120 STAT. 1743
PUBLIC LAW 109–317—OCT. 11, 2006
Public Law 109–317
109th Congress
An Act
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility
of designating Castle Nugent Farms located on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as
a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING CASTLE
NUGENT FARMS.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) Castle Nugent Farms, located on the southeastern shore
of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is the largest parcel of pri-
vately-held land in the Virgin Islands and has been an oper-
ating cattle ranch for 50 years.
(2) This land has the largest and healthiest fringing coral
reef anywhere in the Virgin Islands.
(3) It consists of Caribbean dry forest and pasturelands
with considerable cultural resources including both pre-Colum-
bian and post-European settlement.
(4) Castle Nugent Farms contains a large historic 17th
century Danish estate house that sits on over 4 miles of pristine
Caribbean oceanfront property.
(5) In addition to being an area for turtle nesting and
night heron nesting, it is the home for the Senepol cattle
breed, a unique breed of cattle that was developed on St.
Croix in the early 1900’s to adapt to the island’s climate.
(b) STUDY.—The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out a
study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle
Nugent Farms as a unit of the National Park System.
Oct. 11, 2006
[H.R. 318]
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120 STAT. 1744
PUBLIC LAW 109–317—OCT. 11, 2006
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 318:
SENATE REPORTS: No. 109–241 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
Vol. 151 (2005): Nov. 15, considered and passed House.
Vol. 152 (2006): Sept. 29, considered and passed Senate.
Æ
(c) STUDY PROCESS AND COMPLETION.—Section 8(c) of Public
Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5(c)) shall apply to the conduct and
completion of the study required by this section.
Approved October 11, 2006.
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