Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas | |
---|---|
Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve | |
Location | Barrio Canas, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Nearest city | Ponce |
Coordinates | PR 17°58′00″N66°40′23″W / 17.96654°N 66.67292°W Coordinates: PR 17°58′00″N66°40′23″W / 17.96654°N 66.67292°W |
Area | Total (Land): 698 cuerdas (678 acres) [1] [lower-alpha 1] Total (Marine): 3,516 cuerdas (3,415 acres) [2] Las Salinas Lagoon only: 347,898 m2 (86 acres) [3] |
Designation | 2008 [4] |
Governing body | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources |
Fauna and Flora at Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas | |
---|---|
Location | Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
Established | 2008 |
Named for | Coastal geographical formation |
Governing body | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources |
Website | Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources |
Reserva Natural Punta Cucharas (Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve) is a nature reserve in Barrio Canas, Ponce, Puerto Rico. [5] It consists of both a land area component as well as an offshore marine area. [6] The land component has an area of 698 cuerdas (678 acres) [7] while the marine component has an expanse of 3,516 cuerdas (3,415 acres), [8] for a total area of 4,214 cuerdas (4,093 acres). The Reserve consists of mangrove ecosystems, coastal sand dunes, a saline lagoon known as Laguna Las Salinas, open water, and a century-old local community. [9] The lagoon occupies and area of 347,898 m2 (86 acres) [10] Ecological protection is managed and enforced by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. [11] Eight activities are allowed at the Reserve: scuba diving, boating, fishing, hiking, sun bathing, photography, bird watching and canoeing. Activities prohibited are: Camping, crabbing/trapping, horseback riding, water crafting, and hunting. Pets, ATVs, and fireplaces are also prohibited. [12]
In 2001, the Puerto Rico Ornithology Society started promoting the conservation of the Las Cucharas area and proposed it as an Important Area for the Conservation of Birds. Then, during 2003–2004, the United States Geological Survey, with the support of the Ponce Municipal Government, conducted a hydrology study of Laguna Las Salinas. [13] In June 2004, the Integrated Planning Area of the Natural Patrimony Division of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico (DRNA) issued a report on the natural value of the Punta Cucharas area. [14] In 2008, Amigos de La Laguna (Friends of the Lagoon), a local concerned citizens group, issued a press release showing the impact that construction of the Gasoducto del Norte was to have on the lagoon. In August 2008, the Legislature of Puerto Rico passed Law 227 designating the Punta Cucharas natural area as a nature reserve and creating the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve using, among others, the June 2004 DRNA report. [15] On 9 August 2008, Punta Cucharas became a protected area under the law. [16] [17]
The area is located in the coastal and the subcoastal zones of the southern end of Barrio Canas. The area is bounded in the west by a tourist development, including a hotel, in the north by modern residential compounds, and in the south by the Caribbean Sea. [18] It includes all the land southeast of Road PR-2 in Barrio Canas and the marine component of Isla de Ratones and Isla Cardona. The Caribbean Sea Marine Extent component includes the waters south of points from Punta Cucharas in the west and Rio Matilde in the east, both in the Ponce mainland, and north of points from Isla de Ratones in the west and Isla Cardona in the east, both islands south of Ponce. [19] [20] Isla de Ratones and Isla Cardona are both included in the Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve. [21] [22]
It consists of a salt water lagoon known as Laguna Salinas (Salinas Lagoon) that measures 347,898 square meters, as well as forestland systems of mangroves and other coastal forests, and different types of estuary and marshy wetlands. It also includes extensive areas of sand dunes covered by herbaceous vegetation, part of which are gramineous plants. [23] The Reserve's total area is 698 cuerdas. [24] [25] The Salinas Lagoon has a mangrove that expands about 37 acres. [26]
The Municipality of Ponce recognized the ecological value of the Punta Cucharas natural area and included a Special Plan PL. E. 2, on La Matilde Area (the Area that includes the Punta Cuchara area) in its Territorial Plan (Integral Review effective on 23 December 2003), in its Ordination Regulations component. This Special Plan intended to facilitate a residential, tourist and commercial development, contingent on the protection of natural resources such as Laguna Salinas and the wetlands to the south of the area and the conversion of PR-2 to an expressway and the construction of parallel service roads. Among the objectives of the Municipality of Ponce development were the establishment of a protection zone for wetlands and the Laguna Salinas. [27]
The Action Program of the Territorial Ordinance Plan (1993) Judicial Ruling known as Ruling JAC 93–0485 in "Municipality of Ponce vs. Government of Puerto Rico", a.k.a., Ponce en Marcha was a $615,000 yet-to-be-built project in the Hacienda La Matilde area programmed to be finished during the 1996-97 of the Government of Puerto Rico fiscal year. However, "recognizing the great ecological value of the Punta Cucharas ecosystem, the Territorial Ordinance Plan of the Municipality of Ponce sought to protect the Punta Cucharas area, identifying it as a "high interest" ecotourism area. [28]
The shoreline habitat consists of exposed mangroves, mixed sand and gravel beaches, and fine grained sandy beaches. The Reserve wildlife consists of wading birds and shore birds. [29]
The Reserve has 148 flora species, 56 bird species (including both resident or migratory species), five mammal species, nine reptile species, five amphibians, and six fish species. [30]
Critically endangered plant species include Cordia rupicola and Leptocereus quadricostatus (sebucan); Endangered is Guaiacum officinale (guaiac tree) and vulnerable is the Maytenus ponceana. [31] Some of the 147 plant species found at the Punta Cucharas Reserve are listed below. [32]
Fifty-six bird species have been identified in the Reserve. Five of them are endemic species. [33] A partial catalog of the bird species found in the Reserve includes Charrancito (Sternula antillarum), a key IBA water foul species that breeds in the area. Endemic species are: Zumbador Verde (Anthracothorax viridis), (Chlorostilbon maugaeus), San Pedrito (Todus mexicanus), Carpintero (Melanerpes portoricensis), Juí (Myiarchus antillarum), Bienteveo (Vireo latimeri), Reinita Mariposera (Dendroica adelaidae), Comeñame (Loxigilla portoricensis), and Reina Mora (Spindalis portoricensis). Mariquita ("Agelaius xanthomus") flies into the area but does not reside there. Other bird species are: Zumbador Dorado (Anthracothorax dominicus), Zumbador Pechiazul (Eulampis holosericeus), Zorzal Pardo (Margarops fuscatus) and Jilguero (Euphonia musica). [34]
There are 56 species identified of which six are endemic, 44 are resident, five are migratory and one is introduced. [35] The following table lists a sampling of them.
No. | Family | Species | Common Name (Spanish) | Common Name (English) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alcedinidae | Ceryle alcyon | martín pescador | belted kingfisher | Migratory |
2 | Anatidae | Anas bahamensis | pato quijada colorada | white-cheeked pintail | Resident |
3 | Anatidae | Anas discors | pato zarcel | blue-winged teal | Migratory |
4 | Ardeidae | Ardea alba | garza real | great egret | Resident |
5 | Ardeidae | Ardea herodias | garzón cenizo | great blue heron | Resident |
6 | Ardeidae | Bubulcus ibis | garza ganadera | cattle egret | Resident |
7 | Ardeidae | Egretta caerulea | garza azul | little blue heron | Resident |
8 | Ardeidae | Egretta thula | garza blanca | snowy egret | Resident |
9 | Ardeidae | Egretta tricolor | garza pechiblanca | tricolored heron | Resident |
10 | Ardeidae | Nyctanassa violacea | yaboa común | yellow-crowned night heron | Resident |
11 | Cathartidae | Cathartes aura | aura tiñosa | turkey vulture | Resident |
12 | Charadriidae | Charadrius semipalmatus | playero acollarado | semipalmated plover | Resident |
13 | Charadriidae | Charadrius wilsonia | playerito marítimo | Wilson's plover | Resident |
14 | Charadriidae | Pluvialis squatarola | playero cabezón | grey plover | Resident |
15 | Coerebidae | Coereba flaveola | reinita común | bananaquit | Resident |
16 | Columbidae | Columbina passerina | rolita | common ground dove | Resident |
17 | Columbidae | Zenaida asiatica | tórtola aliblanca | white-winged dove | Resident |
18 | Cuculidae | Crotophaga ani | judío | smooth-billed ani | Resident |
19 | Emberizidae | Dendroica adelaidae | reinita mariposera | Adelaide's warbler | Resident |
20 | Emberizidae | Dendroica petechia | canario de mangle | American yellow warbler | Resident |
21 | Emberizidae | Dendroica tigrina | reinita tigre | Cape May warbler | Migratory |
22 | Emberizidae | Loxigilla portoricensis | comeñame | Puerto Rican bullfinch | Endemic |
23 | Emberizidae | Seiurus noveboracensis | pizpita de mangle | northern waterthrush | Migratory |
24 | Emberizidae | Tiaris bicolor | gorrión negro | black-faced grassquit | Resident |
25 | Falconidae | Buteo jamaicensis | guaraguao | red-tailed hawk | Resident |
26 | Falconidae | Falco peregrinus | halcón peregrino | peregrine falcon | Migratory |
27 | Falconidae | Falco sparverius | falcón común | American kestrel | Resident |
28 | Fregatidae | Fregata magnificens | tijereta de mar | magnificent frigatebird | Resident |
29 | Icteridae | Icterus dominicensis | calandria | Hispaniolan oriole | Resident |
30 | Icteridae | Icterus icterus | turpial | Venezuelan troupial | Introduced |
31 | Icteridae | Molothrus bonariensis | tordo lustroso | shiny cowbird | Resident |
32 | Icteridae | Quiscalus niger | chango | Greater Antillean grackle | Resident |
33 | Laridae | Larus atricilla | gaviota gallega | laughing gull | Resident |
34 | Mimidae | Mimus polyglottos | ruiseñor | northern mockingbird | Resident |
35 | Muscicapidae | Turdus plumbeus | zorzal de patas coloradas | red-legged thrush | Resident |
36 | Pandionidae | Pandion haliaetus | águila de mar | osprey | Resident |
37 | Pelecanidae | Pelecanus occidentalis | pelicano pardo | brown pelican | Resident |
38 | Recurvirostridae | Himantopus mexicanus | viuda | black-necked stilt | Resident |
39 | Scolopacidae | Actitis macularia | playero coleador | spotted sandpiper | Resident |
40 | Scolopacidae | Arenaria interpres | playero Turco | ruddy turnstone | Resident |
41 | Scolopacidae | Calidris himantopus | playero patilargo | stilt sandpiper | Resident |
42 | Scolopacidae | Calidris mauri | playerito occidental | western sandpiper | Resident |
43 | Scolopacidae | Calidris melanotos | playero manchado | pectoral sandpiper | Migratory |
44 | Scolopacidae | Calidris minutilla | playero menudo | least sandpiper | Resident |
45 | Scolopacidae | Calidris pusilla | playerito gracioso | semipalmated sandpiper | Resident |
46 | Scolopacidae | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | playero aliblanco | willet | Resident |
47 | Scolopacidae | Limnodromus griseus | chorlo pico corto | short-billed dowitcher | Resident |
48 | Scolopacidae | Tringa flavipes | playero guineilla menor | lesser yellowlegs | Resident |
49 | Scolopacidae | Tringa solitaria | playero solitario | solitary sandpiper | Resident |
50 | Thraupidae | Spindalis portoricensis | reina mora | Puerto Rican spindalis | Endemic |
51 | Todidae | Todus mexicanus | San Pedrito | Puerto Rican tody | Endemic |
52 | Tyrannidae | Myiarchus antillarum | juí de Puerto Rico | Puerto Rican flycatcher | Endemic |
53 | Tyrannidae | Tyrannus dominicensis | pitirre | gray kingbird | Endemic |
54 | Vireonidae | Vireo latimeri | bien te veo | Puerto Rican vireo | Endemic |
The following five species of mammals were found in Punta Cuchara. [36]
No. | Family | Species | Common Name (Spanish) | Common Name (English) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Muridae | Rattus rattus | rata negra | black rat | Introduced |
2 | Muridae | Rattus norvegicus | rata de noruega | brown rat | Introduced |
3 | Muridae | Mus musculus | ratón | house mouse | Introduced |
4 | Viverridae | Urva auropunctata | mangosta | small Asian mongoose | Introduced |
5 | Canidae | Canis familiaris | perro | domestic dog | Domestic |
Punta Cucharas biodiversity includes reptiles such as Hemidactylus brookii, Sphaerodactylus macrolepis, Sphaerodactylus roosevelti, Anolis cristatellus, Anolis pulchellus, Ameiva exsul,and Anolis poncensis, and the amphibians Bufo marinus, Eleutherodactylus coqui and Leptodactylus albilabris. [37] Of the reptile species, the lagartijo jardinero del sur (Anolis poncensis) is protected under the "vulnerable" classification by Rule 6766 of the "Regulations to Govern Vulnerable and Endangered Species in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" [38] [39] pursuant to Puerto Rico Law 241, commonly known as "The Puerto Rico Wildlife Law." [40] Following is a listing of reptiles found at the Reserve.
No. | Family | Species | Common Name (Spanish) | Common Name (English) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gekkonidae | Hemidactylus brooki haitianus | salamanquesa | Brooke's house gecko | Native |
2 | Gekkonidae | Sphaerodactylus macrolepis | salamaquita de la Virgen | Big-scaled least gecko | Native |
3 | Gekkonidae | Sphaerodactylus roosevelti | salamaquita de la Virgen | -- | Endemic |
4 | Iguanidae | Anolis cristatellus | lagartijo común | crested anole | Native |
5 | Iguanidae | Anolis pulchellus | lagartijo jardinero | Sharp-mouthed lizard | Native |
6 | Iguanidae | Anolis poncensis | lagartijo jardinero del sur | Ponce anole | Endemic (Vulnerable) |
7 | Teiidae | Ameiva exsul | siguana | Puerto Rican ground lizard | Native |
No. | Family | Species | Common Name (Spanish) | Common Name (English) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bufonidae | Bufo marinus | sapo común | cane toad | Introduced |
2 | Leptodactylidae | Eleutherodactylus coqui | coquí común | common coquí | Endemic |
3 | Leptodactylidae | Leptodactylus albilabris | ranita de labio blanco | Hispaniolan ditch frog | Native |
The June 2004 DRNA study warned that due to the lack of surveillance and the easy access that several roads provide to the area, it had become a common practice to use the area as a clandestine junk yard for motor vehicles and other refuse. The report suggested strategies for the management, cleaning, reforestation and conservation of the area. [41] Several groups, including civic, environmental, and church groups, interested in the conservation of the Salinas Lagoon as part of the Punta Cucharas natural area have participated in cleaning campaigns for the removal of junk with the collaboration of the Municipality of Ponce. The DRNA also took steps to reforest the area. [42] In 2013, some vandals used the area for dumping construction refuse, a practice that carries a fine of $5,000. [43]
As an additional vehicle to preserve the area, the government of Puerto Rico included Punta Cucharas as a natural reserve under the Natural Patrimony Program created by Act No. 150 of August 4, 1988, known as the "Puerto Rico Natural Patrimony Program Act." [44]
In October 2012, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources published a 54-page environmental impact evaluation with numerous appendixes. In it, the DRNA proposed relocating the existing main vehicular entrance and building the necessary entryway and signing, making improvements to the existing road, building gazebos for group picnics and relaxation plus a gazebo for nature talks, construction a floating dock for kayaks, creation of an additional dock for ondock-fishing, erecting an observation tower and building a restaurant, a boat ramp, and bathroom facilities (compost toilets). The development area would cover 283 cuerdas (275 acres). [45] As a low environmental impact construction project, the plans include no new water, sewer, or electrical lines being brought into the area. The cost was estimated at $1.2 million. [46]
Parkinsonia aculeata is a species of perennial flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include palo verde, Mexican palo verde, Parkinsonia, Jerusalem thorn, jelly bean tree, palo de rayo, and retama.
Caja de Muertos is an uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Ponce. The island and its surrounding waters are protected by the Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve, because of its native turtle traffic and ecological value of its dry forests and reefs. Hikers and beachgoers are often seen in the island, which can be reached by ferry from the La Guancha Boardwalk sector of Ponce Playa. Together with Cardona, Ratones, Morrillito, Isla del Frio, Gatas, and Isla de Jueyes, Caja de Muertos is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce.
Cordillera Central, is the main mountain range in Puerto Rico. The range crosses the island from west to east and divides it into its northern and southern coastal plains. The Cordillera Central runs eastward from the municipality of Maricao in the west to Aibonito in the central eastern region, and on to the Caribbean in the southeast through the Sierra de Cayey. The Central Mountain Range consists of the Cordillera Central proper and numerous subranges, foothills and ridges that extend throughout the island. Cerro de Punta is both the highest peak of the Cordillera Central and the highest point in Puerto Rico. The Sierra de Luquillo, where El Yunque is located, is sometimes included as a subrange or eastward extension of the Cordillera Central.
The Guánica State Forest, popularly known as the Guánica Dry Forest is a subtropical dry forest located in southwest Puerto Rico. The area was designated as a forest reserve in 1919 and a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981. It is considered the best preserved subtropical dry forest and the best example of dry forest in the Caribbean.
The Aguirre State Forest is a 2,393-acre (9.68 km2) nature reserve on the south coast of Puerto Rico and one of the commonwealth's 20 state forests. It mainly consists of mangroves and floodplain forests, and it borders the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Aguirre State Forest is owned and administered by Puerto Rico. It was established in 1918 by Puerto Rico governor Arthur Yager to protect the mangrove forests areas between the municipalities of Guayama and Santa Isabel.
The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER) is the executive department of the government of Puerto Rico tasked with protecting, conserving, developing, and managing the natural and environmental resources in Puerto Rico. As of April 2022 the current interim Secretary is Anaí Rodríguez after the resignation of Rafael A. Machargo. As of November 2020 the department has 1,096 employees.
Cambalache State Forest and Reserve is a nature reserve and one of the 20 state forests in the territory of Puerto Rico. The Cambalache State Forest is located in the municipalities of Arecibo and Barceloneta in northern Puerto Rico.
Morrillito is a small uninhabited island off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The island is protected by the Reserva Natural Caja de Muertos natural reserve because of its native turtle traffic. Together with Caja de Muertos, Gatas, Ratones, Cardona, Isla del Frio, and Isla de Jueyes, Morrillito is one of seven islands ascribed to the municipality of Ponce.
The Northeast Ecological Corridor Nature Reserve (NECNR) refers to an area designated as a protected Nature Reserve located on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico, between the municipalities of Luquillo and Fajardo. Specifically, the lands that comprise the NEC are located between Luquillo's town square to the west and Seven Seas Beach to the east, being delineated by PR Route # 3 to its south and the Atlantic Ocean to its north. It was decreed as a protected area by former Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal S. Acevedo-Vilá in April 2008, a decision reversed by Governor Luis G. Fortuño-Burset in October 2009, although he later passed a law in June 2012 re-designated as nature reserve two-thirds of its lands, after intense lobbying and public pressure. Later, in 2013, Governor Alejandro García-Padilla signed a law declaring all lands within the NEC a nature reserve. The area comprises 2,969.64 acres, which include such diverse habitats as forest, wetlands, beaches, coral communities, and a sporadically bioluminescent lagoon. The Corridor is also home to 866 species of flora and fauna, of which 54 are considered critical elements, meaning rare, threatened, endangered and endemic species classified by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), some even designated as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). These include, among others, federally endangered species such as the plain pigeon, the snowy plover, the Puerto Rican boa, the hawksbill sea turtle and the West Indian manatee. The beaches along the NEC, which are 8.74 kilometers long are important nesting grounds for the leatherback sea turtle, which starts its nesting season around April each year.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Anolis poncensis is a species of lizard of the family of Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. It was first identified in Ponce, in the hills three miles east of the city. The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources considers it a "vulnerable species".
Cuchara or cucharas may refer to:
Caño Tiburones is a wetland and nature reserve located in the northern coast of Puerto Rico in the municipalities of Arecibo and Barceloneta. This is one of the largest wetlands in Puerto Rico, covering almost 7,000 acres. A large portion of the swamp, located in Arecibo, is protected as the Caño Tiburones Nature Reserve.
Caja de Muertos Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in southern Puerto Rico consisting of the islands of Caja de Muertos, Cayo Morrillito, Cayo Berbería, and their surrounding reefs and waters in the Caribbean Sea. This nature reserve was founded on January 2, 1980, by the Puerto Rico Planning Board as recommended by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources with the purpose of preserving the subtropical dry forest ecosystems found within these islands, some important sea turtle nesting sites, and the marine habitats found on their surrounding reefs and waters.