NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Biscayne National Park Florida August 2018 Foundation Document 826 SOUTH KEY BISCAYNE MIAMI BILL BAGGS MATHESON KENDALL CAPE FLORIDA STATE PARK HAMMOCK PARK BISCAYNE C HA NN 1 STILTSVILLE EL S A F E T Y DEERING ESTATE AT CUTLER V A L PARK BOUNDARY V E e g SOLDIER KEY d CUTLER e L FOWEY ROCKS RIDGE k c la B Brewster BISCAYNE Reef NATIONAL PARK INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY NK BA RAGGED KEYS ED B (private) R Star E H Reef T BLACK POINT PARK A Boca Chita Key FE LEWIS CUT M BOWLES BANK A E SANDS KEY R ANDS CUT BISCAYNE BAY S T S BACHE Convoy Point SHOAL F L Dante Fascell Visitor Center Elliott Key U G HOMESTEAD BAYFRONT PARK Pelican Bank MARGOT FISH Long SHOAL Reef PARK BOUNDARY ELLIOTT KEY E V O C H IC W D N SA FLORIDA SANCTUARY BOUNDARY Ajax Adams Key KEYS s Reef as NATIONAL P t CAESAR CREEK MARINE h ig SANCTUARY n d i CAESAR CREEK M TOTTEN KEY BANK CUTTERSHALLOWS BANK Water Depths Coral reef near water surface OLD RHODES KEY Shoal or spoil area 0–6 feet 6–12 feet BROAD CREEK Over 12 feet INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY PARK BOUNDARY Ranger station Boat launch CARD SOUND Restrooms Gas dock JOHN PENNEKAMP Picnic area Marina CORAL REEF Self-guiding trail Primitive STATE PARK campground KEY LARGO 905 FLORIDA KEYS North 0 2 Kilometers NATIONAL MARINE 0 2 Statute Miles SANCTUARY 0 2 Nautical Miles Biscayne National Park Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: Core Components 3 Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 5 Park Significance 6 Fundamental Resources and Values 7 Other Important Resources and Values 9 Interpretive Themes 10 Part 2: Dynamic Components 11 Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 11 Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 11 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 11 Analysis of Other Important Resources and Values 27 Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 31 Planning and Data Needs 32 Part 3: Contributors 35 Biscayne National Park 35 NPS South Florida/Caribbean Network 35 NPS Southeast Region 35 Partners 35 NPS Denver Service Center – Planning Division 35 Appendixes 36 Appendix A: Enabling Legislation and Legislative Acts for Biscayne National Park 36 Appendix B: Inventory of Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 40 Appendix C: Past and Ongoing Park Planning and Data Collection Efforts 46 Foundation Document Biscayne National Park Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are: · Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community. · Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service. · Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another. · Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it. · Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well- being of everyone. The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service. The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations. The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. 1 Foundation Document Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed. A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity. While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment. The park atlas for Biscayne National Park can be accessed online at: http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/. 2 Biscayne National Park Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, other important resources and values, and interpretive themes. These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts. Brief Description of the Park Biscayne National Park was established in order to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, recreation, and enjoyment of present and future generations a rare combination of terrestrial, marine, and amphibious life in a tropical setting of great natural beauty. Biscayne National Park is located south of Miami, Florida. It is a marine park consisting of mostly submerged land and includes coral reefs, sandy shoals, 4,825 acres of mostly undeveloped mangrove shoreline, and more than 40 keys or islands primarily composed of limestone and coral. The primary means of access to park waters is by private, partner, or commercial permit-holding operators. Visitors come to the area for recreational opportunities including boating, fishing, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, paddling, birding, and nature viewing. Biscayne National Park is recognized for its natural resources, which represent a combination of terrestrial, estuarine, and marine resources in a subtropical setting of great natural beauty. The park can be divided generally into four prominent ecosystems: (1) terrestrial mangrove shorelines, (2) shallow estuarine system (Biscayne Bay) with diverse bottom communities, (3) keys (islands), and (4) coral reefs and hardbottom habitat. The coral reefs of Biscayne National Park are due east of the keys and are part of the Florida Reef Tract that stretches from the Dry Tortugas to Martin County. Much of the northern part of the Florida Reef Tract is in the park and makes up much of the northernmost extension of living coral reefs in the United States. Most of the shallow, protected waters of Biscayne Bay contain the estuarine environment of the park, which primarily supports seagrasses and hardbottom communities. 836 41 MIAMI 826 1 Key Biscayne 0 10 Kilometers 874 997 0 10 Miles Florida’s Turnpike Biscayne BISCAYNE Bay NATIONAL 821 PARK EVERGLADES SW 137 Avenue NATIONAL Homestead Dante Fascell Visitor Center ATLANTIC PARK Florida City SW 328 Street OCEAN 9336 997 o FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL rg a MARINE SANCTUARY L 1 905 y e JOHN PENNEKAMP CORAL K REEF STATE PARK To Key West 3 Foundation Document Biscayne National Park has a rich history of aboriginal occupation and use, Spanish and English exploration, pirates, smuggling, shipwrecks, marine salvaging, agriculture, and commercial development that reflects the continual link between humans and the sea that has characterized this area for the past 10,000 years. Remnants of this cultural history are present throughout the park and are represented by both terrestrial and submerged cultural resources.