History

Civilizations lived on St. John long before the Europeans arrived to the region, as evidenced by the petroglyphs, or rock carvings left by the Taino people. These carvings are found especially on the Reef Bay hiking trail. These people were all but driven into extinction by Europeans in the 17th century seeking new territories as colonial properties.

Natural History

Much of the vegetation on the Island is second generation growth. Almost the entire Island was clear-cut to make way for sugar cane production during the colonial era. Some native species like the tyre palm remain, but much growth today are introduced species.

Submerged Lands

In 1962, Congress expanded the boundary of Virgin Islands National Park to include 5,650 acres of submerged lands to protect and preserve the beautiful coral gardens and seascapes. Today, the Park conducts research, and has developed policies and practices aimed at protecting the fragile coral reef systems.

Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument

The need to protect reefs from further degradation led to a Presidential Proclamation establishing the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument in January 2001. Hurricane Hole (pictured) is the only area of the Monument accessible by land.