Mount Sage National Park is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
of the
British Virgin Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = Territorial song
, song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands"
, image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg
, map_caption =
, mapsize = 290px
, image_map2 = Brit ...
. It is named after the highest peak of the island of
Tortola
Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...
, Mount Sage. The Mount Sage volcanic peak rises to a height of , and is thus the highest point in all of the Virgin Islands. The park is located to the southwest of the island group's capital,
Road Town
Road Town, located on Tortola, is the capital of the British Virgin Islands. It is situated on the horseshoe-shaped Road Harbour in the centre of the island's south coast. The population was about 15,000 in 2018.
The name is derived from the n ...
. The park, which includes the mountain range, extends over an area of . The vegetation is of semi-rain forest type. There are many trails for trekking and hiking.
History
The national park was established in 1964, covering an area of 35 ha. It was the first national park in the British Virgin Islands to preserve and reserve the remaining forests and its adjoining watershed areas.
The reserve area was acquired from private farmers by the Government with a grant provided by Laurance Rockefeller
Laurance Spelman Rockefeller (May 26, 1910 – July 11, 2004) was an American businessman, financier, philanthropist, and conservationist. Rockefeller was the third son and fourth child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. As ...
,[ and was given to the National Park Trust in 1964 for making it a forest reserve for conservation purposes.
]
Geography
Approach to the national park is from the north west of Road Town along the Joe Hill Road which is the main highway, to Leonards Road and then turning left to the Ridge Road, which leads to the car park at the park entrance. The average park elevation is about above sea level. The topography is dictated by the ridge that runs in an east–west direction in the middle of Tortola Island with elevation range from between the western end of the island to Mount Sage.[ The tall, volcanic] mountain range acts like a natural barrier, blocking dry winds and strong sun shine. Rains occur from the moist trade winds generated in the Tortola's mountains and falls mostly on the northern side of the park, supporting a few forest species, while the southern part of the park reflect old pastures of dry forests.[ A small area of , which is generally of rocky terrain, retains the original forest species as they could not be cleared for agriculture. Tree plantations already existed, with the plantations of West Indies Mahogany and ]White Cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees:
* Bignoniaceae
** ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree
* Cupressaceae:
** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress
** ''Cup ...
. Over the years, natural regeneration has also taken place.[
]
Features
There is a north coast overlook and a tower, which provides scenic views of Jost Van Dyke, Tobagoes, little Sandy Cay, the north coast and, St. Thomas. Sir Francis Drake Channel of outlying islands from Virgin Gorda to St. John can be seen by a short detour along the Joseph R. O'Neal Trail to the peak.[ The park has twelve trails forming a circular route;][ trails are well marked with signs.] Trails include the Central Trail, also known as the Rainforest Trail, flanked by the North Trail and the South Trail. The Mahogany Forest Trail, which goes up to the top of Mount Sage, was established by Joseph Reynold O'Neal, the founder and first Chairman of the National Parks Trust.[ The best preserved forest area is viewable from the Henry Adams Loop Trail, which includes steps.]
Wildlife
The old-growth forest on Mount Sage is noted to be "untouched since the time of Columbus". Typical of rainforests, flora includes the "stinking fish" or bullet wood (''Mimusops elengi
''Mimusops elengi'' is a medium-sized evergreen tree found in tropical forests in South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia. English common names include Spanish cherry,Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Ho ...
''), Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
and Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
trees ('' Swietenia mahogoni'', and '' S. macrophylla''). Other flora found within the park are guavaberry
''Myrciaria floribunda'', commonly known as cambuizeiro, guavaberry or rumberry, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It can be found across South and Central America and the West Indies in dry or moist coastal woodlands, up to 300 metr ...
, large patches of moss
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...
, epiphytes
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
or air plants, elephant ear vine (philodendron), fig tree
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending ...
, white "cedar" (not actually a cedar but a flowering tree, ''Tabebuia heterophylla
''Tabebuia heterophylla'' is a species of tree native to the Caribbean, and is also cultivated. It is also known as Roble blanco, pink manjack, pink trumpet tree, white cedar, and whitewood.
Description
''Tabebuia heterophylla'' grows up to 20 ...
''), a West Indian species of tree fern
The tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae (scaly tree ...
, manilkara
''Manilkara'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. They are widespread in tropical and semitropical locations, in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, as well as various islands in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. A ...
, and mountain guava ('' Psidium amplexicaule''). Groves of mammee apple (''Mammea americana'') and heliconia
''Heliconia'', derived from the Greek word (), is a genus of flowering plants in the monotypic family Heliconiaceae. Most of the ca 194 known species are native to the tropical Americas, but a few are indigenous to certain islands of the we ...
trees are also recorded along the entrance path of the park. Some of the ferns, flowers, and vines which grow in the park are not found elsewhere on Tortola.
Fauna reported from the park are hermit crab
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an a ...
(''Calliactis
''Calliactis'' is a genus of sea anemones. Species in this genus are Symbiosis, mutually symbiotic with hermit crabs. The anemone gets a place to live and discarded scraps of the crab's food in exchange for its help in defending the crab.
Speci ...
''). Avifauna includes American kestrel
The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), also called the sparrow hawk, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of ...
), called ''kili kili'' hawk
Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...
locally, red-tailed hawk
The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members with ...
s,[ Caribbean martin, mountain dove, and ]pearly-eyed thrasher
The pearly-eyed thrasher (''Margarops fuscatus'') is a bird in the thrasher family Mimidae. It is found on many Caribbean islands, from the Bahamas in the north to the Grenadines in the south, with an isolated subspecies on Bonaire.
Descriptio ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sage, Mount
Mountains of the Caribbean
Landforms of the British Virgin Islands