Reef Relief’s overnight summer camp in Dry Tortugas National Park has been an adolescent adventure for hundreds of Key West kids, who typically spend three nights camping in tents at the remote island outpost.
But that memory-making experience will not be possible this summer due to staffing cuts to the National Park Service and funding uncertainty under the current White House administration, Reef Relief told parents in a March 13 email.
“We are incredibly saddened to announce that we will not be doing an overnight camp in the Dry Tortugas National Park this summer,” the email from assistant executive director Dora DeMaria states. “We tried multiple avenues, but between funding limitations, program cuts, booking issues due to these things, lack of NPS staffing available for emergency situations, future cuts and limitations, and general uncertainty, all paths led to canceling for this summer. We hope that next summer we can go back to normal and have the camp out there again.”
The nonprofit coral reef conservation and environmental organization will offer a day trip to the Dry Tortugas this summer, along with camping opportunities at Bahia Honda State Park and snorkeling at the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area, the email continues.
Coral Camp dates for this summer are June 16-20 and July 14-18. Applications for spots are due by March 26 and are online reefrelief.org/reefexplorer/.
