Created on March 2, 1976, the Caravelle Nature Reserve located on the eastern coast of Martinique has been managed by the Martinique Regional Nature Park since 1981. Four-fifths of its 959-acre (388 ha) area is state property, either directly as the lighthouse, the weather station, or the 50 geometric steps zone, or indirectly through acquisition by the Conservatoire de l'Espace Littoral et des Rivages Lacustres (Conservatory of the coastal area and lake shores). Only a fifth is still privately owned. Field research carried out by the scientific committee of the Martinique Regional Nature Park has made it possible to list the vegetation of the peninsula and to study its climate in detail. The 39.37 to 51 inches (1,000 to 1,300 mm) of annual precipitation are distributed unevenly, with a dry season from January to April and a rainy season from July to November. The atmospheric humidity remains high and reaches 85% on average. As for the temperatures, they are relatively uniform around 78.8° F (26° C) with a low thermal amplitude in the range of 37.4° F (3.8° C).