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News from the US Virgin Islands as of
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USVI delegate introduces Bill to preserve historic site in St Croix
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| Published on Friday, October 23, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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WASHINGTON, USA -- US Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen has introduced a bill that seeks to establish Castle Nugent on St Croix as a National Historic Site. Introducing this bill continues an effort started in 2006 to preserve the unique landscape and view for the enjoyment of the people of St Croix and visitors to the island for generations to come.
“Castle Nugent is home to some of St Croix’s greatest agricultural, cultural, historical and ecological treasures,” Christensen said. “My bill calls for the preservation of 2,900 acres which include a Caribbean dry forest, a pristine coastal barrier coral reef system, and a pre-Colombian and post-European settlement,” she said. “All of these aspects are worthy of preservation for future generations.”
The Castle Nugent property has a long agricultural history dating back to the 1730s, when the Danish estate house, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed. For the past several decades, the property has been used to raise prized Senepol cattle.
The bill would ensure continued rearing of Senepol cattle with a provision that guarantees a continued relationship with the University of the Virgin Islands to support ongoing scientific research of the cattle.
Christensen’s work to establish the Castle Nugent National Historic Site began in the 108th Congress when she first introduced legislation to authorize the National Park Service to conduct the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms a unit of the National Park System. The feasibility study was authorized by Congress in October of 2006 and is currently underway.
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