State-of-the-art digital photography is giving National Park Service scientists a fresh look at the 10,000-year-old Buck Island Reef National Monument.
And what Park Service natural resource managers are learning through a pilot study with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is that after a string of damaging hurricanes and bouts of lethal coral diseases, the reef is on the rebound – albeit slowly.
"We’re starting to see recovering patches of elkhorn coral coming up," said Zandy Hillis-Starr, a Park Service natural resource manager. "All I can say is, Buck Island is doing what it’s supposed to be doing."
Hillis-Starr said the reef system at Buck Island has been in place for at least 8,000 years. Consequently, it reacts to stresses — such as hurricanes and disease –in incremental stages of 30, 50 and 100 years – a much slower rate than humans.
"That’s a very old baby out there," Hillis-Starr said. "It has a very long cycle."
Sixty percent of stresses on corals reefs are human-related, he said, such as ship groundings, oil spills, divers and snorkelers and overfishing. The latter results in fewer fish and a subsequent buildup of algae on the reef, Hillis-Starr said.
"New coral can’t settle without open space," she said. "Overfishing increases algae and then there is no place for coral to settle."
Despite the challenges, new coral is taking hold around Buck Island, both in the heavily visited areas like the underwater snorkel trail and more isolated spots.
Meanwhile, Joel Tutein, superintendent of the Park Service’s Christiansted National Historic Site, which includes Buck Island, said that after a decade without budget increases the St. Croix unit is now seeing more funding.
"It has been a long rebuilding process," Tutein said. "Our base budget has gone from $500,000 to almost $1.2 million."
That will translate into more Park Service personnel on St. Croix, including rangers for Buck Island.
"We are a National Park unit. We should meet national standards," Tutein said.