National Key Deer Refuge

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Key Deer Refuge Refuge Facts Refuge Objectives ■ Established: 1957. ■ Protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the ■ Acres: 84,351 owned, 2,278 of which Florida Keys. are designated Wilderness. ■ Conserve endangered and ■ Located in: Monroe County, FL. threatened fish, wildlife and plants. ■ Location: The refuge is located 100 ■ Provide habitat and protection for miles southwest of Miami and 30 migratory birds. miles northeast of Key West, FL photo: USFWS photo: along U.S.#1. Headquarters is on ■ Provide opportunities for Big Pine Key in the Big Pine Key environmental education and public Plaza off Key Deer Boulevard. viewing of refuge wildlife and habitats. ■ Other management: 700 acres through the State CARL program, Management Tools 200 acres owned by the Monroe ■ Deer management as an County Land Authority. endangered species, including medical and rehabilitation, habitat ■ About a third of the uplands portion restoration and enhancement, of NKDR is on Big Pine and No routine herd health monitoring and Name Keys. population checks, and research on ■ Satellite refuges administered population density, behavior and as part of the complex include: migration patterns. Crocodile Lake NWR, Great White ■ Prescribed fire. Heron NWR and Key West NWR. ■ Routine wildlife monitoring. Natural History ■ Refuge covers the truncated ■ Habitat restoration. historical range of the endangered photo: Jerryphoto: and Lauren Gilbert Victor Key deer, including habitat critical ■ Mechanical and chemical control of to its survival. invasive exotic plants. ■ Refuge is home to the imperiled ■ Education/interpretation. tropical hardwood hammock ■ Law enforcement. habitat and 22 federally listed endangered and threatened species ■ Partnerships, both locally and of plants and animals, five of which nationally. are found nowhere else in the world. ■ Volunteer assistance with projects and programs. ■ Upland forests 2,400 acres; shrub wetland 5,100 acres; wetland marsh ■ Friends group-Friends and 1,050 acres. Volunteers of Refuges (FAVOR). ■ Key deer population may have Public Use Opportunities reached a low of 27 in 1957 and ■ Trails. photo: John & Karen Hollingsworth © John & Karen photo: have rebounded to approximately ■ Wildlife observation. Anne Morkill, Project Leader 800 today. National Key Deer Refuge ■ Photography. Financial Impact of Refuge 179 Key Deer Boulevard ■ 13-person staff. ■ Environmental education. Big Pine Key Plaza Big Pine Key, FL 33043 ■ More than 90,000 visitors annually. Calendar of Events Phone: 305/872 2239 April: Volunteer Recognition Fax: 305/872 2154 Ceremony, National Wildlife Week, E-mail: [email protected] Earth Day. http://nationalkeydeer.fws.gov U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service April-May: Key deer fawning season. been important in the listing of this species as endangered. Currently, May: Migratory Bird Day. illegal roadside feeding contributes August: refuge birthday. to road kills which account for 70 percent of the annual mortality. October: National Wildlife Refuge Week. Florida Keys Birding What is the range of the Key deer? and Wildlife Festival. In 1922, Barber and Allen reported the range of the deer to be Duck Key Questions and Answers to Key West (60 linear miles). They Where can I see the deer? are now isolated to a 6-mile area with The Key deer are a wild species, and most of the population on Big Pine are not confined to Refuge lands. Key. They are visible throughout Big Pine and No Name Keys, and are scattered Where are the Blue Hole and the on surrounding islands. They are Nature Trails? most active at dusk and dawn and Central on Big Pine Key is an remain in the confines of the cool pine old quarry, filled with freshwater, rocklands during the heat of the day. and home to a diverse array of Unfortunately, due to illegal feeding, wildlife—the Blue Hole. The Blue Key deer can be found foraging on Hole has visitor facilities including the sides of most roads and eagerly an interpretive kiosk, staffed by approach slow moving vehicles for volunteers, and an observation hand-outs. Roadside feeding kills Key platform. It is a popular look-out spot deer as it draws them to hazardous for visitors to Big Pine Key. Just north roadways, and concentrates of the Blue Hole are two interpretive populations facilitating the spread of nature trails: one penetrating parasites and disease. the tropical hardwood hammock, the other a wheelchair accessible How many deer are there? journey through pine rocklands to a The last scientific study of the Key freshwater wetland slough. deer, part of a 3-year study, was completed in 2000 at which time the entire population of the Key deer is estimated to between 700 and 800. The population on Big Pine Key and No Name Key is estimated to be 600 with another 100 to 200 on other Lower Keys and Backcountry islands. How big are the Key deer? The Key deer are the smallest of the 28 subspecies of Virginia white-tailed deer. Bucks range from 28-32” at the shoulder and weigh an average of 80 lbs. Does stand 24-28” at the shoulder and weigh an average of 65 lbs. Why are the Key deer endangered? Low population numbers, development pressures, habitat loss, and threats from hurricanes have all .

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