(Washington, DC, February 15, 2006) — A bill to study the feasibility of Castle Nugent Farms being designated as a unit of the National Park System is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, February 16, 2006 before the Subcommittee on Parks of the U.S. Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 

The bill, H.R. 318, which was sponsored by Delegate Christensen, passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously on November 15th of last year.  It would require the Secretary of Interior to determine whether the 1,350 acre property on St. Croix’s southeastern shore is suitable to become a part of the National Park System in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  A similar bill also passed the House last year, but was not considered by the Senate before Congress adjourned.
 
In support of the passage of her bill, Delegate Christensen pointed out that the Gasperi family property contains natural and cultural resources that should be preserved and interpreted for future generations.  “The owners are justifiably proud of their ranch,” said Christensen, “which contains more than four miles of pristine oceanfront with a large and healthy fringing coral reef.”  She continued her description by stating that “the interior of the property consists of Caribbean dry forest and pasture lands with cultural resources from both pre-Columbian and post-European settlement.”  It also includes a large Danish estate house dating to the 1730s that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Delegate Christensen noted that both the National Park Service and the property owners are enthusiastic about the possibility of it becoming a National Park.  “The park study will provide the blueprint by which we can preserve and interpret this unique piece of island history and resources for the benefit of present and future generations,” she concluded.