Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge General Information

History

Long before the arrival of European settlers, St. Croix was home to prehistoric Indians.  Archaeological investigations have revealed evidence of a prehistoric Aklis site on Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge.  Conch middens, bleached and hardened over the years, remind visitors of Sandy Point’s important archeological history.  This prehistoric settlement dates back to A.D. 600 to 900 and was occupied for over 200 years.  A large quantity of ceramics and animal remains supports the presence of a village located along the coast of Sandy Point beach.  The subsistence strategy of this village consisted of cultivated foods, terrestrial resources, and marine resources.  The Aklis population is suspected to have relied mainly on marine resources for food such as, conch, whelks, and fish.   This archeological site is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. 

During the 1960’s sand was mined from the beaches of Sandy Point NWR.  Then the threat of commercial development on this near pristine area was halted in 1984 when it was purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a National Wildlife Refuge. 

Habitat and Management

Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge is located at the southwest end of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. SPNWR consists of over 360 acres of subtropical dry vegetation, including the largest salt pond in the Virgin Islands, and a continuous stretch of 3.2 kilometers of sandy beach. Sandy Point beach is unique in that it has deep near shore water and lacks a fringing coral reef. These ideal conditions provide easy accessibility to the beach by nesting endangered leatherback sea turtles. In fact, Sandy Point hosts the largest population of nesting leatherbacks in the United States and its’ territories. In addition to leatherbacks, hawksbill, and green sea turtles also nest on the Sandy Point beach.

Law enforcement is an essential aspect of managing the natural resources at Sandy Point.  The law enforcement staff faces challenging issues including drug smuggling, illegal aliens, dumping of trash, and poaching of sea turtles and their eggs.  The refuge is patrolled by law enforcement officers on a regular basis to protect wildlife and ensure safety to visitors.   

Exotic species pose a threat to wildlife on the refuge.  Introduced mongoose and dogs destroy turtle nests and dogs have attacked nesting female turtles.  These pests also disturb and destroy seabird and shorebird nests.  Dog traps are routinely set on the refuge and many feral dogs have already been removed from the area.  Mongoose traps are set along nesting beaches to prevent harm to turtles and nesting birds.  Mongoose eradication in the future will benefit many species of birds and reptiles on the refuge.    

Wildlife

Leatherback Sea Turtles

SPNWR hosts the largest nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in the United States.  The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of the sea turtles and can grow to over six feet in length and weigh over 1,000 pounds.  These giants usually reside in northern waters where they almost exclusively feed on jellyfish.  Every two to three years the turtles return to tropical waters to nest on our sandy beach from March to July.  The female digs a deep egg chamber in the sand and deposits 60 to 100 eggs in this nest.  She then covers the eggs with sand, disguises the nest and returns to sea.  She will return to the beach in ten day intervals to nest a total of three to eight times.  After about two months the eggs hatch, the tiny turtle hatchlings crawl to the surface of the sand and hurry to the sea.  

The hatchlings are subject to predators during their trek across the beach, such as hungry crabs, night herons, feral dogs or mongoose.  They can also get stuck in tire tracks, tangled up in beach trash, or disoriented by artificial lights.  When the hatchlings reach the sea, fish and sea birds also prey on them.  Approximately 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood!       

Although adult sea turtles have few natural predators, human activities have caused major declines in populations.  Sea turtles often mistake trash for food they normally eat.  For example, plastic debris resembling jellyfish is ingested by leatherbacks often killing them.  Death can also result from sea turtles becoming entrapped in fishing nets and hook and line fishing gear.  Sea turtles surfacing to breath can be killed or injured by boats.  Historically sea turtles have been heavily exploited by island residents.   A strong cultural tradition encouraging the taking of eggs and turtle meat still exists in some parts of the community.  Poaching continues throughout St. Croix, although infrequently at Sandy Point due to law enforcement presence. 

Green sea turtles

Green sea turtles are listed as a threatened species in St. Croix.  They grow to a maximum of 4 feet long and weigh around 400 pounds.  Adult greens feed exclusively on sea grasses and marine algae.  These turtles nest on Sandy Point NWR from June until December.  A female will lay up to nine clutches of eggs each containing 75 to 100 eggs.  The major factor contributing to the turtle’s decline is commercial harvest for eggs and food.

Hawksbill sea turtles

Adult hawksbill turtles reach an average of 2 ½ feet long and weigh between 95 to 165 pounds.  Hawksbills will lay an average of 4.5 clutches containing an average of 140 eggs.  These critically endangered  turtles frequent rocky areas and coral reefs to feed on sea sponges.  Hawksbill turtles are listed as endangered primarily due to harvesting the turtle for use of the beautiful shell. 

Birds

Although management of Sandy Point focuses on protecting sea turtles and their nests, the unique ecosystem of beach, littoral woodlands, dry scrub plant communities, and wetlands provide habitat to many other important species.  Sandy Point provides critical feeding and resting areas for both resident and migratory birds. The salt ponds and beach areas provide stop over points for birds along migratory routes from North to South America.  There are over 100 species of birds known to occur on Sandy Point, five of which are endangered and 23 known to nest on the refuge.   Bananaquits, yellow warblers, black-faced grassquits, gray kingbirds, and Caribbean elaenias can be found feeding in the thick stands of subtropical dry forest.  Endangered brown pelicans, royal terns, laughing gulls, and an occasional brown booby are all observed feeding and roosting on the salt ponds and beaches of Sandy Point NWR.  Nesting on the refuge are least terns, black-necked stilts, and plovers.  White-crowned pigeons, zenaida doves, common ground doves, and scaley-naped doves are often seen on the roadside or in the forest feeding.  In order to monitor population trends among bird species, staff biologists conduct weekly surveys at seven different sites on Sandy Point NWR.  This year a mist-netting program has also been established in all the refuges in Puerto Rico and St. Croix. 

Vegetation

Sandy Point NWR supports 225 different plant species.  Salt ponds are fringed with mangrove trees.  Sea grape trees line the beaches.  Pink cedar and water mampoo dominate the dry forest and the only stand on St. Croix of Vahl’s Boxwood, a federally endangered species, is located on Sandy Point NWR.

Other Reptiles

In addition to sea turtles, Sandy Point also hosts a variety of other reptiles that are quite abundant, but are rarely seen.  Three species of geckos are found in shady moist areas of the refuge as well as the brown worm snake.  Also, one anole species can be found hunting insects in vegetated areas. 

Public Use

Opportunities at Sandy Point NWR exist that allow the public to enjoy hiking, wildlife observation, and nature photography.  The refuge is only open to the public from 10:00am to 4:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays and is closed at all other times.  Major portions of the refuge beach are popular recreation sites for visitors but are closed seasonally in order to protect turtle nests and hatchlings.  This management decision is based on scientific data collected by the Leatherback Conservation Project.  Group field trips can be scheduled through the USFWS office during the week.  Beach clean-ups, nature walks, salt pond studies, and bird watching are all available.  

Comments/Suggestions/Additional Information

Should you have any comments, suggestions, or require additional information please contact the following:

Michael Evans
Refuge Manager
Sandy Point NWR
Federal Building
3013 Estate Golden Rock
Christiansted, VI 00820-4355
Phone: 340/773-4554
Fax: 340/773-4554
E-mail: Michael_Evans@fws.gov