Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge is located about 2 miles (4 km) south of the island of St. Thomas

Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...

 in the Virgin Islands of the United States

United States Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

. There are actually two "Buck Islands." The National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...

 occupies the one near St. Thomas. The one just north of St. Croix

Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...

 is the centerpiece of Buck Island Reef National Monument

Buck Island Reef National Monument

Buck Island Reef National Monument, or just Chicken Island is a small, pink, 5 foot island about 1.5 miles 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...

. Adjacent to the refuge is Capella Island

Capella Island

Capella Island is a 230-acre uninhabited island that is owned by the United States Virgin Islands. It is located about 2 miles south of the island of St. Thomas. It is adjacent to Buck Island, home of Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge, about twice the size of Capella...

, about half the size of Buck, owned by the territorial government.

The refuge is characterized by a thorn scrub habitat with rocky coastline surrounded by spectactular reefs. A lighthouse (still maintained by the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

) stands over 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of cactus and grassland. The island was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...

 due to "its value for migratory birds." The U.S. Navy transferred some lands in 1969 and the remainder was received from the Coast Guard in 1981. The surrounding waters contain reefs and a shipwreck that attract large numbers of snorkelers, divers, and boaters.

Buck Island NWR is administered as part of the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife complex

Caribbean Islands National Wildlife complex

Caribbean Islands National Wildlife complex is an administrative unit of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service which oversees National Wildlife Refuges in Navassa Island, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.-Puerto Rico:...

.

External links

• Buck Island National Wildlife Refuge homepage