The National Parks of The Bahamas

Union Creek Reserve

Established: 1965
Size: 4,940 Acres

Seven square miles of enclosed tidal creek on Great Inagua serves as a very important research site for sea turtles, especially the Green Turtle.

Detailed Description
Image Gallery

Established: 1965
Size: 4,940 Acres

Description

Location on Great Inagua Island, Union Creek Reserve was established in April 1965. This enclosed tidal creek and sea turtle research station lies in the northwest corner of the Inagua National Park. Union Creek encompasses an area of 4,940 acres and it is a natural habitat for green and Hawksbill turtles. Mangroves surround the creek and the bottom is covered in lush seagrass meadows.

History

Following the creation of the Bahamas National Trust in 1959, concern began to be expressed for the sea turtles. Dr. Archie Carr had initiated a program concerned with the research of the sea turtles, the protection of their nesting grounds and their reintroduction to former nesting grounds.

One of the regions where this research was being conducted was at Union Creek, north of the Inagua National Park. Three hundred turtles were sent to Union Creek in 1959 in an effort to restore this area. Dr. G. Charleston Ray approached the Trust’s Executive Committee with the idea of the Union Creek Reserve being a part of the BNT, the result of which was the establishment of the Union Creek Reserve in 1963.

Dr. Archie Carr was mentor to Dr. Karen Bjorndal and Dr. Alan Bolton, Special Advisors to the Trust’s Council. Dr. Bjorndal has been studying sea turtles at Union Creek since 1974 while pursuing her Ph.D. and returns every year with her partner Dr. Alan Bolton, to continue their long-term studies on growth and nutrition.

Importance to History

The house at Union Creek was Built around 1900 and serves as a research station and living quarters for researchers at Union Creek.

Importance to Research

Green turtles take up residency in shallow creeks like Union Creek at about 25 cm in length. They may remain resident in a specific creek for a decade or more. Union Creek has provided the world with some of the most important scientific data on the endangered green turtle. Research at Union Creek is a joint project of the Bahamas National Trust and Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University Of Florida.

Links to the Image Gallery will be provided here

Hope Great House

Located on the west coast of Crooked Island a mile northeast of Landrail Point, these two Loyalist compounds include an artillery battery and plantation house with kitchen. These well preserved historic properties were handed over to the Bahamas National Trust by Herbert A. McKinney.

Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve

Located in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, the Preserve is operated by the Bahamas National Trust and funded by the Leon Levy Foundation. It was developed by Shelby White, trustee of the Foundation, in honour of her late husband, Leon Levy. The Preserve will be a living part of Bahamian history. It is the first national park on the island of Eleuthera. It is an environmental educational centre as well as a facility for the propagation of native plants and trees.

Little Inagua National Park

Remote inaccessible and with no fresh water. Little Inagua is by far the largest Uninhabited island in the Wider Caribbean. The island exists in a natural undisturbed state and the biodiversity implications and values of this are enormous. Ocean currents flow through the Bahamas from southeast to the northwest.

Lucayan National Park

East of Freeport, Grand Bahama, this 40 acre park encompasses one of the longest known underwater cave systems in the world with over six miles of caves and tunnels already charted. Above ground it exhibits every vegetative zone found in the Bahamas.

Marine Farm

Located on the west coast of Crooked Island a mile northeast of Landrail Point, this Loyalist compound includes an artillery battery and living quarters. This well preserved historic property was handed over to the Bahamas National Trust by Herbert A. McKinney.

Moriah Harbour Cay National Park

Moriah Harbour Cay and its marine environs area a vital part of the ecosystem between the Great and Little Exuma. It encompasses pristine beaches, sand dunes, mangrove creeks, and sea grass beds. A variety of bird life nests there, including the gull-billed and least terns, nighthawks, plovers, oyster catchers and resident pair of ospreys.

North & South Marine Parks

Andros has the third longest barrier reef in the world. These two parks were established to help preserve significant parts of this valuable reef ecosystem.

Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park

Located 8 miles north of Cherokee Sound, Great Abaco, this 2,100 acre land and sea area is a sister park to the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. It contains beautiful undersea caves, extensive coral reefs and abounds with terrestrial plant and animal life.

Peterson Cay National Park

A one and half acre geological wonder, being the only cay off Grand Bahama's leeward shore. This beautiful park is one of Grand Bahamas most heavily used getaway spots. The surrounding marine area is ideal for snorkeling.

Primeval Forest National Park

Entering this area is a step back in time. Remarkably undisturbed, this old-growth forest is representative of the early evergreen tropical hardwood forests of the Bahamas. Located in the southwest portion of New Providence, this area features dramatic sinkholes- unique limestone "caverns" up to 50 feet long, 30 feet wide, and in some cases 30 feet deep. Similar features elsewhere in the Bahamas have provided fossil and sub-fossil remains of Bahamian fauna as w

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