Dry Tortugas National Park National Park Service Dry Tortugas Florida U.S

Home , Dry Tortugas, Fort Jefferson (Florida), Key West

Dry Tortugas National Park National Park Service Dry Tortugas Florida U.S. Department of the Interior

Almost 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, lies a cluster “Dry Tortugas” on mariners’ charts to show they offered and went on for 30 years but was never finished. During redesignated in 1992 as Dry Tortugas National Park to of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called no fresh water. In 1825 a lighthouse was built on Garden the Civil War the fort served as a Union military prison protect its nationally significant scenic, cultural, marine, the Dry Tortugas. With the surrounding shoals and water, Key to warn sailors of coral shoals. The light that now for captured deserters. It also held four men convicted of and scientific values for the education and inspiration they make up Dry Tortugas National Park, an area noted stands on Loggerhead Key was built in 1857. complicity in President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination of the public. Not least among its natural treasures are for bird and marine life and shipwrecks. Fort Jefferson, in 1865. The Army abandoned the fort in 1874. its namesakes, the endangered green sea turtles and its central cultural feature, is one of the nation’s largest By 1829 the United States knew it could control naviga- threatened loggerhead turtles that nest here. Snorkeling, 1800s masonry forts. tion to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic-bound In 1908 the area became a wildlife refuge to protect the swimming, saltwater sport fishing, underwater photog- Mississippi River trade by fortifying the sooty tern rookery from egg collectors. Proclaimed as Fort raphy, birding, and touring the historic fort are popular First named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) in 1513, by Spanish Tortugas. Fort Jefferson’s construction Jefferson National Monument in 1935, the area would be activities in the park today. explorer Ponce de León, the reefs soon read started on Garden Key in 1846,

Coral Reefs Vital to Nesting Birds Be Prepared for Your Visit

The park is open all year. Fort Jefferson is cal fish, spiny lobsters, or turtles or their open daylight hours only, as is Loggerhead nests. Shipwrecks, their cargo, and all Key. Boats and amphibious planes serve artifacts are protected by federal law. the park from Key West. Go to “Plan Your Visit” on the park website for ferry and Closures Mid-January to mid-October (or seaplane information. You must be self- as posted), Bush Key is reserved for birds sufficient: the park has no public lodging, only. East, Hospital, Long, and Middle keys water, food, bathing facilities, trash facili- are closed all year. Other closures may ties, or supplies. Private pleasure boats are occur as necessary. welcome, but must be fully self-sufficient and must acquire a permit through the Loggerhead Key Day use only; no public park rangers at Garden Key. lodging. All buildings are closed to the public. The pier is closed to docking by the An entry fee is charged for each person public. To visit, tie off to the mooring ball age 16 and up. It is part of your ferry and approach the beach by small boat. or seaplane fee. If you arrive by private © TOM STACK / TOM STACK ASSOCIATES NPS / JOHN BROOKS NPS © PHILLIP COLLA Smallmouth grunts Snorkeling Sooty tern Frigate bird vessel, you must come ashore at Garden Research Natural Area Almost half of the Key and pay your park entry fee at the park is a Research Natural Area (RNA), self-service fee station on the main dock. part of a national network of ecological Warm, clear, and well lit, the shallow courtship messages. Predatory fish include In season a succession of songbirds and single egg—laid in a simple depression in Your entry fee is valid for seven days. areas for education, non-manipulative research, and preservation of biological waters of the Dry Tortugas foster optimal amberjacks, groupers, wahoos, tarpon, other migrants fly over or rest at the Dry warm sands—from sunlight. As the young Getting Around the Park On arrival orient and genetic diversity. RNAs provide base- conditions for coral reefs to develop on and, atop this coral reef food pyramid, Tortugas. The islands lie across a principal birds grow strong enough for continuous yourself at the visitor center inside the line ecosystem information and sanctuar- the outer edges of these islands. Actual sharks and barracudas. flyway between North America and South flight, the colony disperses. fort. The parade ground has remains of ies for species affected by harvesting or builders of these fringing reefs are small America. Familiar up north in summer, the Officers’ Quarters, Soldiers’ Barracks, degraded habitat. (The area within one primitive animals called polyps. Over cen- Sea turtle populations have diminished many gulls, terns, and migratory shore Interspersed among the sooties’ rookery two magazines, and restored hotshot fur- nautical mile of the Garden Key Harbor turies these polyps accumulate in living worldwide mostly from illegal hunting for birds winter here. are up to 10,000 breeding brown noddies. nace. Beware of loose mortar and bricks Light is not in the RNA.) colonies that form the reef’s rigid struc- gourmet meat, leather, and cosmetic oils. Unlike sooties and most other terns, the and wall edges. Help us preserve the tures that are so often misconstrued as But green, loggerhead, and hawksbill tur- A great wildlife spectacle happens yearly noddies nest in vegetation like bay cedar park’s features by leaving everything in Only non-consumptive recreation activity rocks. Though fragile, the Tortugas reef tles can still be seen in the Dry Tortugas. between mid-January and mid-October and sea lavender. Sooties and noddies place. And please do not litter. is allowed in the RNA: There is no fishing complex supports a wealth of marine life. when as many as 100,000 sooty terns both feed by capturing fish and squid or collecting. Anchoring is also prohibited. Overnight Stays Camp only in the Garden Contact the park for current regulations Sea turtles prey on small marine inverte- gather on Bush Key for nesting season. from the sea’s surface while in flight. Key primitive campground (fee), first- or visit Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, Multicolored sea fans sway in gentle cur- brates and forage seagrass and other They come from the Caribbean Sea and come, first-served. Limit 14 consecutive 35 East Quay, Key West, FL 33040, www. rents. Sea anemones thrust upward their aquatic plants. Twice or more per season west-central Atlantic Ocean. As early as Magnificent frigate birds soar with seven- days, 30 days per calendar year. Grills, floridakeys.noaa.gov/eco_discovery.html rose and lavender tentacles in search of females lumber onto beaches to dig out mid-January, sooties perform nocturnal foot wingspans. They prey on fish and picnic tables, compost toilets, and posts or 305-809-4750. Tortugas Ecological Re- food. Lobsters anticipating danger wave nests, lay up to 100 eggs, cover them, and maneuvers above the Dry Tortugas but tern hatchlings. You may also see masked for hanging food provided. Groups of serve, which is next to the RNA, has the their antennae. Sponges dot sandy bot- retreat seaward. Hatchlings crawl seaward spend their days at sea. When they do and brown boobies, roseate terns, brown 10 or more must obtain a reservation in highest percentage of living coral cover toms, and staghorn coral clusters create by instinct, but many succumb to natural land here, egg-laying starts immediately. pelicans, and double-crested cormorants. advance—contact the park. Overnight in the Florida Keys. underwater forests. Most obvious among predators somewhere between the nest anchorage in the park must be within one coral reef inhabitants are the colorful and the sea. It is critical that humans not Bush Key is closed to landings during tern Dry Tortugas National Park is one of over nautical mile of the Garden Key Harbor More Information reef fishes. Vivid and boldly patterned add to the threat by disturbing sea turtles nesting season, but the rookery is readily 400 parks in the National Park System. To Light. Dry Tortugas National Park PO Box 6208 reds, yellows, greens, and blues work like or their nests. witnessed from the fort with binoculars. learn more about parks and National Park Natural and Cultural Features Collecting, Key West, FL 33041 Sooty parents take turns shading the Service programs visit www.nps.gov. camouflage and identity, warning, and commercial fishing, spearfishing, and the 305-242-7700 ✩GPO:20xx—xxx-xxx/00xxx Reprint 20xx Printed on recycled paper taking of conch or lobster are prohibited. www.nps.gov/drto Don’t disturb shells, coral, sea fans, tropi- Docking, Mooring, Seaplanes, and More At Dry Tortugas you Seaplanes must ap- Warnings can enjoy dramatic proach, land, and Park waters may natural and cultural takeoff within one have strong cur- features. Marine nautical mile of the rents. Be safety life concentrates fort and moor only conscious. Divers near patches of live in the designated and snorkelers coral. You can ex- area at Garden Key. must display the plore the coral flag indicating wonderlands in just Anchoring, fishing, ”divers down” three or four feet and collecting are when not in the of water. prohibited in the designated swim Research Natural area. Docking facilities Area (RNA). are reserved for Submerged fea- park-permitted fer- East, Hospital, tures, like coral, ries 10 am to 3 pm Long, and Middle make navigating in daily. Load, unload, keys are closed to the park’s waters and moor vessels protect nesting sea hazardous. only as designated turtles and birds. on the public dock Bush Key is closed and for up to two mid-January to hours between mid-October to sunrise and sunset. protect nesting terns. For all clo- Overnight mooring sures, people and to docks or piers is boats must stay at prohibited. Anchor least 100 feet from overnight only the mean low tide within one nautical mark or obey mile of the fort. buoys or signs. Dumping or pump- ing holding tanks in park waters is prohibited.