![]() If you are a National Park fan and plan on heading to Florida, it’s likely you have Everglades National Park or perhaps even Dry Tortugas National Park on your itinerary, but make sure you visit Biscayne. This makes the park not seem overly crowded when visiting. In fact, only about 50,000 visitors per year end up entering the visitor center. While the park has seen solid attendance levels hovering near the half-million mark since 2001, many stay on the water. If you don’t happen to own a watercraft (or have it with you when visiting Florida), don’t worry! There are a few things to near the visitor center without leaving land, or you can join the other 22,000 visitors per year that take one of the guided tours offered in the park. ![]() Since the park is over 95% water, it’s not surprising to know that more than half of all visitors come in by boat ( source ) rather than by automobile. Many people flock to Florida each year to escape the cold weather, but only about 650,000 visitors make their way to beautiful Biscayne National Park. Personalized National Park Posters (WPA Style) ![]() The deeper ocean also sees whales, in warm seasons, as well as dolphins and pelicans.Custom Posters / Wood Prints / Canvas Prints Fish are abundant here, and there have been over 200 different species recorded in these waters. The reefs offshore and in the deeper water are where the densest population of marine wildlife lives. This provides an ideal habitat for growing fish and manatees. Seagrass is common in the harbour, as well as soft corals and sea sponges. As the fishes age, they move from the shores to the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay. Similarly, larval fish molluscs and crustaceans can usually be found ticked among the twisting roots and thick branches of the semi-aquatic mangroves. A manatee swimming underwater near Boca Chita Key in Biscayne National Park.Īlong the shorelines, especially in the dense mangrove swamps, fish hatchlings can seek shelter and protection from predators. Both the endangered green turtle and hawksbill turtles live in these waters. Island shores are mainly sandy and open, and are therefore excellent for nesting turtles. Each of these ecosystems play a key role in the functioning of the park at large, and has distinct vegetation and wildlife.The keys contain much of the land-based vegetation in the area, including various types of palm trees and cacti. There are four distinct ecosystems within Biscayne: the shoreline mangrove maps, the shallow water bay, the coral limestone keys, and the offshore Florida Reef. Roughly 95% of the park is water, meaning the landscape within it is almost exclusively aquatic, or semi-aquatic. Plant and wildlife The shoreline and beach of Boca Chita Key in Biscayne National Park. Similarly, to the west, the park border is a small strip of coastline along the edge of mainland Florida which includes Mangrove Point and Cutler Ridge. On the eastern side of the park, an ocean wall of 18 meters drops away from the reef, forming a natural boundary. Various islands, or keys, are included within the park borders, including Soldier Key, the Ragged Keys, Sands Key, Elliott Key, Totten Key and Old Rhodes Key. The area inside the park is part of the Miami-Dade County, and extends in the southerly direction from Key Biscayne almost all the way to Key Largo. Location The Boca Chita Key Lighthouse and the Miami Skyline. In 1980, the monument officially became the Biscayne National Park. Because of this, the area was named a National Monument in 1968, in order to protect the natural habitat and landscape of the keys and reef. Especially through the 1960s and 70s, the Keys were booming and becoming more populated. The area of the Florida Keys has been used as a destination and getaway for wealthy Americans for decades. History Visitors row a red canoe on Biscayne Bay lagoon at Biscayne National Park. km of land and ocean, including a large section of the Florida Reef. The park is mainly a coastline reserve that focuses on protecting the tropical waters, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps, and is primarily aquatic. Biscayne National Park is a reef and an island sanctuary in the northern Florida Keys, in the state of Florida, United States.
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