PARADISE UNPAVED: LECTURE HIGHLIGHTS EFFORTS TO SAVE TROPICAL HARDWOOD HAMMOCK 

a man wearing a hat and glasses sitting down
Michael Chenoweth will speak about the efforts to deter development from Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. CONTRIBUTED

Michael Chenoweth, president of the Florida Keys chapter of the Izaak Walton League, will speak on “How North Key Largo Became a State Park,” for the fourth presentation of the 34th annual lecture series, “A Delicate Balance of Nature,” on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. 

The 1970s and 1980s were a time of unconstrained development in the Keys. Chenoweth will describe the process through which the hardwood hammock of North Key Largo was redirected from becoming destination resorts and instead established as Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.

Listen to his tale at the visitor center and aquarium building at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park is located at MM 102.6, oceanside, and there is no cost to enter for the lecture series. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7:30. Seating is limited, so it is recommended that visitors arrive on time to be assured of a seat in the auditorium, which is wheelchair accessible. Visitors may wish to bring a cushion for added seating comfort, as well as a sweater or light jacket, because temperatures in the auditorium vary. Attendees are asked to accommodate those who are chemically sensitive by not wearing fragrances and other scented products.  

More information is available from Elena Muratori, park services specialist at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, in advance at 305-676-3786. More information on Florida’s state parks is at FloridaStateParks.org.

The series is sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park and the Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.