National Wildlife Refuges: 6 Ways You Can Make a Difference

More than 100 years ago, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt created the National Wildlife Refuge System, including Key West National Wildlife Refuge and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, two of four National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys. An avid hunter and fisherman, Roosevelt was wise in his foresight, helping protect birds whose feathers were all the early 1900s fashion rage from being completely slaughtered.

Today there are over 560 National Wildlife Refuges, public lands that have become a national asset, providing home to some of the world’s most endangered and threatened habitats, plants, and wildlife species as well as providing recreational opportunities to the thousands of people who visit them and thousands of dollars and jobs to local economies throughout the country.

The Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges celebrates these assets this week during their second annual Outdoor Fest from Saturday, March 11th through Saturday, March 18th with a full week of action-packed days filled with family-friendly, mostly free outdoor adventures and hands-on activities.  Hosted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Complex and their Friends group FAVOR (Friends And Volunteers Of Refuges), the celebration is the perfect way in which to acquaint yourself with the four Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges— National Key Deer, Crocodile Lake, Great White Heron, and Key West National Wildlife Refuges— and the distinct qualities, creatures, and habitat each one holds.

“The Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges, which belong to present and future generations of Americans, are national treasures,” says Refuge Ranger Kristie Killam.  “They are home to plants and wildlife that are found nowhere else in the world.”

Support your national treasures by participating in the Outdoor Fest and become a wildlife enthusiast in these six simple ways.

  1. VISIT GENTLY. On Land- Stay on established trails to protect sensitive plants and wildlife.  On the water- Use available mooring balls to avoid damaging sensitive corals and shallow water habitats.  When visiting the beaches of Boca Grande and Marquesas Keys, respect the closed areas and stay below the mean high tide line to avoid crushing sensitive vegetation or disturbing sea turtle nests and shorebirds.  Keep your dogs on your boat and music to a minimum.
  1. GET SMART. Educate yourself on rules and regulations in the backcountry and on refuge lands. Visit the Visitor Center on Big Pine Key or specific refuge websites to find out more. When in doubt call the refuge visitor center at 305-872-0774.
  1. REPORT WILDLIFE IN DISTRESS: Have you come across a pelican with a hook in his mouth? A turtle with fishing twine wrapped around his flipper?) Be a champion for the creatures that call these places home. Call FWC’s Wildlife Hotline at 888-404-3922 (then hit #7) to report injured birds, manatees, or other wildlife in need.
  1. BE A BIRD BUDDY. Recognize signs of bird disturbance; give them the space and quiet they need to rest, feed and raise their young— turn down the music, stay at least 100 yards from mangrove islands and keep dogs on boats.  Use binoculars or telephoto lens to get close. Birds forced to repeatedly fly away waste valuable energy and can have huge impacts on their health or that of their young.
  1. LEAVE NO TRACE.  Honor the area you visit by keeping it as pristine as you found it.  Remove your trash, and any that may have blown from boats.   And as tempting as it is to collect nature’s beauty, remember the old adage: Take only photographs, leave only footprints.
  1. VOLUNTEER. Become a volunteer of the refuge or their Friends group FAVOR—many ongoing projects allow you a behind-the-scenes look at these incredible refuges.

These public lands are in your hands.  Visit them this week during the Outdoor Fest and learn more about your local refuges, FAVOR, and the ways you can help support them.  We know you’ll be amazed by what you see. For a list of events, visit www.favorfloridakeys.org/outdoor-fest or contact Kristie Killam at 305.304.9625 or email Nancy or Jan at [email protected]. The Outdoor Fest is brought to you in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

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