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Access to Whistling Cay Under NPS to Remain Unchanged Once Swap Takes Effect, Park Service Assures

In response to concerns raised during a recent Senate hearing about a proposed land swap on St. John between the Government of the Virgin Islands and the National Park Service, NPS has provided detailed information about the exchange and addressed questions about public access, historical intent, and the ongoing process. The concerns were raised during the Senate's Committee of the Whole hearing on St. John. According to the NPS, the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) has 7,259 acres of terrestrial and shoreline habitat and an additional 5,650 acres of adjacent submerged lands, the latter added to the park in 1962 through Public Law 87-750. The park was established in 1956. A significant point of discussion was the potential land swap involving the 17-acre uninhabited, undeveloped island of Whistling Cay and the Catherineberg parcel, currently under NPS jurisdiction. Governor Albert Bryan Jr. made the formal offer to the NPS in late 2019, with the Catherineberg parcel identified as ...