Welcome to Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Rose
Atoll is located approximately 130 nautical miles east-southeast
of Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa, and is the easternmost Samoan
island and the only atoll in the Samoan Archipelago. It is the
southernmost unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System and shares
the distinction with Jarvis Island of being the only National
Wildlife Refuges located south of the equator.
On January
6, 2009, Rose Atoll Marine National Monument was established,
which includes Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge within its
boundaries. For more information, please visit the Rose
Atoll Marine National Monument website. |
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| Aerial
of Rose Atoll - Photo credit USFWS |
Rose Atoll is
nearly square, with the ocean-side slopes about 1 mile in length. It
is one of the smallest atolls in the world, consisting of two low sandy
islets, Rose and Sand. Each is located on a coralline algal reef rim
enclosing a lagoon. A single channel with a minimum depth of 8 to 48
feet deep links the lagoon to the sea. The lagoon is a maximum of 1.2
miles wide and up to about 65 feet deep, and includes 1,575 acres. Rose
and Sand Islands cover areas of about 14 and 7 acres respectively. Rose
Atoll is part of the Territory of American Samoa and was established
as a National Wildlife Refuge by cooperative agreement between the Government
of American Samoa and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (a
predecessor of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) on August 24,
1973.
For
more information:
U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service
Pacific/Remote Islands National
Wildlife Refuge Complex
300 Ala Moana Boulevard
Room 5-231, Box
50167
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96850
(808) 792-9550
(808) 792-9586 fax
