1. enjoy a lifetime of adventure MIAMI, FLORIDA
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Family Fun Day
Dedicated event for par-
ents, kids, teens, and
adults to enjoy
Aqua Quest
Experience Nature up close
and personal through our
underwater aqurium
Save the Turtles
The National Wildlife Fed-
eration asks you to become
a part of saving the turtles
event
W
ith over 500 species of
fish, the park’s un-
derwater diversity is
unparalleled. Add in
things like corals, butterflies, birds, and
manatees, and Biscayne is a great place
for wildlife watching, including under-
water wildlife watching and birding.
Ask a park ranger about good places
for spotting birds, fish, manatees,
crocodiles and more.
Visit here to learn more about ethical
wildlife viewing in the park.
for more information please visit NPS.GOV/BISCAYNE
THE SIGHT SEEING
PARADISE
P
lease note: If you observe wildlife in distress, please report
details about the species involved, the location (collect GPS
coordinates, if you can), date, and time to the nearest park
ranger, by calling 305-242-7740, or by emailing the park
wildlife biologist.Do not attempt to get involved in the situation
since wild animals can react unpredictably when in distress. Wild
animals needing assistance should only be handled by trained in-
dividuals using proper gear and wearing personal protective equip-
ment. With over 500 species of fish, the park’s underwater diversity
is unparalleled. Add in things like corals, butterflies, birds, and
manatees, and Biscayne is a great place for wildlife
watching, including underwater wildlife watching and birding.
Ask a park ranger about good places for spotting birds, fish,
manatees, crocodiles and more. Visit here to learn more
about ethical wildlife viewing in the park.
Park Service open 24hours
Visit NPS.GOV/BISCAYNE
for more information
WELL SEE YOU HERE
ISSUE 1 VOL 1
BISCAYNE
NATIONAL PARK
PLAN YOUR
VISIT

2. P
A
R
K
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
basically protects all of the waters
surrounding the Florida Keys, ex-
cluding Dry Tortugas National Park.
Within the sanctuary’s 2,900 square
nautical miles, which includes the
third largest living coral barrier
reef system in the world.
replanning is key. Look at the
park website well in advance of
your trip, check the schedule of
events, and, if needed, find an au-
thorized tour operator to get you
where you want to go. If you have
limited time (and no access to a
boat), visit the Dante Center
boat is required to reach the
campgrounds on Boca Chita Key,
which has a grassy camping
area, and Elliott Key,
which has forest-
ed and water-
side sites.
In addition to over 120 bird
species, some 70 butterfly spe-
cies have been spotted in the park.
According to the Miami chapter
of the North American Butterfly
Association, Castellow Hammock.
Butterflies can be seen year-round.
things to
EXPECT
L
oggerhead sea turtles (Caretta
caretta) are the most common sea
turtles observed swimming in the
park’s waters and nesting on the
park’s beaches, and almost all nests
observed in the park are from
loggerheads. In the U.S.
loggerheads are current-
ly classified under the
Endangered Species
Act as “threatened”
(bad!), but their
status could even
be elevated to
“endangered”
(worse!). There
are several reasons why
loggerhead populations have de-
clined in recent years. Primary threats
include habitat loss (as increasing
human populations encroach upon critical
nesting habitat), nest predation by natural
predators such as the raccoon, mortality from
“SAVE THE TURTLES”
help to keep our endangered turtles and other species FAMILY FUN DAY Guided Tours
G
uided boat tours depart from
the park’s Dante Fascell Visitor
Center on select Fridays, Satur-
days and Sundays through May
1, 2016. Departure times are at 10:30 a.m.
and/or 1:45 p.m. Check the island boat
tour calendar and timetable for specific
dates and times available.
Boat tours feature
the Miami-Dade
Parks’ Pelican
Skipper, a com-
fortable riding, ADA
accessible, 45 foot power catamaran. Tours
are guided by Biscayne National Park.
Visitors may enjoy the beautiful scenery
while learning about the history, wildlife
and ecosystems of the park. Each tour lasts
approximately two and a half hours and
includes opportunities to explore popular
and scenic Boca Chita Key and the park’s
iconic and historic lighthouse.
The boat tours cost $29 plus tax for adults
and $19 plus tax for kids aged five to
twelve. Admission is free for children age 4
and under, when accompanied by a ticket-
ed adult. Advance reservations are advised
for this tour. Reservations can be made by
calling the Florida National Parks
Association at 786-335-3644 or by
stopping by their visitor center book-
store. Walk-ins and groups are welcome
provided that the trip is not full. Each tour
ticket purchase allows a same-day free ad-
mission to Homestead Bayfront Park. Free
trolley wwservice to the park is provided
by the City of Homestead from Losner
Park in downtown Homestead.
Trolley arrival and departure times are
coordinated with the island boat tours.
EVENTS
UPCOMING
boat collisions and entanglement in fishing and
boating gear, and failure of hatchlings to make it to
sea due to light interference (lights along the coast
confuse the hatchlings, which normally rely on the
reflection of the moon on the water to guide them
to the sea). Many sea turtles on the Biscayne Bay
are endangered. Such as the Green Sea Turtle,
the Florida Loggerhead Turtle, Leatherback
Turle and many others.
O
n May 3 at
the Dan-
te Center
free boat
rides will
be offered to the Miami
Beach to help clean
plastic and other haza-
dours materials off the sands of
the coastline so baby hatchlings do not get
caught. If you would like to attend our event
please go to our website at NPS.GOV/BIS-
CAYNE.
B
iscayne National Park basically
begins where Miami ends—in the
shallow, aquamarine waters and
lush sea-grass beds of Biscayne
Bay. Protected within the park’s
mostly submerged 173,000 acres are the lon-
gest stretch of mangrove forest on Florida’s east
coast, the northernmost Flori-
da Keys, and part of the
world’s third longest
coral reef tract.
Many visitors
never venture
beyond the
park’s northern
waters, a popu-
lar playground
for boaters,
anglers, and
windsurfers,
as well as Mi-
ami-based charter
boat trips and sunset
cruises.
T
ravel farther
south (and below the
surface) on a snorkeling or diving
trip to discover Biscayne’s dizzying
array of undersea treasures. High-
lights include six shipwrecks on the Maritime
Heritage Trail and spectacularly diverse and
colorful aquatic life, including sharks, rays, sea
turtles, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, and more than
500 species of fish. Above the surface, join a
ranger-led canoe trip through the mangroves
to see wading birds, crabs, and maybe even a
manatee (November through April).
Inside Tip: To visit the park’s longest
stretch of terra firma, book a boat tour to
Elliott Key, home to the “Spite Highway” na-
ture trail. The approximately six-mile-long
path (blazed in the 1960s by land-
owners intent on sabotaging
efforts to designate Biscayne
as a national monument)
leads through a subtrop-
ical forest. Hike the
trail to see butterflies,
including the federally
protected Schaus swal-
lowtail, a large, col-
orful butterfly native
to South Florida but,
in recent years, found
mostly on Elliott Key and
northern Key Largo.
How to Get Around: Currently,
there is no in-park watercraft concession-
aire (a temporary service may be available by
November 2015). For boat tours, kayak rentals,
and other water activities, make advance reser-
vations with an authorized park tour operator.
Weekends from late November through late
April, take the City of Homestead’s free, guid-
ed trolley tour from downtown Homestead to
the Dante Fascell Visitor Center.
THE PARK
ABOUT