Cocos Island (Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is an island 1 mile (1.6 km) off the southern tip of the United States territory of Guam, located within the Merizo Barrier Reef, part of the municipality of Malesso'. The island is uninhabited, 1,600 meters (5,200 ft) long in a southwest–northeast direction, between 200 m (660 ft) and 300 m (980 ft) wide, and has an area of 386,303 m2 (95.458 acres).[1] It sits atop the southwestern coralreef rim of Cocos Lagoon.
Cocos Island (Guam)
Nautical chart of Cocos Lagoon, with Cocos Island in the southwest (lower left)
The east coast of the island is a day resort with a pool, volleyball court, cafe, ice cream parlor, restaurant and bar, and water sports equipment rentals. Visitors to the resort can snorkel, dive, kayak, dolphin watch, parasail, jet ski and bike. The west side is public land, part of the Territorial Park System. Ferries run to Malesso'.
During the Spanish times, the island was owned by Don Ignacio Mendiola Dela Cruz (Tu'an). In the late 1920s, the US Government acquired two thirds of the island via eminent domain. In the mid-1930s, Don Ignacio sold the remaining third to a businessman named Gottwald. A Coast Guard long-range navigation station was built and operated on Cocos Island from 1944 to 1963. In the late 80s to early 90s, the US Government. returned the larger portion of the island to the Guam Government, who then turned it into a park.
Military tests on soil from Cocos Island in late 2005 showed levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination 4,900 times higher than the federally recommended level. Tests on twelve species of fish in the lagoon showed all but one of those species had high levels of PCBs. One had 265 times the acceptable level. The contamination most likely originated from transformers and other electrical equipment at the Coast Guard station,[citation needed] but was not tested for earlier.
Cocos Island is one of the few locations to have had the endangered Guam rail reintroduced to it.[2]
On 5 November 2020, the US Department of the Interior and the US Geological Survey announced that the brown tree snake had been found on Cocos Island.[3] The brown tree snake is an invasive species responsible for the eradication of many species of wildlife native to Guam, including birds and lizards. It is thought to have arrived as a stowaway in cargo, and was first detected in the 1950s.[4] It causes millions of dollars in damage each year, most notably to the electrical system because it climbs the poles and shorts the wires.[5]
^. Archived from the original on 14 January 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Invasive Brown Treesnake Present on Cocos Island, Agencies Working to Prevent Further Spread". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
^"Brown Tree Snake | National Invasive Species Information Center". invasivespeciesinfo.gov. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
^"Brown Tree Snake | National Invasive Species Information Center". invasivespeciesinfo.gov. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
^Martin Cox, Leonard (1917). The Island of Guam. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 66. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
Bendure, G. & Friary, N. (1988) Micronesia:A travel survival kit. South Yarra, VIC: Lonely Planet.
February 16, 2024
cocos, island, guam, this, article, uses, bare, urls, which, uninformative, vulnerable, link, please, consider, converting, them, full, citations, ensure, article, remains, verifiable, maintains, consistent, citation, style, several, templates, tools, availabl. This article uses bare URLs which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting such as reFill documentation and Citation bot documentation September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Cocos Island Chamorro Islan Dano is an island 1 mile 1 6 km off the southern tip of the United States territory of Guam located within the Merizo Barrier Reef part of the municipality of Malesso The island is uninhabited 1 600 meters 5 200 ft long in a southwest northeast direction between 200 m 660 ft and 300 m 980 ft wide and has an area of 386 303 m2 95 458 acres 1 It sits atop the southwestern coral reef rim of Cocos Lagoon Cocos Island Guam Nautical chart of Cocos Lagoon with Cocos Island in the southwest lower left GeographyLocationPacific OceanCoordinates13 14 10 N 144 38 56 E 13 23611 N 144 64889 E 13 23611 144 64889AdministrationUnited StatesAdditional informationTime zoneChamorro Standard TimeThe east coast of the island is a day resort with a pool volleyball court cafe ice cream parlor restaurant and bar and water sports equipment rentals Visitors to the resort can snorkel dive kayak dolphin watch parasail jet ski and bike The west side is public land part of the Territorial Park System Ferries run to Malesso During the Spanish times the island was owned by Don Ignacio Mendiola Dela Cruz Tu an In the late 1920s the US Government acquired two thirds of the island via eminent domain In the mid 1930s Don Ignacio sold the remaining third to a businessman named Gottwald A Coast Guard long range navigation station was built and operated on Cocos Island from 1944 to 1963 In the late 80s to early 90s the US Government returned the larger portion of the island to the Guam Government who then turned it into a park Military tests on soil from Cocos Island in late 2005 showed levels of polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs contamination 4 900 times higher than the federally recommended level Tests on twelve species of fish in the lagoon showed all but one of those species had high levels of PCBs One had 265 times the acceptable level The contamination most likely originated from transformers and other electrical equipment at the Coast Guard station citation needed but was not tested for earlier Officials from the Guam Environmental Protection Agency Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services and the Coast Guard announced their findings on 20 February 2006 and warned people not to eat fish caught in the lagoon citation needed Cocos Island is one of the few locations to have had the endangered Guam rail reintroduced to it 2 On 5 November 2020 the US Department of the Interior and the US Geological Survey announced that the brown tree snake had been found on Cocos Island 3 The brown tree snake is an invasive species responsible for the eradication of many species of wildlife native to Guam including birds and lizards It is thought to have arrived as a stowaway in cargo and was first detected in the 1950s 4 It causes millions of dollars in damage each year most notably to the electrical system because it climbs the poles and shorts the wires 5 See also edit nbsp Geography portalHealth effects of PCBs List of rivers of GuamBibliography editThe Island of Guam By Leonard Martin Cox 6 References edit http U S Census website census gov Archived copy Archived from the original on 14 January 2011 Retrieved 31 May 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Invasive Brown Treesnake Present on Cocos Island Agencies Working to Prevent Further Spread United States Geological Survey Retrieved 2 July 2021 Brown Tree Snake National Invasive Species Information Center invasivespeciesinfo gov Retrieved 2 July 2021 Brown Tree Snake National Invasive Species Information Center invasivespeciesinfo gov Retrieved 2 July 2021 Martin Cox Leonard 1917 The Island of Guam Washington Government Printing Office p 66 Retrieved 13 January 2020 Pacific Daily News article permanent dead link Bendure G amp Friary N 1988 Micronesia A travel survival kit South Yarra VIC Lonely Planet Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cocos Island Guam amp oldid 1190367290, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
