Press Kit Stories
Eco-Experience Bucket List: Upper Keys
In the Upper Keys, backcountry waters fringe a treasured national park where it’s easy to experience unparalleled offshore watersports amid the vast openness of the island chain’s abundant natural environment. Put one (or all!) of these "unplugged" Key Largo and Islamorada eco-experiences on your bucket list.
Eco-Experience Bucket List: Middle Keys
Among the islands of Marathon in the Middle Keys are plenty of eco-attractions, trails and sightseeing spots appealing to any visitor who shares a love of nature and marine environments. The experiences here definitely deserve a place on an eco-enthusiast’s bucket list — so indulge in some (or all!) of them during a Middle Keys adventure.
Eco-Experience Bucket List: Lower Keys and Key West
Advocating environmentally supportive actions is a vital element of the Florida Keys’ commitment to protecting the region’s natural resources. From Big Pine Key to Key West, a wide variety of positive environmental activities and attractions enable visitors to share that commitment.
Florida Keys Coral Restoration Efforts
Communities play a significant role as stewards of the world’s oceans. Environmental enthusiasts interested in aiding in reef restoration in the Florida Keys can join marine scientists with multiple coral restoration organizations to productively give back to the living, dynamic underwater ecosystem.
Coral Restoration and Wild Bird Rehabilitation are Missions for Florida Keys Environmental Groups
Truly unique environmental organizations attract visitors to the Florida Keys & Key West who are marine scientists, ornithologists, nature lovers - and eco-conscious vacationers.
Florida Keys Conservation a Priority for Generations
For more than 100 years, the Florida Keys’ richly diverse natural environment has been recognized and protected by foresighted conservation efforts. The Keys’ four national wildlife refuges and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary foster the protection of endangered plants, animals and marine life as well as the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef.
Connect & Protect: Enjoy Voluntourism Activities in the Florida Keys
Visitors and seasonal “snowbirds” who want to do something good or add an enriching element to their next Florida Keys vacation can find area charities and nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting and improving environmental quality — and human and animal life — that seek volunteers throughout the year.
Connect & Protect: Discover Keys Birds, Marine Life and Flora at Four Nature Attractions
Inviting environmental attractions await visitors to the Florida Keys & Key West, whether they’re interested in learning about marine mammals, sea turtles, wild birds or the plant species that add color and lushness to the island chain’s landscape.
Connect & Protect: Living Reefs
Encouraging environmentally responsible behavior is a crucial element of the Florida Keys’ commitment to protecting the region’s natural resources.
Florida Keys Stone Crab Claws are Savory and Sustainable
They look like the clawed talons of an oversized prehistoric bird, but these claws — orange-red, pale yellow and black — come from the ocean, not the sky.
Chefs and Diners Discover Lionfish, an Incredible Edible Fish
A consumption revolution is underway in the Florida Keys. The Indo-Pacific lionfish, a dark red-and-white-striped coral reef fish that is as voracious as it is beautiful, is experiencing what some people call “lionfish karma.” Seafood and fish lovers have discovered this toothy predator’s light white meat is delicious, delicate and delectable to eat.
Press Kit Stories
Marvin Key Kayakers 2
Kayakers paddle over a stretch of sandy flats near Marvin Key in the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. Located a few miles off Sugarloaf Key, Fla., at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, the region’s islands and inlets offer boaters, flats fishermen and snorkelers a realm of calm, clear waters year-round. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Marvin Key Kayakers
Kayakers ply the sandy flats between uninhabited islands some 5 miles off Sugarloaf Key near mile marker 17. The offshore chain of mangrove islands is home to seabirds including great white heron, ibis, great egret, night heron and great blue heron, among others. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Key Largo Kayaks 2
Visitors to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Fla., prepare for an afternoon on the water. The first undersea preserve in the United States, the park was established more than half a century ago to protect the living coral reef and its inhabitants. Named for Miami news editor John Pennekamp, it offers visitors numerous opportunities to explore the Keys’ underwater and above-water environment. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Key Largo Kayaks 1
Visitors to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Fla., prepare for an afternoon on the water. The first undersea preserve in the United States, the park was established more than half a century ago to protect the living coral reef and its inhabitants. Named for Miami news editor John Pennekamp, it offers visitors numerous opportunities to explore the Keys’ underwater and above-water environment. (Rob O'Neal/Florida Keys News Bureau)