Welcoming WASO to St. Croix

Welcoming WASO to St. Croix

NPS Director Dan Smith touring Salt River Bay National Historical Park 

Greetings! My name is Connor Caruso from cohort 7. This summer I have the opportunity to go on an internship in the US Virgin Islands. For the next eight weeks, I will be spending time with various divisions at Christiansted National Historic Site (CHRI) in St. Croix.

This week, our park had the privilege of welcoming NPS Director Dan Smith to St. Croix. Director Smith arrived on Monday for a tour of Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve (SARI). Salt River Bay, which is 5 miles from Chirtiansted National Historic Park, was created by congress in 1992. The 1,015 acre park is located along the coast and features an estuary, where fresh and salt water mix. In addition to some of the largest remaining mangrove forests in the Virgin Islands, SARI has a rich history showcasing the earliest indigenous settlements in the central Caribbean. The park includes a visitor contact station with picturesque views, bioluminescence kayaking, and the beach where Columbus landed in 1493.

To learn more about SARI, Click Here

Unfortunately, the visitor contact station at SARI was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and visitation is restricted. Part of the reason for Director Smith's visit focused on revitalizing the visitor center and creating a plan to preserve the historical land and make it accessible for visitor use. I was fortunate enough to tour SARI with the director and see the process behind creating and improving segments of the National Park system. I was also able to talk with the director about the ProRanger program and the incredible opportunity it provides. As the previous chief of Colonial National Historic Park, Director Smith has interacted with ProRanger interns in the past and is a big proponent of the program!

Park Closure 

View from SARI Visitor Contract Station

Also on Monday, Ranger Camacho was officially appointed as the park's Superintendent. After serving as the acting superintendent, the park is fortunate to have stable leadership with Superintendent Camacho at the helm. 

On Wednesday, Ranger Laurencin and I went to the container port to pickup a new law enforcement patrol vessel. On our arrival, we found that the vessel's trailer had a flat tire. We determined that the vessel could not be transported safely without changing the flat tire, so we spent the rest of the afternoon battling the sun in order to change the flat tire and transport the new vessel back to the park. The afternoon served as another reminder that park rangers wear many hats, including maintenance! 

Ranger Laurencin and I changing a flat tire

After changing the flat tire, the boat was ready to go 

New LE vessel arrives at the park

New LE vessel

On Saturday, Ranger Laurencin and I started our day by directing traffic and assisting with a parade that took place within CHRI. Following the parade, we patrolled SARI to ensure no one had violated the park closure. During our patrol, Ranger Laurencin showed me an old well tower that is undergoing some restoration work.

Horses parade down the street

Old well tower at SARI

After viewing the old well tower at SARI, Ranger Laurencin and I patrolled some small trails within the park. In the past, illegal marijuana grows have been discovered on federal lands within the park. While searching for illegal growing operations, I noticed some water bottles that were placed in odd positions along the trail. Following our curiosity, Ranger Laurencin and I followed the trail of water bottles.  

Trail markers made out of a water bottles 

After following the trail for a few hundred yards, Ranger Laurencin and I discovered a trap used to capture land crabs. After finding the first trap, we decided to continue the investigation to see if any other illegal traps were present within the park. We continued to follow the trail of water bottles for nearly half an hour, where we discovered over 30 different crab traps. Given that hunting and trapping is illegal within the park, Ranger Laurencin and I discussed the next steps that could be taken in order to protect the park's resources from poachers. This includes a more in depth investigation where we try to find the poacher(s) and issue citations or remove the traps from the park. Given the scale of the poaching operation, Ranger Laurencin and I agreed to do more research and try to determine the identity of the poacher(s) in order to issue citations. 

"Box Trap" used to trap land crabs

After leaving SARI, Ranger Laurencin and I went to the marina in order to switch from his patrol vehicle to the law enforcement vessel. Once on board, we made our way to Buck Island to patrol the protected reef. Luckily, we did not find any poachers surrounding the reef. On our way back to the marina, Ranger Laurencin let me captain the vessel in order to practice my boating skills. After reading about boating operations earlier in the week, it was nice to put my new boating knowledge to the test!

Next week, I will be spending some time with the division of administration to gain an understanding about the inner workings of the park. I look forward to working with the division and helping with the day-to-day operations of the park.

Until next time,

ProRanger Caruso