Key West National Wildlife Refuge Temporary Closures – November 10th-13th, 2022

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be closing Boca Grande Key, Woman Key, and the Marquesas Keys in Key West National Wildlife Refuge from November 10th-13th, 2022.  All beach access will be closed to the public to protect wildlife and critical habitat from disturbance.   These islands are all part of the Federal Wilderness System.  Historically there has been extreme disturbance from boaters at this time of year in these areas and these closures aim to eliminate such impacts.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with partnering agencies will have an increased law enforcement presence at these locations to enforce the temporary closures.  Anyone found violating these closures is subject to criminal prosecution by federal authorities and may be fined up to $5,000 and or six months imprisonment.  

Authority for the Refuge Manager to create this closure in a National Wildlife Refuge can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations – Title 50 – Chapter I –Subchapter C – Part 25 – Subpart B – §25.21(e) and Title 50 – Chapter I –Subchapter C – Part 25 – Subpart C – §25.31.  These regulations can be found at www.ecfr.gov

Reference maps of these areas can be found on our Refuge website: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/key-west/map  and on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Marine Zones website: https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/zones/allzones.html?s=zones  Click on Wildlife Management Areas specific to above mentioned islands.

For more information, please contact Chris Eggleston at 305-780-7509, or Greg Boling at 305-780-7526 and follow Refuge updates on our website https://www.fws.gov/refuge/key-west and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/floridakeysrefuges 

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