Desecheo Island

Desecheo is a small, quiet island that belongs to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. It sits in the northeast part of the Mona Passage, about 13 miles (21 kilometers) from the town of Rincón on the west coast of Puerto Rico, near a place called Punta Higüero. The island is also about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from Mona Island.

Desecheo is not home to any people. It covers a small area of just 0.589 square miles, which is about 377 acres or 1.53 square kilometers. The island is looked after by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is called the Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge. Even though it is part of the Sabanetas barrio in the city of Mayagüez, it is a special place for animals and nature.

Flora and fauna

Desecheo Island does not have any lakes or rivers, and its highest point reaches 715 feet above sea level. It gets about 40 inches of rain each year. Because there is no surface water, the plants there are mainly thorny bushes, small trees, weeds, and different kinds of cacti, including an endangered type called higo chumbo.

The island is home to many seabirds and three special kinds of lizards that live only there. There are also goats, rats, and rhesus monkeys that were brought to the island in 1967 for a science study. Before the monkeys arrived, Desecheo was the biggest place where brown booby birds nested.

Geology

Desecheo Island is part of Puerto Rico politically, along with Mona and Monito, but it is not connected to the main island in terms of its rocks and land. Scientists think the island has been separate since a time called the Pliocene. Even so, it belongs to something called the Rio Culebrinas formation, which means it might have once been linked to Puerto Rico.

History

No evidence has been found that people lived on the island before Europeans arrived. Christopher Columbus was the first European to visit it during his second voyage to the New World, but it wasn’t named until 1517 by a Spanish explorer.

In the 1700s, the island was a hideout for smugglers, pirates, and bandits who hunted wild goats. During World War II and until 1952, the United States used the island for practice bombing. From 1952 to 1964, the United States Air Force used it for survival training. In 1976, the island was given to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in 1983 it became a National Wildlife Refuge. In 2000, it was also named a Marine reserve, allowing fishing within half a mile of the island.

Conservation and restoration

In the early 1900s, Desecheo National Wildlife Refuge was an important place for thousands of seabirds to nest. Many different kinds of birds, like brown boobies, red-footed boobies, and brown noddies, made their homes there.

But later, animals that did not belong there, like goats and rats, started to harm the island. During World War II, the US Air Force used the island for training, which also hurt the environment. By the year 2000, very few seabirds were visiting the refuge.

In 2016, workers began to help the island by removing harmful animals like black rats and Rhesus macaques. One year later, the island was free of these animals. Soon after, new birds started to return, and scientists found nests again. They also saw flowers and fruits on a special type of cactus, which showed the plants were growing well. Since 2018, special equipment has been placed on the island to help more birds come back. In 2023, the first nest of a Sargasso shearwater was found since the harmful animals were removed.

Diving

Desecheo Island is a favorite spot for divers because of its healthy reef and clear waters, where you can see far below the surface. However, diving around the island is not allowed because there are old, unsafe military items left behind. People who go there without permission can be arrested by federal officers.

Amateur radio

Desecheo Island is treated as a special place for amateur radio, which is a hobby where people talk to each other using special radio equipment. Because of this, many radio hobbyists have visited the island for special events called DXpeditions. The island uses a special radio code called KP5, but there is no permanent mail address there.

In 2009, a group was allowed to visit the island for two weeks and made many contacts with other radio hobbyists. In January 2026, a team will visit the island again using solar power to keep their equipment running, which helps protect the environment.