Keys TravelerThe Magazine Connect & Protect Please Release Me Sustainable Stone Crab fla-keys.com New Keys Resorts Frazier Nivens Cover photo of Michelle McCann, left, ROB O’NEAL and Edna Kilpatrick, on paddleboards 4 in the Lower Keys by Rob O’Neal Keys Traveler The Magazine Contents Editor Andy Newman Managing Editor 4 Connect & Protect … The Florida Keys Carol Shaughnessy 6 Bird Centers Rescue and Shelter Winged Wildlife Copy Editor Buck Banks LGBTQ Adventures Spotlight Marine Ecosystems in Keys Senior Writer 7 Keys Coral Restoration Helps World’s Reefs Laura Myers 8 ‘Please Release Me’ Staff Writers Julie Botteri 10 Rachel Bowman is the Lionfish Queen Greg Tromba 11 Vandenberg 10 Years Later Production Assistant Ashley Serrate 12 Blue Star Diving, Fishing Programs Help Sustain Keys Coral Ecosystem “Keys Traveler” Wildlife Refuges’ Nature Center Serves is published by the Lower Keys Visitors Monroe County Tourist Development Council, the official visitor marketing 13 All-New and Redesigned Resorts Greet Keys Visitors agency for the Florida Keys & Key West. 14 Stone Crab Claws ... Succulent and Sustainable Making Family Memories in the Keys’ Natural World Director of Marketing Stacey Mitchell 15 Local Artists Embrace Keys Environment Director of Sales Back Traveling Tips to the Florida Keys Jim De Keyrel Florida Keys & Key West Ron Modra Visitor Information fla-keys.com fla-keys.co.uk fla-keys.de fla-keys.it fla-keys.ie fla-keys.fr fla-keys.nl fla-keys.be fla-keys.cn Toll-Free in the U.S. and Canada 1-800-FLA-KEYS For the free monthly 8 “Keys Traveler” electronic newsletter, subscribe at www.fla-keys.com/keystraveler 13 ©2018-19 Monroe County Tourist @thefloridakeys Development Council Printed in the U.S.A. By Print Farm facebook.com/floridakeysandkeywest youtube.com/FloridaKeysTV Insta BOB KRIST keysvoices.com @thefloridakeys Higgs Beach in Key West by Rob O’Neal Bungalows Key Largo Frazier Nivens has become a way of life for saltwa- ter anglers. Catch-and-release fishing, fol- 10 ‘Keymandments’ lowed by size and bag limits and bans on gill nets and fish traps in for the Florida Keys Florida state waters have enabled fish stocks to stabilize and grow. As a result, pelagic (migratory ocean fish), flats and reef species are plentiful throughout the Keys, and Lighthearted but educational guidelines for residents and visitors, world records attest to healthy and stewards of the Florida Keys’ natural resources, to live and play by. productive fisheries. Backcountry lant a coral. Or adopt one of the eave digital footprints. Share game fish such as bonefish, tar- cute little things, but don’t touch photos with friends and fans. pon, permit, snook and redfish are P L them on the reef. atch dinner and release all fish released on a regular basis. upport the wildlife. Volunteer you know you can’t eat. Like the creation of wildlife pre- C food, funds or time to a local wild se a mooring buoy at dive sites. serves and sanctuaries, the promo- S bird center. USave your back and leave the tion of envi- ake out the trash. Especially if anchor aboard. ronmentally it’s floating in the water. onserve. Don’t consume. Reduce, responsible T SM apture a lionfish. Any time and reuse and recycle — even on Diver Lad Akins connects with marine life in the Florida & C angling is a size — we can show you how. vacation. Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo. C crucial ele- ike it, bike it or hoof it. It’s low et off the beaten path. Hike, ment in the Keys’ longstanding com- Hon eco-impact and high on Gbike, walk or kayak along trails mitment to conserving and protect- fresh tropical air. throughout the Keys. Connect & Protect By Julie Botteri ing the region’s natural resources. isitors from around the world are drawn to the Florida Keys’ priceless natural beauty — the ...The Florida Keys Vblue-green hues of the water, the surrounding mangrove islands and flats that are prime territory for managemement of the region’s special ecological, fishing, wildlife viewing, diving and snorkeling. historical, recreational and esthetic resources. Recreational and educational experiences create Within its boundaries lie historic shipwrecks and oth- meaningful and memorable connections to this natural er archeological treasures, extensive seagrass beds, realm: observing protected animal species and thou- mangrove-fringed islands and more than 6,000 species sands of wading and migratory birds in their natural of marine life, providing an unsurpassed experience for habitat at wildlife preserves, discovering state and visitors from all over the world to view the extraordi- national parks, encountering dolphins and sea turtles, nary reef ecosystem and explore their connections to swimming, boating, fishing, diving, snorkeling, kayak- the ocean. ing and paddle-surfing in the backcountry. The Keys also are home to the world’s first state- Travelers leave with a greater appreciation of their licensed veterinary sea turtle hospital. For over 30 individual impact on the earth, the ocean, the people years, the Marathon-based facility has been rescuing, and all living things that compose the 125-mile island rehabilitating and returning sea turtles to the wild. chain’s unique ecosystems and environment. Education is a priority at the Turtle Hospital. Visitors Mindful and dedicated travelers return to the Florida are introduced to the hospital’s curative programs for Keys with a passion to protect, preserve and even loggerhead, green, hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley turtles, improve the quality of both human and animal life for as well as the permanent resident sea turtles whose future generations. conditions prohibit their return to the open ocean. The Florida Keys have advocated the responsible The facility has three “turtle ambulances” for patient use and preservation of their abundant terrestrial and transport and features a surgical suite, examination marine environments through the creation of wildlife room, commons area and classroom. When possible, preserves, America’s first undersea park and the visitors are encouraged to attend sea turtle releases FRAZIER NIVENS Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. open to the public, emphasizing education, awareness Federally established in 1990, the sanctuary protects and the importance of humans helping to preserve the 2,900 square nautical miles surrounding the United endangered reptiles. States’ only living coral barrier reef, encompassing The Keys’ commitment to conserving and protecting vast stretches of Florida Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the region’s natural resources also extends to its focus Visitors to the Turtle Hospital watch as Percy, a green sea turtle, receives specialized treatment. the Atlantic Ocean. The sanctuary enables on environmentally responsible fishing, an ethic that Bob Care 4 fla-keys.com • fla-keys.co.uk • fla-keys.it • fla-keys.de • fla-keys.ie • fla-keys.fr • fla-keys.nl • fla-keys.be • fla-keys.cn Keys Traveler Keys Traveler fla-keys.com • fla-keys.co.uk • fla-keys.it • fla-keys.de • fla-keys.ie • fla-keys.fr • fla-keys.nl • fla-keys.be • fla-keys.cn 5 Bob Care LGBTQ Adventures Spotlight Marine Keys Coral Restoration Helps World’s Reefs ccording to experts, Carrying staghorn coral clippings, volunteers with the Coral Ecosystem in Keys coral reefs make up Restoration Foundation swim to a planting site on a coral reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo. he Florida Keys are home to Aless than 1 percent the only living coral barrier of the world’s oceans. This Treef in the continental United includes the continental States, with spectacular reefs just a United States’ only living short boat ride from shore — often contiguous coral barrier in water only 10 to 15 feet deep. reef, which parallels the Key West’s Blu Q Sailing Adven- Florida Keys. tures offers intriguing watersports Yet despite their small activities for LGBTQ visitors and size and limited sea floor friends. The company was founded coverage, more than 4,000 22 years ago by Captain Steve species of fish and as much Talbott, who left his Texas home as 40 percent of the marine aboard his sailboat Brigadoon to life worldwide depend on follow his passion. coral reefs at some point in “That passion, sailing, literally their life cycle — whether brought me to the shores of the for spawning, nursery Florida Keys,” Talbott said. “The day grounds, refuge or forage. Visitors at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center observe convalescing pelicans. I landed, I realized this was my new Coral reefs play a key home and the beginning of a dream role in the health of the Bird Centers Rescue and to finally do what I love.” oceans and the planet as Talbott and his crew offer multiple a whole, affecting every excursions on the 37-passenger Blu human in some way — and Shelter Winged Wildlife Q catamaran, ranging from the all- two Florida Keys organiza- male clothing-optional Sail, Snorkel tions play a similarly vital n the Florida Keys, visitors can and Nature Center at mile marker & Paddle trip to the Sunset Sail and role in reef restoration and find countless places to connect 50.5 bayside is the small, all-vol- Harbor Tour for LGBTQ passengers preservation. with the island chain’s natural unteer Marathon Wild Bird Center. I and allies. Corals normally grow beauty, unique ecosystems and liv- This sanctuary and rehabilitation Experiences may include visits to very slowly and spawn, or ing things. Among them are centers hospital treats sick, injured and remote islands, sandbars and iso- reproduce, roughly once dedicated to the rescue, care, reha- orphaned cormorants, egrets, peli- lated areas. The reefs and sponge a year. However, scien- bilitation and release of native and cans and other birds. Operating as gardens of the Florida Keys National tists and researchers with Bob Care migratory birds back to the wild.