Mona Island, Puerto Rico Could Become A World Heritage Site

Mona island, off the west coast of Puerto Rico, could be recognize as a World Heritage site.  New Progressive Party Representative Eric Correa Rivera is petitioning the United Nations to add the uninhabited island to its list of sites considered to be of outstanding value to humanity irrespective of the territory on which they are located.


Mona island located west of Puerto Rico and east of the Dominican Republic, has a rich history and a wide range of flora and fauna.  The unique island is one of the most important biological and archeological laboratories in the region.  Correa said, "It is important to recognize the importance of this little island in the development of Caribbean culture.”  Correa, who is chairman of the House Natural Resources, Environment & Energy Committee, sent a formal request to, UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Executive Director, Irina Bokova.


Covering 22 square miles, Mona island is the third-largest island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico, after the main island of Puerto Rico and Vieques.  Mona Island is currently managed as a nature reserve by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural & Environmental Resources.  The island is known among divers for its vibrant reefs and crystal clear waters.


 "Mona island uniqueness should be preserved with this important designation," Correa said.   Receiving the designation of a World Heritage site from UNESCO, would place Mona Island in the same company as El Morro Fort in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 


Here is a video of Mona Island:




                                                                        

Puerto Rico Is The Place T-shirts by puertoricoistheplace
Browse other Puerto rico is the place T-Shirts

Mona Island, Puerto Rico

Mona Island (Isla de la Mona) is located 41 miles west off the coast of Puerto Rico.  Mona Island is the third-largest island of the archipelago of Puerto Rico, after the main island of Puerto Rico and Vieques.  It measures about 7 miles by 4 miles, and is the largest of three islands located in the Mona Passage, the other islands being Monito Island and Desecheo Island.


Mona is an ecological reserve and is not permanently inhabited.  Rangers from the island's Department of Natural and Environmental Resources reside on the island to manage visitors and do research projects.  Mona Island has caves and is surrounded by sea cliffs.  Many caves have drawings that were left behind by the Taíno Indians, the island's original inhabitants.  With an arid climate many endemic species inhabit the island, such as the Mona Ground Iguana.  The island serves as a retreat for Puerto Ricans and nature enthusiasts from all over the world.  Scientists, ecologists, and students have visited Mona Island to explore its distinct ecosystem. 


Often compared to the Galápagos island, Mona Island and the surrounding waters have plenty of sea birds, more than 270 species of fish and many endangered sea turtles.  Mona island is known among divers for its vibrant reefs and crystal clear waters.  The lighthouse in Mona Island was built in 1900, and was one of the first two lighthouses built by the U.S Government in Puerto Rico.  In 1981, the Mona Island Lighthouse was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as "Faro de la Isla de la Mona."  Tours to the island are available from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.  Another way to get to Mona Island is by private yacht.


Here is a video of Mona Island:



                                                             

Puerto Rico Is The Place Embroiderd Hat Embroidered Baseball Cap by puertoricoistheplace
Make my own hat online at Zazzle.

Top Five Places To Dive In Puerto Rico

There are many wonderful places to dive in the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, from La Parguera, a southern coastal town in Puerto Rico, to the island of Culebra.  In Puerto Rico, you can experience different types of dives, from caves to reefs, full of marine life.  The water temperature ranges from 75 degrees in the winter to 85 degrees in the summer.  Visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet.  Here are the top five places to dive in Puerto Rico:


Mona Island 

One of the more exciting dive experiences in Puerto Rico, Mona island has a diverse underwater geography: caves, reefs, and walls, for experienced divers.  You can spot sharks and humpback whales.  Mona island is located 41 miles west off the coast of Puerto Rico, and is a nature reserve.  Tour operators in Puerto Rico make special trips to dive sites.


Las Cuevas in Desecheo Island
 
Las Cuevas , an hour off the west coast of Puerto Rico, is a good diving location for beginners.  You can swim through canyons and arches with wonderful coral reefs, and plenty of marine life.


Fallen Rock in La Parguera
  
Fallen Rock is an underwater rock cliff which separated thousands of years ago, and carved a deep trench in the ocean floor.  Fallen Rock, off the coast of La Parguera, is one of the area's most popular dive spots for experienced divers.  The dive site is 45 minutes from shore of the southwest coast of Puerto Rico.  In this area you will be able to see barracudas, eagle rays, and reef-based sea life.



Cayo Ratón in Culebra
  
Cayo Ratón is a popular destination for scuba divers because of the many reefs and plenty of fish.   Culebra  island is off the east coast of Puerto Rico.  A moderate level dive, many fish can be spotted in Cayo Ratón.  Small to medium size life ca be found: queen angelfish, butterflyfish and parrotfish. 



Angel Reef in Vieques

Located off Vieques, and off the east coast of Puerto Rico.  Angel Reef is a good diving spot for beginners in Puerto Rico.  Angel Reef is a shallow dive, with reefs and a lot of fish.  You can see gray angelfish, corals, and an old Spanish anchor lodged into the reef.


Take a look at this video of scuba diving in Puerto Rico:



  
                      
                                                                     

Puerto Rico Is The Place T-Shirt by puertoricoistheplace
Browse zazzle for a different shirtzazzle

Leatherback Sea Turtles In Puerto Rico

At least four of the seven species of marine turtles are found in the waters of Puerto Rico, or nest in the  beaches of Puerto Rico.  Those turtle species are: the Leatherback, the Hawksbill, the Green Turtle, and the Loggerhead.  The Hawksbill turtle and the Leatherback sea turtle, are critically endangered.  All coastal waters surrounding Culebra and Mona Island in Puerto Rico are designated as critical habitats by the federal government.



Leatherback turtles can be found primarily in the open ocean.  Leatherbacks follow their jellyfish prey throughout the day.  Its favored breeding beaches are mainland sites facing deep water and they seem to avoid those sites protected by coral reefs.  Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body.  A large pair of front flippers power the turtles through the water.  Like other sea turtles, the Leatherback's flattened forelimbs are adapted for swimming in the open ocean.



The coastal area from Ocean Park to Isla Verde, lined by condominium towers and hotels, has the most popular beach spots for tourists and locals in San Juan, Puerto Rico, bringing thousands of visitors on a daily basis.  Despite the crowds and development, this sandy stretch remains a prime nesting ground for sea turtles.  Beach goers in Puerto Rico, have been able to witness first hand the birth of Leatherback turtles.  An example of this happened along a crowded stretch of beach in Ocean Park, in the San Juan area.  Dozens of endangered sea turtles were born, emerging from their sandy nest after two months of incubation and headed straight to sea, to the delight of people on hand to see the spectacle.  The crowd of people at the beach helped the newborn turtles to the water, as they welcomed them to the world.  Most hatches take place at night, to protect the turtles from predators, so this was quite an experience for the crowd.



Some species of sea turtles, are believed to return to nest many years later, on the same stretch of coastline where they were born.  Pregnant sea turtles come out of the sea and lay their eggs into the sand.  Once hatched, the baby sea turtles emerge from the sand and quickly try to reach the sea.  Sea turtles face threats from predators and human intervention before they are even hatched.  Local environmental officials, activists and community members work to protect these nesting grounds.  Recently, a subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a legislative hearing, on a bill introduced by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, which would authorize the allocation of $5 million annually over each of the next six years to protect endangered sea turtles in Puerto Rico, other areas of the United States, and around the world.



Take a look at a video taken of a group of newborn Leatherback turtles making their way to the ocean:




                                                            

Puerto Rico Is The Place by puertoricoistheplace
Browse Puerto rico is the place Postage