Summary Buck Island Reef National Monument photo study of injured coral 1971 to 1975
Littlefield RG. 1975. Summary Buck Island Reef National Monument photo study of injured coral 1971 to 1975
Results of information gathered by a non-scientist on coral bleaching and visitor impact on Buck Island Reef. Describes specific sites. Includes annotated slides at the end of the digital file. Early in 1970, a Regional Management Appraisal Team visited Christiansted National Historic Site and Buck Island Reef National Monument. During this visit,(they were made aware of several letters and other data which Island residents and visitors to Buck Island Reef had made known to the Superintendent in regard to their concern over the possibility of damage to the reef formations by unknown causes;) specifically, they were concerned about white spots on certain formations of Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata. Coincidentally, it was during this same time period that Skin Diver Magazine did an article on the Crown of Thorns starfish in the South Pacific and the effect it was having on reefs in that area. One of the several recommendations made by the appraisal team was for developing some type of system to monitor damage to coral formations at Buck Island. With little in the way of empirical scientific skill, this ranger, then assigned to Buck Island, attempted to develop a method of monitoring changes in the appearance of specific formations. The following is a summary of the data gathered over almost five (5) years of observation, recommendations concerning the continued protection of the reef, and a proposal of a program for continuous monitoring. The author in no way professed to be a trained scientist and many of the embryonic methods of monitoring reflect the time-tried method of hit and miss. However, I do believe that the information gathered to date is of value if for no other reason that it establishes a pictorial bench-mark of conditions at Buck Island Reef during the early 1970's, which can be used for more refined scientific studies in the future.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Littlefield, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 1975-10-30
- Units
- BUIS
- Keywords
- Animal Studies, Buck Island Reef National Monument, citizen science, Coral Bleaching, method development, Photography, St. Croix