Rose Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
Pacific Region
 

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.

Aerial photo of Rose Atoll
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, natural pass 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. The Refuge includes emergent lands and waters to the extreme low water line of the perimeter reef. 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:
Frank Pendleton, Monument Manager
Rose Atoll Marine National Monument/Rose Atoll NWR
c/o National Park Service
Pago Pago, AS 96799
Phone: (684) 633-7082
Fax: (684) 699-3986
E-Mail: Frank_Pendleton@fws.gov
Last updated: February 28, 2013