John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a state park in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Florida. The park is located at Mile Marker 102.5 on the Overseas Highway north of Key Largo in Largo Sound.

Geography

The park is located in the center of the island of Key Largo in the Florida Keys. The park is mostly an underwater park. The 200 km ² park is 34 km long and 13 km wide and extends about three miles into the Atlantic. From the parking area is 1168 acres of land and about 216 km ² water surface. At the park, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, this sanctuary is bordered along the water surface includes a nature reserve 610 km ². On the island of Key Largo in the north bordering the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park at the Park.

Flora and Fauna

The land area of the park with tropical vegetation, as Hammocks designated hardwood islands from tamarind trees and Swietenia and mangrove forests. Underwater seagrass beds and are the only living coral reef in the continental United States. The reef starts off Miami and extends 355 km to the Dry Tortugas, and thus is regarded as the world's third largest living coral reef. In the coral reef home to 40 different species of coral and over 650 species of fish.

History

In 1928, when a committee responsible for establishing a national park in the Everglades began its work, the park to be established and the island of Key Largo and the coral reef should include. Since the Monroe County feared loss of tax revenue, declined these limits. When the Commission began its work in 1946 again, the Intracoastal Waterway was to apply today, eastern border of the park. The Chairman of the Commission, the editor of the Miami Herald John Pennekamp, but sat on one for the creation of a park around the coral reef. The existence of the coral reef at the time was seriously threatened by destruction, so LeRoy Collins, Governor of Florida, the Key Largo Coral Reef Preserve created. Collins persuaded U.S. President Eisenhower to transfer the state of Florida faces of the federal government, so that he was able to found the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on 10 December 1960. At the time the park was, however, only from water surfaces by up to efforts by Pennekamp a 30 -hectare land area in Largo Sound could be acquired. 1963, the park was opened as the first underwater park in the U.S. for the audience. The park was popular and could be extended due to donations. The Italian snorkelers Egidi Cress donated to the Underwater Society of America set up by Guido Galletti a, 2,6 m high bronze statue of Jesus, the Christ of the Abyss 1965 (Eng. Christ of depth) in seven feet of water at the Key Largo Dry Rocks was sunk off the park and has since been a popular destination for snorkelers and divers. In 1972, the park boundaries were expanded and placed adjacent areas as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary under protection. Today, the park of over 1 million visitors annually visited.

Tourist Facilities

The visit to the park is chargeable. In the park is a visitor center, which introduces a 113 000 l large saltwater aquarium, various exhibitions and film screenings in the ecology of the park. The park has a campground with 47 parking spaces are located, picnic areas and a marina with boat ramp. The park has two artificial beaches. At Cannon Beach can snorkel and a replica of a Spanish galleon wreck be explored, while the palm -lined beach is a major Far Beach. A glass bottom boat offers trips to the coral reef, visitors can rent canoes or kayaks and explore the mangrove swamps on a four kilometer long waterway. In the water park can be dipped, snorkeled or fished through the mainland of the park lead three short walks. The Mangrove Loop leads to a boardwalk through the mangrove swamps to an observation platform, while the Wild Tamarind Trail and the lead Grove trail through deciduous forest areas.