Cayo Norte off the northeast coast of Culebra, Puerto Rico is part of the San Isidro Barrio. |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Caribbean Sea |
| Archipelago | Puerto Rico Archipielago |
| Area | 1.3 km2 (0.5 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 103.6 m (339.9 ft) |
| Country | |
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United States
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| Territory | Puerto Rico |
| Municipality | Culebra, Puerto Rico |
| Barrio/Ward | San Isidro |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
| Density | 0 /km2 (0 /sq mi) |
Cayo Norte, formlerly West Key[1] or North East Key is a private island, located about 1.3 km (0.8 miles) northeast of Culebra Island. It lies 21 nautical miles (36 km) east of Puerto Rico and 12 nautical miles (20 km) west of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The island is part of Culebra, Puerto Rico. It is the only private island in the Culebra archipelago,[2] and is, therefore, not part of the Culebra National Wildlife Refuge like most of the other nearby islands and cays. The island is currently owned by Spanish Virgin Island Investments.
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Cayo Norte is the second largest cay in the Culebra archipelago[2] and is the first island to starboard when traveling through the Virgin Passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. The island is somewhat oval in shape and covered with a thick scrubby growth.[3] It has an area of 300 acres (1,300,000 m²)[4] and its highest elevation (located on the west part of the island)is 338 feet (102 meters).[5]
During the initial Spanish colonization of Culebra Island, Cayo Norte was ceded to Don Leopoldo Padrón, one of the last of the Spanish special delegates to Puerto Rico. Cayo Norte has stayed in the Padrón family until 2006, when the island was auctioned off during a public action by a member of the Padrón Family.[2] The auction started off at $6.7 million[6] and the island was finally sold for $10.1 million to Spanish Virgin Island Investments, a property developer company engaged in hotel tourism projects.[7]
According to a 2004 report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cayo Norte was used by the United States Navy for military exercises. Corps spokesman, Elsa Jiménez, told the Puerto Rican media in regards to any transfer or sale of the island, that those involved should bear in mind that the island was used for military activity, and there exists the possibility of the presence of unexploded ammunition.[6]
Cayo Norte serves as a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, including some threatened and endangered species of sea turtles. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a list of critical habitat designations or Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In this paper, Cayo Norte was identified as a critical habitat designation for two species of endangered sea turtles, the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).[8] In addition, the island serves as a habitat for many species of aquatic migratory birds, plants, and other endangered species.[6]