Culebra National Wildlife Refuge

Theodore Roosevelt designated portions of the Culebra Archipelago a federal wildlife reserve in 1909 — the first such designation in the Caribbean. The U.S. Navy ran the place until 1976, using the Flamenco Peninsula and surrounding islands for gunnery and bombing practice. The following year, portions transferred to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, with the rest passing to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Today the refuge protects nesting grounds for more than 50,000 seabirds of 13 species annually, along with leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles. Visitors are permitted at Cayo Luis Peña and Culebrita, accessible by water taxi.