Virgin Islands National Park: Draft Environmental Assessment Sustained Reduction Plan for Non-native Wild Hogs Within Virgin Islands National Park

National Park Service

St. John Island, the smallest of the three U. S. Virgin Islands is located near the Tropic of Cancer in a group of islands known as the Lesser Antilles that separate the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, and lies 70 miles to the east of Puerto Rico. Virgin Islands National Park is located on the island of St. John. Within the Park, three plants and five animals are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Twenty-five of its plants and one of its animals are listed as threatened or endangered under the Virgin Islands Endangered and Indigenous Species Act of 1990. It is this uniqueness that makes St. John a bastion of biological diversity. To date, 22 recorded archeological sites associated with the Taino cultures have been located on St. John. A systematic and thorough archeological survey of the entire island, however, would result in the discovery of hundreds of additional sites. An estimated twenty- percent of the island is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its archeological significance. Virgin Islands National Park was established in 1956 to protect and preserve these nationally significant resources. Non-native, exotic species introduced to St. John Island throughout the last 500 years have caused extensive damage to the rich resources of the island. Without aggressive management actions to reverse the tide of degradation caused by introduced exotic animals and plants, the rare biological and archeological resources of St. John are in peril of being lost forever.This primary restoration plan proposes actions to: 1) Substantially reduce non-native wild hogs within VINP; 2) Sustain a population near-zero through fencing, monitoring and periodic removal; 3) Promote the conservation and recovery of plant and animal species and habitat; and 4) Reduce disturbance of archeological resources.

Virgin Islands National Park: Draft Environmental Assessment Sustained Reduction Plan for Non-native Wild Hogs Within Virgin Islands National Park

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