Isla de Ratones also known as Cayo Ratones or Isla Ratones (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for ''

mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

island'') is a small island located near the Joyuda Lagoon in

Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico Cabo Rojo (), ) is a Cabo Rojo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán – Cabo Rojo metropolitan area, San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropol ...

. The island is a popular spot for

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

and

bathing Bathing is the immersion of the body, wholly or partially, usually in water, but often in another medium such as hot air. It is most commonly practised as part of personal cleansing, and less frequently for relaxation or as a leisure activity. ...

History

The island was originally known as , Island, or Pineapple Island. In the past, the island was used to cultivate

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

and

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

crops. Later on for years the island was abandoned and was practically a dumpster, because of which the residents of Joyuda began referring to it as , () because of the amount of rodents that inhabited the island. During half of the twentieth century, the then owner of the Cerveceria India, Don

Alfonso Valdés Cobián Alfonso Valdés Cobián (June 23, 1890 – February 14, 1988), was an industrialist, banker, sportsman and politician. Valdés Cobián was a cofounder of Cervecería India, Inc., currently Puerto Rico's largest beer brewery. Early years Valdé ...

was one of the people in charge of the Island. During this time he began cleaning up the small isle. In 1988, the island was sold to

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

, who organized a fantasy island

sweepstakes In the United States, a sweepstake is a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners. Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold. In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcast ...

promoted by

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

. After several protests, nothing more was heard from MTV. Now, the custodians of the island are the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) and Tourmarine, a private tourist company. They have a cooperative agreement to help in the cleaning and trash collecting because of the DRNA lack of personnel. As part of the annual or Joyuda Triathlon in Cabo Rojo, one leg of the event consist of reaching the island and returning.

Restoration

In 2005, Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente, an environmentalist organization undertook a restoration project on the island's north shore to try to stop erosion and sedimentation that is threatening the coral reef and mangrove forest that used to surround the island. The island has lost approximately 45 percent of its area over the past 60 years due to

coral bleaching Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to loss of Symbiosis, symbiotic algae and Photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments. This loss of pigment can be caused by various stressors, such as changes in water temperature, light, ...

, disease, and destruction of reefs by wave force and currents. In 2006, the

Inter American University of Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has ...

received grant from

NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploratio ...

and the Gulf of Mexico Foundation to implement a second phase of the restoration project. Students, professors and members of Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente, under the direction of the DRNA, planted some 400 floating seeds of

red mangrove Red mangrove may refer to at least three plant species: * ''Rhizophora mangle'' * ''Rhizophora mucronata ''Rhizophora mucronata'' (loop-root mangrove, red mangrove or Asiatic mangrove) is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in E ...

that forms part of the ecological inventory that surrounds the island. Approximately of mangrove habitat was restored and of artificial reef was created.

Gallery

Mangrove growth-isla de ratones PR.jpg, PVC tubes to help spur mangrove growth on Isla de Ratones, 2006

References

External links

* {{coord, 18, 06, 59.84, N, 67, 11, 18.00, W, display=title Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Ratones Isla de Ratones (Spanish for ''mice island'') is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, off the coast of Ponce. The island is part of barrio Canas in the municipality of Ponce. The island gained attention in 2010 w ...

Protected areas of Puerto Rico Cays and islets of Puerto Rico

History

Restoration

Gallery

See also

References

External links