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115-1085: The barrier reef tract forms a great arc, concentric with the Florida Keys, with the northern end, in Biscayne National Park , oriented north-south and the western end, south of the Marquesas Keys, oriented east-west. The rest of the reef outside Biscayne National Park lies within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Isolated coral patch reefs occur northward from Biscayne National Park as far north as Stuart , in Martin County . Coral reefs are also found in Dry Tortugas National Park west of

230-413: A CERP component specifically intended to redistribute water flow so that fresh water is introduced gradually through creeks and marshes rather than short, heavy discharges through drainage canals. Native Americans were present in lower Florida 10,000 years ago, when ocean levels were low and Biscayne Bay was comparatively empty of water. Water levels rose from about 4000 years ago and inundated

345-491: A campground and picnic areas. The Boca Chita Lighthouse is occasionally open to visitors when staffing permits. Snorkeling and scuba diving on the offshore reefs are popular activities. The reefs have been the cause of many shipwrecks. A selection of wrecks have been the subjects of ranger-led snorkeling tours and have been organized as the Maritime Heritage Trail, the only underwater archaeological trail in

460-561: A cultural landscape, interpreting the area's use as a retreat for the rich. More modest homesteads include the now-abandoned plantations developed by Israel Jones and his sons, and the Sweeting Homestead on Elliott Key. The frame structures associated with these plantations, together with those of the Cocolobo Cay Club and frame buildings on Boca Chita Key, have been destroyed by fire and hurricanes. South Florida

575-437: A highway six lanes wide down the center of the island, destroying the forest for 7 miles (11 km). Islandia landowners called it Elliott Key Boulevard, but called it "Spite Highway" privately. It was hoped that since there was so much environmental damage, no one would want it for a national monument. Over time in the near-tropical climate, the forest grew back and now the only significant hiking trail on Elliott Key now follows

690-647: A hurricane in the middle and upper keys. In the 19th century the Straits became the major route for shipping between the eastern coast of the United States and ports in the Gulf of Mexico and the western Caribbean Sea . The combination of heavy shipping and a powerful current flowing close to dangerous reefs made the Florida Reef the site of many wrecks. By the middle of the 19th century ships were wrecking on

805-595: A loss of 6% to 10% living corals at 40 sampling stations from 1996 to 2000. Elevated temperatures can damage coral reefs, causing coral bleaching . The first recorded bleaching incident on the Florida Reef was in 1973. Incidents of bleaching have become more frequent in recent decades, in correlation with a rise in sea surface temperatures . In July 2023, recordbreaking early and rapid warming resulted in widespread coral bleaching and death. Rescue efforts, such as relocating corals to tanks or to deeper waters have helped some bleached corals recover. Oceanographer Jamison Grove at

920-501: A mock lighthouse was the area's most elaborate private retreat. The Cocolobo Cay Club was at various times owned by Miami developer Carl G. Fisher , yachtsman Garfield Wood , and President Richard Nixon 's friend Bebe Rebozo , and was visited by four United States presidents. The amphibious community of Stiltsville , established in the 1930s in the shoals of northern Biscayne Bay, took advantage of its remoteness from land to offer offshore gambling and alcohol during Prohibition . After

1035-593: A more general sense, the reef acts as a layer of protection for human settlements against tropical storms, hurricanes, and erosion. The Florida Current (which merges with the Antilles Current near the northern end of the barrier reef to form the Gulf Stream ) passes close to the Florida Reef through the Straits of Florida . Ships began wrecking along the Florida Reef almost as soon as Europeans reached

1150-603: A national park by an act of Congress through Public Law 96-287, effective June 28, 1980. The 1980 expansion extended the park almost to Key Biscayne and included Boca Chita Key, the Ragged Keys and the Safety Valve shoal region, together with the corresponding offshore reefs and a substantial portion of central Biscayne Bay. The first Islandia property owner to sell land to the National Park Service

1265-559: A rationale for existence by the national monument's establishment, Islandia languished. The hiring of a police chief in 1989 prompted questions from the National Park Service to the Dade County state attorney's office , headed by Janet Reno . In 1990 Reno's office determined after investigation that all of the town's elections were invalid, since the elections were restricted only to landowners, not residents. The town

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1380-403: A sheltered habitat for crabs, fish and wading birds. The brown waters within the mangrove thickets are nurseries for fish, mollusc and crustacean larvae that require a quiet sheltered environment before the immature animals can disperse into open waters. Mangroves shed leaves at about 2 to 4 short tons per acre (4.5 to 9.0 t/ha) per year, providing food for fish, worms and crustaceans. Because

1495-677: A thin covering of sand. The stony corals in hardbottom communities include smooth starlet coral ( Siderastrea radians ), mustard hill coral ( Porites astreoides ), golfball coral ( Favia fragum ), elliptical star coral ( Dichocoenia stokesii ) and common brain coral ( Diploria strigosa ). Hardbottom provides habitat for anemones , mollusks , crabs , spiny lobsters , seastars , sea cucumbers , tunicates and various fish, including grunts ( Haemulon spp.), snappers ( Lutjanus spp.), groupers ( Epinephelus spp.), Atlantic blue tang ( Acanthurus coeruleus ), Ocean surgeon ( Acanthurus bahianus ) and Great barracuda ( Spyraena barracuda ). Second

1610-568: A variety of bivalves , terrestrial and marine snails, sea hares , sea slugs and two cephalopods , the Caribbean reef octopus and the Caribbean reef squid . The sheltered open waters of the bay and the outlying chain of keys provide resting areas for migrating birds on their way between North American, the Caribbean islands, and South America. Many southbound land birds stop in the fall at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park , just north of

1725-605: A while. Some of the reefs in the Florida Reef are named after ships that wrecked on them. Fowey Rocks is named after HMS Fowey , which, however, actually wrecked on Ajax Reef. Looe Key is named after HMS Looe . Alligator Reef is named after the USS Alligator . Carysfort Reef is named after HMS Carysfort , which ran aground on the reef, but did not sink. Soon after the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821, it began building lighthouses along

1840-402: A wide range of global consequences such as extinction of marine species, endangerment to the fishing industries, and severe coastal erosion . In common with coral reefs throughout the Caribbean and the world, the Florida Reef exhibits some signs of stress and deterioration. Precht and Miller state that the numbers of Elkhorn and Staghorn corals ( Acropora ssp.) are declining to an extent that

1955-467: Is a national park of the United States located south of Miami, Florida , in Miami-Dade County . The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 172,971 acres (69,998.9 ha; 270.3 sq mi; 700.0 km ) and includes Elliott Key ,

2070-3076: Is a shallow coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . For a while in the 20th century it was marked by the Hen and Chickens Shoal Light . It lies to the southeast of Plantation Key . This reef lies within a Sanctuary Preservation Area (SPA). External links [ edit ] Benthic Habitat Map References [ edit ] NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Maps, Florida Keys East NOAA website on Hen and Chickens v t e Corals and coral reefs Hexacorallia Black Brain Elegance Hermatypic Chalice Pillar Table Elkhorn Staghorn † Rugose † Tabulate [REDACTED] Octocorallia Bamboo Blue Organ pipe Sea fans Sea pens Coral reefs Atoll Cay Coral Deep-water coral mesophotic coral reef Fringing Microatoll Coral reef fish Census of Coral Reefs The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs Catlin Seaview Survey Spur and groove formation Coral regions List of reefs African coral reefs Amazon Reef Andros, Bahamas Apo Reef Baa Atoll Belize Barrier Reef Coral Sea Islands Coral Triangle East African coral coast Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Great Barrier Reef India Jamaica Kiribati Lakshadweep Maldives Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System New Caledonia barrier reef Ningaloo Reef Non-tropical regions Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Pulley Ridge Raja Ampat Islands Red Sea Solomon Archipelago Southeast Asian coral reefs Tuvalu Archipelago Virgin Islands Yabiji Coral diseases Coral bleaching Black band disease Skeletal eroding band Stony coral tissue loss disease White band disease White pox disease Conservation Environmental issues with coral reefs Coral reef protection Coral reef restoration Reef resilience Organizations Coral Reef Alliance Green Fins International Coral Reef Society Project AWARE Reef Ball Reef Check Symbiotic algae Zooxanthellae Amphidinium Symbiodinium Other Artificial reef Aquaculture of coral Coral dermatitis Precious coral Coral rag Coral sand Coralline algae Deep-water coral Fire coral Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hen_and_Chickens_(reef)&oldid=1211449314 " Category : Coral reefs of

2185-596: Is a transitional zone between the Nearctic and Neotropical realms , resulting in a wide variety of plant and animal life. The intersection of realms brings opportunities for visitors to see species, particularly birds, not seen elsewhere in North America. The park includes four distinct ecosystems, each supporting its own flora and fauna. Mangrove swamp, lagoon, island key and offshore reef habitats provide diversity for many species. In this semi-tropical environment,

2300-526: Is an opening. Patch reefs may grow up to the surface of the water, and spread outwards. Dome -type patch reefs (such as Hen and Chickens ), found in Hawk Channel and on White Bank, are round or elliptical, and are generally less than three meters high, but may reach up to nine meters high. Dome-type patch reefs are surrounded by sand which is kept clear due to browsing by long-spined sea urchins and grass-eating fish. Linear -type patch reefs are found on

2415-643: Is near the north end of the park, and Crandon Park is on Key Biscayne. Although it is a federally designated park, fishing within Biscayne is governed by the state of Florida. Anglers in Biscayne are required to have a Florida recreational saltwater fishing license. Fishing is limited to designated sport fish, spiny lobster , stone crab , blue crab and shrimp. Tropical reef fish may not be collected, nor may sharks, conch, sea urchins and other marine life. Reef life species such as coral and sponges are also protected from collecting by visitors. Additionally, lobstering

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2530-620: Is now Legare Anchorage, at some distance from the Fowey Rocks. The discovery of the ship in 1975 resulted in a landmark court case that established the wreck as an archaeological site rather than a salvage site. 43 wrecks are included on the National Register of Historic Places in the Offshore Reefs Archeological District , which extends for 30 mi (48 km) along the seaward side of

2645-694: Is prohibited in the Biscayne Bay-Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary, administered by the state of Florida to protect spiny lobster breeding areas, which overlaps much of Biscayne Bay. A private concessioner provides tours from the Park headquarters into the bay and to the keys. Most tours are operated during the peak winter season from January to April. Personal watercraft are prohibited in Biscayne and most other national parks, but other private powerboats and sailboats are permitted. Most of Biscayne's permanent facilities are on

2760-420: Is the bank reef community. Bank reefs are larger than patch reefs and are found on the outer reefs. Bank reefs consist of three zones. The reef flat is closest to the keys, and consists of coralline algae growing on fragments of coral skeletons. Further out to sea are the spur and groove formations , low ridges of coral (the spurs) separated by channels with sand bottoms (the grooves). The shallowest parts of

2875-529: Is the patch reef community. Patch reefs form in shallow water (three to six meters deep), some in Hawk Channel and some on the outer reef, but mainly on White Bank between Hawk Channel and the outer reefs. Patch reefs start from corals growing on a hard bottom, but grow upward as new corals establish themselves on the skeletons of dead corals. Most of the structure of patch reefs is formed from star ( Montastraea annularis , Siderastrea siderea ) and brain corals ( Diploria spp.). Other corals attach wherever there

2990-612: Is the ten-fathom line (60-foot; 18 m) of water depth in the Atlantic Ocean on the Florida Reef . The park's western boundary is a fringe of property on the mainland, extending a few hundred meters inland between Cutler Ridge and Mangrove Point. The only direct mainland access to the park is at the Convoy Point Visitor Center, adjacent to the park headquarters. The southwestern boundary adjoins

3105-411: Is to be administered by a trust and used as accommodation for overnight camping, educational facilities and researchers. Biscayne National Park includes a number of navigational aids, as well as an ornamental structure built to resemble a lighthouse. The Fowey Rocks Light is a skeleton-frame cast iron structure built in 1878. Already included within the boundaries of the park, the light was acquired by

3220-513: Is unprecedented in several thousand years. Between 1981 and 1986, Staghorn corals declined by 96% at Molasses Reef . Between 1983 and 2000 at Looe Key , Elkhorn corals declined by 93% and Staghorn corals by 98%. A joint reef monitoring program conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency , Florida Marine Research Institute and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded

3335-428: Is water, the islands have a number of protected historical structures and districts. Shipwrecks are also protected within the park, and the park's offshore waters are a protected historic district. Stiltsville was established by Eddie "Crawfish" Walker in the 1930s as a small community of shacks built on pilings in a shallow section of Biscayne Bay , not far from Key Biscayne. Comprising 27 structures at its height in

3450-625: The Cold War the future park area was a training ground for Cuban exiles training for missions in Fidel Castro 's Cuba. Elliott Key in particular was used by the Central Intelligence Agency as a training area in the early 1960s in preparation for Bay of Pigs invasion . The largest facility was Ledbury Lodge, the only hotel ever built on the key. As late as 1988 a group of Cuban exiles were arrested when they tried to use

3565-563: The Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Central Intelligence Agency and Cuban exile groups used Elliott Key as a training ground for infiltrators into Fidel Castro 's Cuba . Originally proposed for inclusion in Everglades National Park , Biscayne Bay was removed from the proposed park to ensure Everglades' establishment. The area remained undeveloped until the 1960s, when a series of proposals were made to develop

Florida Reef - Misplaced Pages Continue

3680-657: The Florida Railroad , the first railroad to connect the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida, was to allow goods to be transferred between ships in the Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico, thus avoiding the dangerous passage along the Florida Reef. Salvaging wrecks on the reefs was the principal occupation in the Florida Keys through much of the 19th century, helping make Key West the biggest and richest city in Florida for

3795-508: The Glades culture . The Glades culture was followed by the Tequesta people, who occupied the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Tequesta were a sedentary community that lived on fish and other sea life, with no significant agricultural activity. A site on Sands Key has yielded potsherds, worked shells and other artifacts indicating occupation from at latest 1000  CE to about 1650, after contact

3910-781: The New World . From early in the 16th century Spanish ships returning from the New World to Spain sailed from Havana to catch the Gulf Stream, which meant they passed close to the Florida Reef, with some wrecking on the reefs. In 1622, six ships of the Spanish treasure fleet , including the Nuestra Señora de Atocha , wrecked during a hurricane in the lower Keys. In 1733, 19 ships of the Spanish treasure fleet wrecked during

4025-571: The Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station and its system of cooling canals. The southern portion of Biscayne Bay extends between Elliott Key and the mainland, transited by the Intracoastal Waterway . The park abuts the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary on the east and south sides of the park and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to the south. Only 9,075 acres (3,673 ha) of

4140-517: The United States Army and United States Navy . In 1855 Alexander Dallas Bache , Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey, assumed personal direction of the survey. In 1851 the U.S. Coast Survey sent Louis Agassiz to study the Florida Reef. His report on the reefs was published in 1880. 25°06′N 80°24′W  /  25.1°N 80.4°W  / 25.1; -80.4 Biscayne National Park Biscayne National Park

4255-458: The 18 area landowners who favored development voted to create the City of Islandia on Elliott Key . The town was incorporated to encourage Dade County to improve access to Elliott Key, which landowners viewed as a potential rival to Miami Beach . The new city lobbied for causeway access and formed a negotiating bloc to attract potential developers. In 1962, an industrial seaport was proposed for

4370-491: The 1960s, Stiltsville lost shacks to fires and hurricanes, with only six surviving in 2021, none of them dating to the 1960s or earlier. The site was incorporated into Biscayne National Park in 1985, when the Park Service agreed to honor existing leases until July 1, 1999. Hurricane Andrew destroyed most of Stiltsville in 1992. The Park Service has undertaken to preserve the community, which is now unoccupied. The community

4485-444: The 20th century, with more than 40 documented wrecks within the park's boundaries. While the park's islands were farmed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, their rocky soil and periodic hurricanes made agriculture difficult to sustain. In the early 20th century the islands became secluded destinations for wealthy Miamians who built getaway homes and social clubs. Mark C. Honeywell 's guesthouse on Boca Chita Key that featured

4600-653: The Biscayne National Park keys. During the 18th century, Elliott Key was the reputed base of two different pirates, both called Black Caesar , commemorated by Caesar's Creek between Elliott and Old Rhodes Key. The first permanent European settlers in the Miami area did not come until the early 19th century. The first settlements around Biscayne Bay were small farms on Elliott Key growing crops like key limes and pineapples . John James Audubon visited Elliott Key in 1832. Colonel Robert E. Lee surveyed

4715-399: The Florida Keys and were often caught in hurricanes. There are 44 documented shipwrecks in the park from the 16th through the 20th centuries. At least two 18th-century Spanish ships were wrecked in the park area. The Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora del Popolo is believed to have been wrecked in park waters in 1733, though the site has not been found. HMS Fowey was wrecked in 1748 in what

Florida Reef - Misplaced Pages Continue

4830-648: The Florida Keys by the Hawk Channel . Closest to the Keys is a sand ridge called White Bank , covered by large beds of sea grass, with patch reefs scattered across it. Further out to sea on the edge of the Florida Straits is the second ridge forming the outer reefs, covered by reefs and hard banks composed of coral rubble and sand. Almost 1,400 species of marine plants and animals, including more than 40 species of stony corals and 500 species of fish, live on

4945-478: The Florida Reef at the rate of almost once a week (the collector of customs in Key West reported a rate of 48 wrecks a year in 1848). Between 1848 and 1859 at least 618 ships were wrecked on the Florida Reef. The Assistant United States Coast Surveyor reported that in the period from 1845 through 1849 almost one million (United States) dollars worth of vessels and cargos were lost on the reef. The chief motivation for

5060-626: The Florida Reef is composed of shell, coral skeleton and limestone fragments. Other common species of hard coral found on the Florida Reef include Ivory Bush Coral ( Oculina diffusa ), which is the dominant coral in the patch reefs along the Florida coast north of the Florida Keys, staghorn coral ( Acropora cervicornis ), lettuce coral ( Agaricia agaricites ), grooved brain coral ( Diploria labyrinthiformis ), boulder star coral ( Monstastrea annularis ), great star coral ( M. cavernosa ), clubbed finger coral ( Porites porites ) and massive starlet coral ( Siderastrea siderea ). Notable individual reefs in

5175-527: The Florida Reef. In order to provide better charts for ships sailing along the Florida Reef, the Florida Keys, including the reef, and the waters to the west of the Keys, including Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay, were surveyed in the 1850s. The United States Army Corps of Topographical Engineers established a base camp on Key Biscayne in 1849. The triangulation survey was conducted by the United States Coast Survey with men detailed from

5290-513: The Florida Reef. The Florida Reef lies close to the northern limit for tropical corals, but the species diversity on the reef is comparable to that of reef systems in the Caribbean Sea . The Florida Museum of Natural History defines three communities on the Florida reefs. The hardbottom community lies closest to the Florida Keys and consists primarily of algae , sea fans ( gorgonians ) and stony corals growing on limestone rock that has

5405-754: The Florida coast. The first lighthouses marking the Florida Reef were the Cape Florida Light , at the northern end of the Reef, the Dry Tortugas Light (on Bush Key), marking the western end of the Reef, and the Key West Light , all first lit in 1825. A light ship was placed at Carysfort Reef in 1825, as well. Garden Key Light , also in the Dry Tortugas, was added in 1826, and Sand Key Light (six nautical miles from Key West ),

5520-399: The Florida reef system include: Nearly 25% of all ocean life thrives on coral reefs, making these fragile habitats a necessity to ocean ecosystems. Plant and animal life on coral reefs are quickly being destroyed due to pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Animals known as polyps, which create the fundamental structure of a reef, die from ingesting tiny bits of trash floating throughout

5635-729: The Jones plantations were for a while among the largest lime producers on the Florida east coast. Carl G. Fisher , who was responsible for much of the development of Miami Beach , bought Adams Key , once known as Cocolobo Key, in 1916 and built the Cocolobo Cay Club in 1922. The two-story club building had ten guest rooms, a dining room, and a separate recreation lodge. Patrons included Warren G. Harding , Albert Fall , T. Coleman du Pont , Harvey Firestone , Jack Dempsey , Charles F. Kettering , Will Rogers and Frank Seiberling . Israel Jones' sons Lancelot and Arthur dropped out of

5750-463: The Marquesas Keys. The reefs are 5,000 to 7,000 years old, having developed since sea levels rose following the Wisconsinan glaciation . The densest and most spectacular reefs, along with the highest water clarity, are found to the seaward of Key Largo (in and beyond John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park) and Elliott Key (the northernmost 'true' Florida Key) where the two long keys help protect

5865-486: The NOAA stated that these efforts must be accompanied by reductions in greenhouse gas emission to save the reef. White band disease has also adversely affected corals on the Florida Reef. While hurricanes often can cause localized damage to Elkhorn and Staghorn corals, Precht and Miller state that the severe and widespread loss of those corals on the Florida Reef cannot be attributed to hurricane damage. Other possible causes of

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5980-618: The National Park Service system. The wrecks of the Arratoon Apcar (sank 1878), Erl King (1891), Alicia (1905), Lugano (1913) and Mandalay (1966) are on the trail together with an unknown wreck from the 1800s and the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. The Alicia , Erl King and Lugano are relatively deep wrecks, best suited for scuba dives. The Mandalay is at a shallower depth and is especially popular for snorkeling. Although most of Biscayne National Park's area

6095-478: The Park Service on October 2, 2012. The unmanned Pacific Reef Light is about three miles (4.8 km) offshore from Elliott Key. The original 1921 structure was replaced in 2000 and its lantern was placed on display in a park in Islamorada . Industrialist Mark C. Honeywell was a Cocolobo Club member who bought Boca Chita Key in 1937, expanding the facilities to include a small lighthouse. Boca Chita Key

6210-576: The South Florida mainland was depopulated. Ponce de León referred to the bay as "Chequescha" after its inhabitants, becoming "Tequesta" by the time of Spanish governor Pedro Menéndez de Avilés later in the century. The present name has been attributed to a shipwrecked Basque sailor known as the " Biscaino " or "Viscayno" who lived in the area for a time, or to a more general allusion to the Bay of Biscay . Spanish treasure fleets regularly sailed past

6325-571: The adjoining inland extensions were cut from Everglades National Park before its establishment in 1947. When proposals to develop Elliott Key surfaced in 1960, Lloyd Miller asked Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall to send a Park Service reconnaissance team to review the Biscayne Bay area for inclusion in the national park system. A favorable report ensued, and with financial help from Herbert Hoover, Jr., political support

6440-541: The area around Biscayne Bay for potential fortification sites in 1849. At the end of the American Civil War in 1865, a number of Confederates passed through the area as they were attempting to escape to Cuba . Elliott Key was a brief stopping point for John C. Breckinridge during his flight to Cuba. The former United States vice president, Confederate general and Confederate secretary of war spent two nights in Biscayne Bay on his journey. Few people lived in

6555-570: The bay has been channelized , replacing freshwater sawgrass marshes. The L-31E coastal storm surge levee inland of the park's western boundary has played a significant role in isolating former freshwater marshlands from their water sources. At the same time, tidal water does not reach the interior of the coastal margin, limiting interchange between salt and freshwater ecosystems. Hen and Chickens (reef) Coordinates : 24°56′07″N 080°32′55″W  /  24.93528°N 80.54861°W  / 24.93528; -80.54861 From Misplaced Pages,

6670-445: The bay. Archeologists believe any traces left by the peoples of that era are now submerged; none now exist on dry lands in the park. The Cutler Fossil Site , just to the west of the park, has yielded evidence of human occupation extending to at least 10000 years before the present. The earliest evidence of human presence in Biscayne dates to about 2500 years before the present, with piles of conch and whelk shells left by

6785-480: The carbon in the leaves is sequestered by incorporation into animals, the mangrove swamp is estimated to have two to three times the ability to sequester carbon of terrestrial forests. The mangrove forest on Biscayne Bay is the longest on Florida's east coast. Shoreline and island mangrove swamps, together with the bay, represent a significant nursery for the marine life of southeast Florida. The salt-tolerant mangrove margin has expanded inland as freshwater flow into

6900-641: The club with fish, lobster and crabs. Arthur and Lancelot Jones were the second largest landowners and the only permanent residents of the lower Biscayne Bay keys during the 1960s. Wood sold the Cocolobo Cay Club to a group of investors led by Miami banker Bebe Rebozo in 1954, who renamed it the Coco Lobo Fishing Club. Clients guided by the Joneses through the 1940s and 1950s included then-senators John F. Kennedy , Lyndon Johnson , Richard Nixon , Herman Talmadge , and George Smathers . During

7015-685: The construction of a causeway to the mainland. One proposal included building a highway linking the Biscayne Bay keys to the Overseas Highway at Key Largo and to the developed barrier islands to the north. At the same time, pressure built to accommodate industrial development in South Florida . This led to competing priorities between those who wanted to develop for residential and leisure use and those in favor of industrial and infrastructure development. On December 6, 1960, 12 of

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7130-441: The construction of canals. These canals channel water from portions of the southeastern Everglades now used for agriculture into the bay. Prior to canal construction, most fresh water inflow came from rain and groundwater, but the canals are now altering the salinity profile of the bay, conveying sediment and pollutants and leading to saltwater intrusion into the Biscayne aquifer. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)

7245-528: The deep water. In 1963 Florida Power and Light (FP&L) announced plans for two new 400- megawatt oil-fired power plants on undeveloped land at Turkey Point . Many local residents and politicians supported SeaDade because it would have created additional jobs, but a group of early environmentalists thought the costs were too high. They fought against development of the bay and formed the Safe Progress Association. Led by Lloyd Miller,

7360-424: The die-off of the sea urchins, so that the proliferation of seaweed following the loss of the sea urchins was not the cause of the die-off of the corals, but may be retarding recovery by the corals. Another threat to the Florida Reef is the ongoing rise in sea level . The sea level has risen almost six inches (15 cm) at Key West since 1913, and one foot (30 cm) since 1850. This rise in sea level increases

7475-613: The 💕 Coral reef in the Florida Keys, US Hen and Chickens [REDACTED] A Montastraea coral at Hen and Chickens reef in 1999. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Caribbean Show map of Florida [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Hen and Chickens (reef) (Caribbean) Show map of Caribbean Location Location Caribbean Coordinates 24°56′07″N 080°32′55″W  /  24.93528°N 80.54861°W  / 24.93528; -80.54861 Country United States Geology Type reef Hen and Chickens

7590-413: The key for a mock landing. Farther north, exiled Venezuelan president Marcos Pérez Jiménez kept a house on Soldier Key until he was extradited in 1963. As modern communities grew in and around Miami, developers looked to southern Miami-Dade County for new projects. The undeveloped keys south of Key Biscayne were viewed as prime development territory. Beginning in the 1890s, local interests promoted

7705-467: The keys are covered by mangrove forest. The park includes the southern portion of Biscayne Bay, with areas of thin sediment called "hardbottom", and vegetated seagrass meadows supporting turtlegrass and shoal grass. As a result of efforts to control water resources in Florida and projects to drain the Everglades during the early and mid-20th century, water flow into Biscayne Bay has been altered by

7820-409: The keys in the manner of Miami Beach , and to construct a deepwater seaport for bulk cargo, along with refinery and petrochemical facilities on the mainland shore of Biscayne Bay. Through the 1960s and 1970s, two fossil-fueled power plants and two nuclear power plants were built on the bay shores. A backlash against development led to the 1968 designation of Biscayne National Monument. The preserved area

7935-437: The lagoon deposits. The Key Largo Limestone is a coarse stone formed from stony corals, between 69 and 200 ft (21 and 61 m) in thickness. As a consequence of their origins as reefs, the beaches of Elliott Key and Old Rhodes Key are rocky. Significant sandy beaches are found only at Sands Key. Biscayne Bay is a shallow semi-enclosed lagoon which averages 10 ft (3.0 m) in depth. Both its mainland margins and

8050-553: The largest generating sites in the United States. Other neighboring influences on the bay are the agricultural lands of south Miami-Dade County, a sewage treatment facility on the park boundary at Black Point, and its neighbor, the South Miami-Dade Landfill. Biscayne National Park operates year-round. Camping is most practical in winter months, when mosquitoes are less troublesome on the keys. The Biscayne National Park Institute provides half and full day tours in

8165-502: The lime-growing business after competition from Mexican limes made their business less profitable, and after a series of devastating hurricanes in 1938 they became full-time fishing guides at the Cocolobo Club. The club had declined with the crash of 1929 which cost Fisher his fortune, but was revived by Garfield Wood in 1934. Among the Joneses' clients was avid fisherman Herbert Hoover and his family. The Joneses also provided

8280-451: The losses of corals on the Florida Reef include epizootic diseases, eutrophication , predation , sedimentation , overfishing , ship groundings , anchor dragging, commercial lobster and crab traps moved by storms, pollution, development on the Keys, growing numbers of visitors to the Keys and the reefs and the growth of seaweed on the coral. The long-spined sea urchin ( Diadema antillarum ), which browses on seaweed on and around reefs,

8395-417: The mainland shores of Biscayne Bay, to be known as SeaDade. SeaDade, supported by billionaire shipping magnate Daniel K. Ludwig , would have included an oil refinery. In addition to the physical structures, it would have been necessary to dredge a 40-foot-deep (12 m) channel through the bay for large ships to access the refinery. The channel would have also required cutting through the coral reef to get to

8510-465: The northern Florida Keys from Key Biscayne to Key Largo , with bridges and created new islands using the fill from the SeaDade channel. Although Miami-area politicians and the state of Florida did not support Ludwig's SeaDade plans, Islandia's supporters continued to lobby for development support. In 1968, when it appeared the area was about to become a national monument, Islandia supporters bulldozed

8625-454: The ocean called microplastics . Overfishing is also threatening reef fish populations, which feed on the algae that will smother corals. Fluctuating ocean temperatures caused by global warming presents the largest threat to coral reefs. The sudden warming or cooling of the water stresses the corals, causing them to lose their nutrients and turn white, a process known as bleaching. With the destruction of these complex yet fragile ecosystems comes

8740-463: The offshore keys. A seasonally staffed ranger station is on Elliott Key, as well as a campground and 36 boat slips. A single loop trail runs from the harbor to the oceanfront, and a path following the Spite Highway runs the length of the island. Adams Key is a day-use-only area for visitors, although two Park Service residences are on the island. Boca Chita Key is the most-visited island, with

8855-1076: The outer reefs, and are linear or curved. They occur in single or multiple rows, trending the same direction as the bank reefs on the outer reefs. Linear-type patch reefs often include elkhorn coral , which is rare on the dome-type patch reefs. As dead coral skeletons age and are weakened by the activities of boring sponges , worms , and mollusks and by wave action, parts of a patch reef may collapse. Patch reefs provide habitat for spiny lobsters and for many species of fish, including Bluehead wrasse ( Thalassoma bifasciatum ), damselfish ( Chromis spp.), Ocean surgeon, French and queen angelfish ( Pomacanthus spp.), white, caesar and spanish grunts ( Haemulon ssp.), yellowtail and other snappers, redband and stoplight parrotfish ( Sparisoma ssp.), sergeant major ( Abudefduf saxatilis ), tomtate ( Haemulon aurolineatum ), trumpetfish ( Aulostomus maculatus ), filefish , groupers, snappers, bar jack ( Caranx ruber ), great barracuda, pufferfish , squirrelfish , cardinalfish , and green morays ( Gymnothorax funebris ). Third

8970-401: The park are reachable only by private or concessioner boats. Activities include boating, fishing, kayaking , windsurfing , snorkeling and scuba diving . Miami-Dade County operates four marina parks near the park. Homestead Bayfront Park is directly adjacent to the park headquarters at Convoy Point. Farther south Black Point Park provides access to Adams and Elliott Keys. Matheson Hammock Park

9085-483: The park area until 1897, when Israel Lafayette Jones, an African-American property manager, bought Porgy Key for US$ 300 (equivalent to $ 11,000 in 2023). The next year Jones bought the adjoining Old Rhodes Key and moved his family there, clearing land to grow limes and pineapples. In 1911, Jones bought 212-acre (86 ha) Totten Key, which had been used as a pineapple plantation, for a dollar an acre, selling in 1925 for US$ 250,000. Before Israel Jones' death in 1932

9200-576: The park includes Soldier Key , the Ragged Keys , Sands Key , Elliott Key , Totten Key and Old Rhodes Key , as well as smaller islands that form the northernmost extension of the Florida Keys . The Safety Valve , a wide shallow opening in the island chain, between the Ragged Keys and Key Biscayne just north of the park's boundary, allows storm surge water to flow out of the bay after the passage of tropical storms. The park's eastern boundary

9315-552: The park on Key Biscayne, before venturing across the open waters of Biscayne Bay. Northbound spring migrants do likewise on Elliott Key. Most of the small passerine migrants are warblers, with ovenbirds , palm warblers , American redstarts , common yellowthroats , prairie warblers , worm-eating warblers and black-throated blue warblers accounting for the majority. Migrant raptors include short-tailed hawks , sharp-shinned hawks , merlins , peregrine falcons and swallow-tailed kites , while bald eagles and ospreys nest in

9430-507: The park that include snorkeling, hiking, paddling and sailing from the park headquarters. Boat excursions to Boca Chita Key and the area's lighthouses are also available. Licensed private concessionaires provide guided fishing, snorkeling, sailing, and sightseeing tours. Access to the park from the mainland is limited to the immediate vicinity of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point. All other portions of

9545-483: The park's area are on land, with the offshore keys comprising 4,250 acres (1,720 ha) and mainland mangrove swamps account for the remaining 4,825 acres (1,953 ha). As an extension of the Everglades ecosystem, much of the park was originally proposed to be included in Everglades National Park , but was excluded to obtain a consensus for the establishment of the Everglades park in 1947. Biscayne Bay marks

9660-685: The park's establishment. Homestead Bayfront Park, still operated by Miami-Dade County just south of Convoy Point, established a "blacks-only" segregated beach for African-Americans at the present site of the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. The segregated beach operated through the 1950s into the early 1960s before segregated public facilities were abolished. The earliest proposals for the protection of Biscayne Bay were part of proposals by Everglades National Park advocate Ernest F. Coe , whose proposed Everglades park boundaries included Biscayne Bay, its keys, interior country including what are now Homestead and Florida City , and Key Largo. Biscayne Bay, Key Largo and

9775-416: The park's largest island and northernmost of the true Florida Keys , formed from fossilized coral reef. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand. The offshore portion of the park includes the northernmost region of the Florida Reef , one of the largest coral reefs in the world. Biscayne National Park protects four distinct ecosystems: the shoreline mangrove swamp ,

9890-461: The park, the area of Elliott Key has become a popular destination for some participants. A fifth generating unit fueled by natural gas and oil was added to the Turkey Point generating station in 2007. In 2009, Turkey Point was proposed as the site of two new 1117 MW AP1000 nuclear reactors, to be designated Turkey Point 6 and 7. If built, the new reactors would make Turkey Point one of

10005-479: The park. Biscayne also has a small population of threatened American crocodiles and a few American alligators . The people of the Glades culture inhabited the Biscayne Bay region as early as 10,000 years ago before rising sea levels filled the bay. The Tequesta people occupied the islands and shoreline from about 4,000 years before the present to the 16th century, when the Spanish took possession of Florida. Reefs claimed ships from Spanish times through

10120-434: The park. Both white-tailed and red-tailed tropicbirds are seen in the park, as are American flamingos , with some of the latter probably escaped captive birds. The mainland shorelines are dominated by a marshy transitional zone chiefly populated by red mangrove and black mangrove growing from the shallow water, with white mangrove growing farther back from the water's edge. The trees' aerial root structure provides

10235-420: The path of Elliott Key Boulevard. The oil-fired Turkey Point power stations were completed in 1967–68 and experienced immediate problems from the discharge of hot cooling water into Biscayne Bay, where the heat killed marine grasses. In 1964 FP&L announced plans for two 693 MW nuclear reactors at the site, which were expected to compound the cooling water problem. Because of the shallowness of Biscayne Bay,

10350-477: The period from June 2000 to May 2001 a little over 6 million person-days of reef related activities resulted in $ 1,297 million in sales, which generated $ 614 million in income for 19,000 full- and part-time jobs. The activity was about evenly split between residents and tourists. As in Monroe County, about half the activity involved fishing, with one-third involving snorkeling and one-sixth scuba diving. In

10465-406: The potential park were "the clear, sparkling waters, marine life, and the submerged lands of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Here in shallow water is a veritable wonderland." President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Public Law 90–606 to create Biscayne National Monument on October 18, 1968. The monument was expanded in 1974 under Public Law 93-477 and expanded again when the monument was redesignated

10580-431: The power stations were projected to consume a significant proportion of the bay's waters each day for cooling. After extensive negotiations and litigation with both the state and with Ludwig, who owned lands needed for cooling water canals, a closed-loop canal system was built south of the power plants and the nuclear units became operational in the early 1970s. Portions of the present park were used for recreation prior to

10695-682: The president of the local chapter of the Izaak Walton League , Miami Herald reporter Juanita Greene , and Art Marshall, the opponents of industrialization proposed the creation of a national park unit that would protect the reefs, islands and bay. After initial skepticism, the park proposal obtained the support of Miami Herald editors, as well as Florida Congressman Dante Fascell and Florida Governor Claude R. Kirk, Jr. , and were supported by lobbying efforts by sympathetic businessmen including Herbert Hoover, Jr. One vision of Islandia, supported by land owners, would have connected

10810-491: The reefs from the effects of water exchange with Florida Bay , Biscayne Bay , Card Sound and Barnes Sound. The bays and sounds (all between the Florida Keys and the mainland) tend to have lower salinity , higher turbidity and wider temperature variations than the water in the open ocean. Channels between the Keys allow brackish water from the bays to flow onto the reefs (especially in the middle Keys), limiting their growth. The Florida Reef consists of two ridges separated from

10925-753: The reefs has grown tremendously in the past century. One measure of the growth is that registrations for recreational boats in Monroe County increased by 1000% from 1964 to 2006. Recreational use of the Florida Reef and surrounding waters is popular and important to the economy of southern Florida, and in particular, of Monroe County. In 2000-2001 artificial and natural reefs in South Florida and Monroe County had 28 million person-days of recreational use by residents and tourists, including scuba diving , fishing and viewing (as, for example, by snorkeling ). These activities generated $ 4.4 million in sales, generated almost $ 2 million in local income and provided more than 70,000 full- and part-time jobs. The estimated asset value of

11040-504: The reefs led to the establishment in 1960 of a protected area that became John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park . The creation of Biscayne National Monument (which later became Biscayne National Park) in 1968 protected the northern part of the Florida Reef. In 1990 the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was established, bringing all of the Florida reef into federal or state protection. Human use of

11155-501: The reefs was $ 8.5 billion. About two-thirds of the activity was related to natural reefs. In Monroe County for the period of June 2000 to May 2001 almost 5.5 million person-days of reef related activities resulted in $ 504 million in sales, which generated $ 140 million in income for 10,000 full- and part-time jobs. Almost two-thirds of the activity was by residents, and about half the activity involved fishing, with one-third involving snorkeling and one-sixth scuba diving. In Dade County for

11270-624: The resulting flight paths over the bay, only 2 mi (3.2 km) to the east, would result in degradation of the park. In 1999 The Air Force prohibited major commercial development at Homestead as a result. The park's popularity as a destination for boaters has led to a high rate of accidents, some of them fatal. The Columbus Day weekend has been cited as the "most dangerous weekend of the year." An annual boating regatta in its 57th year in 2012 resulted in six deaths between 2002 and 2011, with damage to seabeds from vessel groundings and littering. Although official regatta activities take place outside

11385-612: The seasons are differentiated mainly by rainfall. Warm to hot and wet summers bring occasional tropical storms. Though only marginally cooler, the winters tend to be relatively drier. Bay salinity varies accordingly, with lower salinity levels in the wet summer, trending to more fresh water on the west side where new fresh water flows in. Hundreds of species of fish are present in park waters, including more than fifty crustacean species ranging from isopods to giant blue land crabs , about two hundred species of birds and about 27 mammal species, both terrestrial and marine. Molluscs include

11500-748: The shallow waters of Biscayne Bay, the coral limestone keys, and the offshore Florida Reef. The shoreline swamps of the mainland and island margins provide a nursery for larval and juvenile fish, molluscs, and crustaceans. The bay waters harbor immature and adult fish, seagrass beds, sponges, soft corals, and manatees . The keys are covered with tropical vegetation including endangered cacti and palms, and their beaches provide nesting grounds for endangered sea turtles . Offshore reefs and waters harbor more than 200 species of fish, pelagic birds, whales, and hard corals. Sixteen endangered species including Schaus' swallowtail butterflies , smalltooth sawfish , manatees, and green and hawksbill sea turtles may be observed in

11615-467: The southernmost extent of the Atlantic barrier islands, represented by Key Biscayne and the northernmost extent of the Florida Keys at Elliott Key . The keys are distinguished from the barrier islands by the coral limestone that extends to the islands' surface under a thin veneer of topsoil, while the barrier islands are dominated by wave-deposited sands that cover most of the limestones. Biscayne Bay lies between low ridges of oolitic Miami Limestone on

11730-783: The spurs support fire corals and zoanthids . Starting at five or six feet deep, Elkhorn, star, and brain corals are the most important members of the community. Various types of gorgonians are also common. Beyond the spur and groove zone is the forereef , which slopes down to the deeps. The upper forereef is dominated by star coral. At greater depths plate-like corals dominate, and then as the available light fades, sponges and non-reef building corals become common. Bank reefs provide habitat for various fishes, including French angelfish, blue and queen parrotfish , Queen triggerfish ( Balistes vetula ), rock beauties ( Holacanthus tricolor ), Goatfish ( Parupeneus cyclostomus ), porkfish ( Anisotremus virginicus ) and snappers. The sand found around and in

11845-529: The volume of water in Florida Bay significantly, and increases the exchange of water between the Bay and the water over the reefs. The lower salinity, higher turbidity and more variable temperature of the water from Florida Bay adversely affects the reefs. A continued rise in sea level would likely intensify the effect. A perceived deterioration of the reefs became a concern in the 1950s. Early attempts to protect

11960-522: The west, forming Cutler Ridge and the coral-based Key Largo limestone that underlies Elliott Key and the keys to the south. The Miami limestone was deposited in turbulent lagoon waters. The Key Largo Limestone is a fossilized coral reef formed during the Sangamonian Stage of about 75,000 to 125,000 years ago. The Miami Formation achieved its present form somewhat later, during a glacial period in which fresh water consolidated and cemented

12075-405: The widow of Eastern Airlines executive Paul Tannehill. Jones' house built by Lancelot, his father and his brother, burned down in 1982. He lived in a two-room shack for the next ten years, riding out hurricanes on Porgy Key, but left his home permanently just before Hurricane Andrew in 1992. The house was destroyed and Jones remained in Miami until his death in 1997 at 99 years. Deprived of

12190-399: Was Lancelot Jones, together with Katherine Jones, Arthur's widow. They sold their lands for $ 1,272,500, about a third of the potential development value. Jones was given a life estate on 3 acres (1.2 ha) at the age of 70. He visited with park rangers stationed at the former Cocolobo Club, which eventually burned down in 1975. The other life estate in the park was held by Virginia Tannehill,

12305-408: Was added in 1827. Large stretches of the Florida Reef remained unprotected by lighthouses, however. Keeping lights in operation along the Florida Reef proved difficult. The Carysfort Reef light ship was often blown out of position, and one time even onto a reef. The first light ship had to be replaced after just five years due to dry rot. The Cape Florida lighthouse was burned by Seminoles in 1836, and

12420-412: Was developed with several structures including an imitation lighthouse, built using coral rock and topped with a wire cage resembling a lighthouse lantern, and the end of a jetty on the north side of the key. The key was owned by Honeywell until 1945. Mark and Olive Honeywell also built a chapel, a guesthouse, seawalls and utility buildings on the island. The Boca Chita Key structures are administered as

12535-399: Was established in 2000 to mitigate the effects of human intervention into the natural water flow of the Everglades. Primarily aimed at the restoration of historical patterns of water flow into Everglades National Park, the project will also deal with issues arising from the diversion of water out of the southern Everglades into Biscayne Bay. The Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project (BBCW) is

12650-467: Was expanded by its 1980 re-designation as Biscayne National Park. The park is heavily used by boaters, and apart from the park's visitor center on the mainland and a jetty at Black Point Marina, its land and sea areas are accessible only by boat. Biscayne National Park comprises 172,971 acres (270.3 sq mi; 700.0 km ) in Miami-Dade County in southeast Florida. Extending from just south of Key Biscayne southward to just north of Key Largo ,

12765-583: Was finally abolished by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners in March 2012. The impact of Hurricane Andrew on neighboring Homestead Air Force Base caused the Air Force to consider closing the base and conveying it to Miami-Dade County, which was interested in using the base for commercial air traffic as an alternative to Miami International Airport . An environmental impact study concluded

12880-460: Was made with Europeans. Fifty significant archaeological sites have been identified in the park. Juan Ponce de León explored the area in 1513, discovering the Florida Keys and encountering the Tequesta on the mainland. Other Spanish explorers arrived later in the 16th century and Florida came under Spanish rule. The Tequesta were resettled by the then-Spanish government in the Florida Keys, and

12995-486: Was not repaired and re-lit until 1847. The Key West and Sand Key lighthouses were destroyed by a hurricane in 1846. Starting at Carysfort Reef in 1852, skeletal tower lighthouses were built on submerged reefs to place lights as close to the outer edge of the Florida Reef as possible. With the completion of the American Shoal Light in 1880 there were finally navigation lights visible along the full length of

13110-492: Was sharply reduced in numbers on the Florida Reef (and throughout the Caribbean) in the 1980s. While populations of this sea urchin have somewhat recovered elsewhere, its numbers are still very low on most of the Florida Reef, with the exception of the Dry Tortugas. As a consequence, there has been no effective check of the growth of seaweed on reef corals. However, the severe die-off of Elkhorn and Staghorn corals occurred before

13225-420: Was solicited, most notably from Congressman Fascell. A 90-acre (36 ha) area of Elliott Key was by this time a part of the Dade County park system. The 1966 report noted the proposed park contained the best remaining areas of tropical forest in Florida and a rare combination of "terrestrial, marine and amphibious life," as well as significant recreational value. The report found the most significant virtues of

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