Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
The Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is a State Park in Monroe County in the US state of Florida .
geography
The 979 hectare state park extends over the northern third of Key Largo Island . The coral island rises a maximum of three meters above sea level, in large parts only about half a meter above sea level. To the south of the park border the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park .
Flora and fauna
The park contains the largest tropical hardwood forest in the United States. Numerous animal and plant species are found in the park area, 84 species are under protection such as the common milkweed , the pointed crocodile , the key largo bush rat , a subspecies of the American bush rat or the island swallowtail . During the bird migration in April and October, the park area is a stopover for numerous migratory birds. There are also numerous native tropical birds in the park such as the white-headed pigeon , the mangrove cuckoo and the bearded vireo , and the cuban head tyrant and the thick-billed vireo are also regularly sighted in the park. With its numerous different species of butterflies, the park is an excellent place for butterfly watching.
history
A lightship was anchored as early as 1825 on the coral reef off Key Largo, where numerous ships have been stranded. The guard built his home on the island. Edward Bell , a lighthouse keeper of the lighthouse built in 1848 instead of the lightship, planted a 280 hectare orchard. The orchard was destroyed by a hurricane in 1876, but ruins and overgrown fruit trees still remind of the plantation.
On the coast there was a Nike-Hercules anti-missile defense facility , which was built in 1965 and operated until 1979.
Because of the uncontrolled and brisk construction activity on the Florida Keys since the 1970s, the state declared parts of the islands to be the Area of Critical State Concern . The Department of Community Affairs took on the development and approval of numerous construction projects in 1983 and prepared an overall plan. As a result, the development of the northern part of the island of Key Largo was stopped, the current park area, in which the Port Bougainville , about 40 hectares of the North Key Largo Yacht Club was to be built with numerous hotels and residential houses, was established in 1982 with funds from the Florida Conservation and Recreational Lands program . That same year the park was established as the Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site .
In 2001 the park was renamed in honor of Dagny Johnson , a leading local environmental activist who worked with various environmental organizations to fight the sprawl and development of Key Largo and other islands, as well as the destruction of the offshore coral reefs.
The marina that had already been created for Port Bougainville , along with streets, buildings and other facilities, were gradually filled in or demolished by the park administration and replanted with native plants.
activities
The park is open all year round and there is a fee to visit. A paved path about one kilometer long and about 9 km of hiking trails lead through the park. The main path is provided with self-explanatory information boards, and guided ranger tours are also offered. A butterfly garden with natural plants is laid out on the main path, there is a picnic pavilion and some picnic areas.
literature
- Michael Strutin: Florida State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide. Seattle, Mountaineers Books 2000, ISBN 0-89886-731-2
Web links
- State Park website
- Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
Coordinates: 25 ° 16 ′ 51.4 ″ N , 80 ° 17 ′ 49.2 ″ W.
Individual evidence
- ^ Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park: Unit Management Plan, 2004 (PDF; 3.2 MB) Retrieved January 15, 2013 .
- ^ North Key Largo Missile Site. Retrieved January 15, 2013 .
- ↑ keyhistory.org: North Key Largo. Retrieved January 15, 2013 .