Virgin Islands National Park: America's Paradise - December 02, 2016

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1. 0:00This
2. 0:07week, on our National Parks Journey,
3. 0:12we leave the United States mainland and travel down to the Caribbean.
4. 0:20There, you will find three islands that make up the United States Virgin Islands,
5. 0:30St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John.
6. 0:37The Virgin Islands National Park is a tropical paradise on the island of St. John.
7. 0:46The park covers more than half of the small island.
8. 0:51It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north
9. 0:57and the Caribbean Sea to the south.
10. 1:03The climate here is warm all year.
11. 1:08Tall green peaks rise from the ocean, which is filled with wildlife.
12. 1:15The island's white sand beaches
13. 1:20and clear blue seas are considered to be among the most beautiful
14. 1:28in the Caribbean.
15. 1:32Evidence of human history on the island dates back thousands of years.
16. 1:38Archaeological evidence shows the first people to arrive
17. 1:45on the Caribbean Islands came
18. 1:48in canoes from South America more than 2 ,750 years ago.
19. 1:57The Taino people lived along the shores of St. John Island.
20. 2:03Over the years, the population of the Taino natives grew.
21. 2:10You can see evidence of the Taino culture in the petroglyphs within the Virgin Islands National Park.
22. 2:20Christopher Columbus first saw the island in 1493.
23. 2:26Later, Spain,
24. 2:29Holland, England, and Denmark all tried to claim the Virgin Islands as their territory.
25. 2:39These nations sought to profit from the production of two main crops,
26. 2:47cotton and sugar.
27. 2:48The crops were grown on large farms, called plantations,
28. 2:56that once covered the island.
29. 3:00African slaves and indentured servants were forced to travel on ships in terrible conditions
30. 3:08to live and work on the plantations.
31. 3:12In 1733, the slaves revolted.
32. 3:19During the revolt, almost one quarter of the island's population was killed.
33. 3:27Plantations were destroyed.
34. 3:30In 1762,
35. 3:33after many struggles,
36. 3:36Denmark took control of the Virgin Islands.
37. 3:42Slavery in the Danish-controlled Caribbean islands ended in 1848.
38. 3:51After that, St. John's crop production and its population greatly declined.
39. 3:59In 1917,
40. 4:04the United States bought the islands of St. John, St. Croix, and St. Thomas from Denmark.
41. 4:14By the 1930s, news of these beautiful American islands spread
42. 4:21to the mainland United States.
43. 4:24It marked the beginning of what is now a profitable tourist industry.
44. 4:33And in 1956,
45. 4:36land on St. John Island formed America's 29th National Park.
46. 4:45Lawrence Rockefeller was an American millionaire,
47. 4:50businessman, conservationist, and philanthropist.
48. 4:56He visited St. John in the 1950s.
49. 5:00He quickly fell in love with the island's clean, pure beauty.
50. 5:08He purchased a small resort there, Canial Bay.
51. 5:12He also purchased more than 2 ,000 hectares of the island and donated it
52. 5:20to the government.
53. 5:22That donation created the U.S.
54. 5:26Virgin Islands National Park.
55. 5:29It was officially opened as a national park on December 1, 1956.
56. 5:37Along with land, the Virgin Islands National Park today protects
57. 5:45almost 3 ,000 hectares of coral reefs, marine life, and shore land.
58. 5:54In 1978, much of the nearby Hassell Island was also donated
59. 6:02to the Virgin Islands National Park.
60. 6:05The only way to reach the park is by boat.
61. 6:11Some people arrive on their own sailboats.
62. 6:16Others come in on large cruise ships.
63. 6:21Visitors also arrive on water taxis from the island of St. Thomas.
64. 6:28St. John offers many kinds of places to stay.
65. 6:33Very large or very small hotels, villas,
66. 6:39or campgrounds with wood-framed tents.
67. 6:44At Cinnamon Bay, visitors can rent an empty camp space and set up their own tent.
68. 6:52It is an affordable and adventurous way to stay in the park.
69. 6:59From the tropical hills to the blue waters,
70. 7:06there are many things to do at the Virgin Islands National Park.
71. 7:13Visitors enjoy fishing, camping,
72. 7:17sailing, scuba diving,
73. 7:20snorkeling, and bird watching.
74. 7:25There are many hiking paths to take.
75. 7:28Some of the walking paths lead visitors to historical ruins.
76. 7:36These ruins help explain the park's cultural history.
77. 7:43The Peace Hill Trail, for example, is a short walk up a rocky and sharp hill.
78. 7:52It leads to the Peace Hill Windmill Ruin.
79. 7:59People built the windmill centuries ago.
80. 8:04The windmills made energy for sugar production.
81. 8:10The Cinnamon Bay Trail goes through a forest
82. 8:14and leads to the ruins of the Cinnamon Bay Sugar Plantation.
83. 8:22Along the way, hikers smell the scents of mango,
84. 8:28kapok, and apple trees.
85. 8:32Some of the oldest and tallest trees in the park are found along the Reef Bay Trail.
86. 8:39Hikers also pass Danish sugar plantation ruins, stone walls,
87. 8:49and ancient rock carvings, or petroglyphs, from the Taino people.
88. 8:55Along the way, there is also a huge waterfall,
89. 9:02fresh water pools,
90. 9:05and animals such as deer, bats,
91. 9:10and land crabs.
92. 9:13Some of the hiking trails end at a beach where you can swim,
93. 9:20snorkel, or dive.
94. 9:22Of all the park's beaches,
95. 9:26Trunk Bay Beach is said to be the most striking.
96. 9:33Below the clear blue water is a 200 -meter snorkeling path.
97. 9:40Signs beneath the water describe the turtle, coral,
98. 9:46and exotic fish species found here.
99. 9:50Hawk's Nest Beach is also a popular place for snorkeling.
100. 9:58Near the shore are three small reefs of elk horn coral.
101. 10:05The elk horn coral gets its name from its shape.
102. 10:11The reef looks similar to the huge horns of an animal called an elk.
103. 10:19It is a very rare kind of reef.
104. 10:24Scientists say it is in danger of becoming extinct.
105. 10:30The Virgin Islands National Park is often called America's Paradise.
106. 10:38It protects St. John's pristine nature and preserves the record
107. 10:45of human history in the Caribbean.
108. 10:49I'm Katie Weaver.
109. 10:51And I'm Ashley Thompson.