Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 1.djvu/65

 PUBLIC LAW 102-247—FEB. 24, 1992 106 STAT. 33 Public Law 102-247 102d Congress An Act To provide for the establishment of the St. Croix, Virgin Islands Historical Park and Feb. 24, 1992 Ecological Preserve, and for other purposes. [H.R. 2927] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, ASS?A^^S SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1992. ^ 16 USC 410tt This Act may be cited as the "Omnibus Insxilar Areas Act of note. 1992". TITLE I—SALT RIVER BAY NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Salt River Bay AND ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE AT ST. CROIX, VIRGIN JJScilPark ISLANDS and Ecological Pr6S6I*V6 & . 1/ S^ SEC. 101, SHORT TITLE. Croix, Virgin -_ u,_ __. TsidTiuS.n.ci i Or This title may be cited as the "Salt River Bay Nationgil Historical 1992. ' Park and EcologiceQ Preserve at St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Act 16 USC 4l0tt of 1992". note. SEC. 102. FINDINGS. 16 USC 410tt. The Congress finds that the Salt River Bay area of the north central coast of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands— (1) has been inhabited, possibly as feir back as 2000 B.C., and encompasses all major cultural periods in the United States Virgin Islands; (2) contains the only ceremonial ball court ever discovered in the Lesser Antilles, village middens, and buried grounds which can provide evidence for the interpretation of Caribbean life prior to Columbus; (3) is the only known site where members of the Columbus expeditions set foot on what is now United States territory; (4) was a focal point of various European attempts to colonize the area during the post-Columbian period and contains sites of Spanish, French, Dutch, English, and Danish settlements, including Fort Sale, one of the few remaining earthwork fortifications in the Western Hemisphere; (5) presents an outstanding opportunity to preserve and interpret Caribbe£m history and culture, including the impact of European exploration and settlement; (6) has been a nationgJ natural landmark since February 1980 and has been nominated for acquisition as a nationally significant wildlife habitat; (7) contains the largest remaining mangrove forest in the United States Virgin Islands and a variety of tropical marine and terrestrial ecosystems which should be preserved and kept unimpaired for the benefit of present and fiiture generations; and (8) is worthy of a comprehensive preservation effort that should be carried out in partnership between the Federal Government and the Government of the United States Virgin Islands. 59-194 0—93 3:QL3(Pt.1)

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