Jon L. Christensen: “I am very pleased the House is considering my bill, H.R. 2663, to provide for a study to determine the feasibility and…”

“I am very pleased the House is considering my bill, H.R. 2663, to provide for a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of designating Castle Nugent Farms on my home island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands as a unit of the National Park System. Castle Nugent Farms is a unique 1,350-acre property located on the southeastern shore of St. Croix. It contains natural and cultural resources which could provide an unparalleled insight into the plantation period of the Virgin Islands. Castle Nugent Farms is presently operated as a cattle ranch by owners who are very interested in preserving and interpreting the natural and cultural resources of the area. I want to take this opportunity to commend Caroline Gasperi and her family for the stewardship of this land for more than 50 years and for her enthusiasm and dedication to this cause. The owners are justifiably proud of their ranch which contains more than 4 miles of pristine oceanfront with a large and healthy fringing coral reef. The interior of the property consists of Caribbean dry forest and pasture lands with cultural resources from both pre-Columbian and post-European settlement. A large Danish estate house, dating to the 1730s, sits on the property. That house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At various points in its history, Castle Nugent Farms has been operated as a cotton plantation and a sugarcane plantation.”