Biscayne National Park
Biscayne National Park, established on June 28, 1980, is located in Florida and encompasses an impressive 172,924 acres, with nearly 95% of the area being underwater. Situated close to Miami, the park features part of the Florida Keys, extensive mangrove forests, and a section of the world's third-largest coral reef, which supports over 500 species of fish and diverse marine life, including jellyfish, sea turtles, and manatees. The park is not only a natural wonder but also a site of significant historical importance, with remnants of maritime history and six historic shipwrecks, as well as connections to Native Americans and early European explorers.
Biscayne Bay, the park's namesake, was formed approximately 5,000 years ago, and its unique ecosystems, including mangroves and underwater meadows, contribute to the region's biodiversity. The area’s ecological balance is currently threatened by urban development, climate change, and natural disasters. Visitors can partake in activities like fishing and snorkeling, immersing themselves in the park’s rich marine environment while also appreciating its cultural and historical significance. The park plays a crucial role in conservation efforts within the larger Everglades ecosystem, highlighting the importance of preserving such unique natural areas.
Biscayne National Park
Park Information
- Date Established: June 28, 1980
- Location: Florida
- Area: 172,924 acres
Overview
Biscayne National Park in Florida is unique in that almost 95 percent of it is underwater. The park, located within sight of the city of Miami, includes part of the Florida Keys, a large mangrove forest, and a portion of the third-largest coral reef on Earth. The shallow blue waters of Biscayne Bay are also part of the park.
Visitors to the park can fish and enjoy snorkeling. The park’s ecosystem is home to more than five hundred different kinds of fish as well as jellyfish, sea turtles, rays, manatees, crabs, and sharks. The area has also played an important role in the maritime history of Florida and the early history of America, and it is the site of six historic shipwrecks. Native Americans, pirates, farmers, and US presidents are among the diverse populations that have helped shape the area’s history. The historic Loggerhead Lighthouse, also known as Dry Tortugas Light, has looked out over part of what became the park for more than 150 years.
History
The national park takes its name from Biscayne Bay, a 428–square mile (1,108–square kilometer) area that extends up to 8 miles (12 kilometers) out to sea, along a 35-mile (56-kilometer) stretch of the Florida coast near Mialifemi. The bay was formed about five thousand years ago when seawater slowly rose until it flooded a limestone depression. The bay is fed by freshwater sources and exchange of water with the Atlantic Ocean.
The origin of its name is less clear. Most of the theories center on the early Spanish explorers who visited the area beginning in the 1500s. The area was first noted in historical records in 1513 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León, who called it Chequescha. Some theories about the naming of the bay include that it was named after the Bay of Biscay between Spain and France, or that it was named after one of several Spanish or Basque sailors who visited the area in the 1500s and 1600s.
The national park had its origins in the 1950s. It was born out of a desire to protect a portion of the Florida Keys from excessive development. The Keys are a series of limestone-based islands that stretch 220 miles (354 kilometers) from the coast of Florida to the Dry Tortugas in the area between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. During the 1950s, the increased prosperity that followed the end of World War II (1939–1945) led to many people visiting and moving to Florida. Some landowners in the area wanted to take advantage of this financial boom to increase development in the Keys. Others wanted to keep it undeveloped and sought to establish a national park.
The debate between these two groups was fierce. The pro-development group used bulldozers to cut a path as wide as a six-lane road and about 7 miles (11 kilometers) long down one key in an attempt to spoil plans for a park. In the end, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill establishing Biscayne National Monument on October 18, 1968. The national monument was elevated to national park status on June 28, 1980.
Geology and Ecology
Biscayne National Park is unique in that nearly all of it is located underwater. It is made up of forty-two islands that run from the Florida Keys to a series of sand barrier islands along the Florida coast. The largest island in the park is Elliott Key, where those opposed to the park once cut a 7-mile path through the island vegetation to prevent its development.
The underwater portion of the park includes part of the world’s third-largest coral reef. The Biscayne reef provides a home for a diverse ecosystem that includes about five hundred types of fish and other marine life, such as octopuses and sea cucumbers, as well as thousands of soft coral polyps that help build the coral formation. Algae and a variety of plants that provide food for other life-forms also live in the reef.
The reef is just one of four ecosystems that make up the park. Another is the mangrove forest. The term mangrove is used to identify several distinct kinds of trees that can grow when partially submerged in salty water. They have roots that have adapted to this unconventional way of growing and reproduce by a method known as vivipary, in which the tree seeds germinate and grow into young seedlings while still attached to the parent plant. The mangrove forests help purify the water and provide habitats for many types of wildlife, including pelicans and other birds. The trees’ leaves break down in the water and provide food for marine life such as fish and shrimp. The mangrove forest found in Biscayne National Park is among the longest stretches of mangroves on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
The remaining two ecosystems include the northern Florida Keys and the southern stretch of Biscayne Bay. Each of these includes areas of underwater meadows of sea grasses and areas with less underwater vegetation that forms hard-bottom areas. Any above-ground vegetation found on the Keys is more tropical in nature, including palms and other plants more like those found in the Caribbean area than in other parts of the United States.
The park is part of the Everglades ecosystem, a subtropical wetlands system that covers about two million acres in Florida. Efforts have been made to protect the ecology of not only the park but also the entire Everglades system, which is threatened by decreasing freshwater feeding flows and higher levels of salinity in the water. Much of this is caused by the continuous expansion of human development in nearby cities. Other problems are caused by the volatile weather in the Florida area, including hurricanes and tropical storms.
Bibliography
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“Birds and Climate Change in Our National Parks—Biscayne National Park.” Audubon Society, www.audubon.org/climate/national-parks/biscayne-national-park. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“Biscayne National Park.” Earth Observatory—National Space and Aeronautics Administration, 25 Feb. 2016, earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87959/biscayne-national-park. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“Biscayne National Park.” National Park Foundation, www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/biscayne-national-park. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“Biscayne National Park.” National Park Service, 18 Dec. 2024, www.nps.gov/bisc/index.htm. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“Biscayne National Park Institute.” Biscayne National Park Institute, www.biscaynenationalparkinstitute.org. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“Dive into the World’s Third Longest Coral Reef.” National Geographic, 23 May 2023, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/biscayne-national-park/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.
“How Biscayne Bay Got Its Name.” Grayline Miami, 9 Feb. 2023, graylinemiami.com/blog/how-biscayne-bay-got-its-name/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.