworks fortification from the French period of occupation, about 1617. The park also preserves prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites including the only existing example of a ball court in the US Virgin Islands. Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve uniquely documents the human and natural Caribbean world from the earliest indigenous settlements in the central Caribbean to their clash with seven different colonial European powers to the present day. There are several air carriers to St Croix arriving at the Henry E. Rohlesen Airport. The park is five miles from Christiansted National Historic Site and can be reached by car via Rt. 75 from Christiansted, connecting to Route 80. Cars may be rented at the airport and various other island locations. Ask your lodging hosts for information about guided land tours. Salt River Bay NHP & EP Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station: Due to damage from Hurricane Maria the Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station is closed. Please visit the Visitor Center at Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted for park information. Fort Christiansvaern at Christiansted National Historic Site serves as the point of information for all three national park units on St. Croix, including Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve. Visit the fee booth for brochures, pamphlets, and guides. The Visitor Contact Station at Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve was severely damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For information about the park please visit our bookstore or fee booth at Christiansted National Historic Site. None no camping available Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station View of the Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station View of the Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station from below. View from the Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station View from the Salt River Bay Visitor Contact Station in the Bay Many visitors visit the Visitor Contact Station and view Salt River Bay from this scenic vista. Kayak Salt River Kayak on the beach at Salt River Kayaking is a great way to see our mangroves and beaches! Salt River Bay Aerial View An aerial view of the Salt River Bay area. An aerial view of the Salt River Bay area. Well Tower Photograph of historic masonry well tower in the woods at Salt River. This brick and coral block masonry tower, built in the 1790s, used the power of wind to move water from Salt River to neighboring plantation estates. Schools and summer camps park ranger talking with summer campers Students and summer campers come to Salt River to learn about our island's nature and history. Diving the wall SCUBA diver looking at the coral on the underwater canyon wall at Salt River SCUBA divers from around the world come to dive the famous canyon walls at Salt River. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, Virgin Islands Each park-specific page in the NPS Geodiversity Atlas provides basic information on the significant geologic features and processes occurring in the park. [Site Under Development] view of bay Shaping the System under President George H.W. Bush President George H.W. Bush was an ardent supporter of the national parks. Explore some the parks that are part of the legacy of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who served as the 41st president of the United States from January 20, 1989 to January 20, 1993. President George H.W. Bush shaking hands with a park ranger at the World War II Memorial Uniforms for the Caribbean Did you know that employees from across the National Park Service stepped up to help their fellow employees after hurricanes hit the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico? In September of 2017, Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest known hurricanes in the Atlantic, lashed the Caribbean and Florida. It was followed within days by Hurricane Maria, another devastating hurricane that also hit Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, among other places. Boxes line a hallway awaiting shipment to parks in the Caribbean. Photo by Kristine Brunsman Caribbean Trade and Networks A study on prehistoric artifacts of the Saladoid-era (ca. 400 B.C. to A.D. 600) peoples on St. Croix Island used archeological and settlement pattern data to understand the lives of ancient Caribbean societies, including how they settled the landscape; their contacts and exchanges both among themselves and their island neighbors; and how these communities, societies, and their interactions changed over time. SARI excavations. Data Manager Profile: Judd Patterson Meet Judd Patterson, Data Manager for the South Florida Caribbean Network. As a data manager, helps wrangle all the information that we collect on the health of our park resources. Judd is excited about the stories data can tell through time, whether that's looking back at park records from over a hundred years ago, or making sure the science we do in our parks today become time capsules for future generations to learn about how things were back in 2021. Data manager Judd Patterson smiles at the camera while holding camera equiment. Buck Island’s Corals Get Relief from a Deadly Disease Through trial and error, outreach, and a small army of volunteer divers, scientists slow the progress of one of the Caribbean’s most lethal coral diseases—for now. A diver treats a large round brown coral with antibiotic Guide to the Thomas J. Allen Photograph Collection Finding aid for the Thomas J. Allen Photographs in the NPS History Collection. Project Profile: Southeast Parks Coral Diversity Restoration The National Park Service will take a multi-faceted approach to coral management by implementing disease treatment, on-the-ground restoration, research, and other management actions to increase coral reef health. a diver in scuba gear examines coral Project Profile: Restore coral in U.S. Virgin Islands parks The National Park Service will provide amoxicillin treatment of corals infected with Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease for 25 species of coral at four Caribbean parks – Buck Island Reef National Monument, Salt River Bay National Historical Park & Ecological Preserve, Virgin Islands National Park, Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. a diver in scuba gear uses a syringe to inject coral Project Profile: Treat and Restore Coral in Six Parks The National Park Service will take a multi-faceted approach to coral management by implementing disease treatment, on-the-ground restoration, research, and other management actions to increase coral reef health. a scuba diver outplants coral underwater National Park Service Protects Critical Corals from Destructive Disease The National Park Service is working to increase overall coral health and resilience to climate change and other environmental stressors and prevent the extirpation of multiple species in the Southeastern U.S. a scuba diver works to replant coral underwater