The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will present draft materials for the Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area 10-year Land Management Plan at a public hearing in Monroe County on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Marathon Government Center, 2798 Overseas Highway, second floor, in Marathon. The public is encouraged to attend and will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions regarding the Land Management Plan for the FWC-managed WEA.
The Florida Keys WEA is an archipelago of sites totaling 5,914 acres and stretching 80 miles from Key Largo to Sugarloaf and Saddlebunch Keys lying immediately northeast of Key West. These sites contain some of the best examples of undisturbed tropical hardwood hammocks remaining in Florida. The Florida Keys WEA’s hammocks are critical feeding and resting areas for scores of migratory bird species on their way between the eastern half of North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Among the many unique imperiled and rare wildlife and plant species that occur on the area are the endangered Key deer, American crocodile, Lower Keys marsh rabbit, silver rice rat, wood stork, tree cactus, Garber’s spurge and three species of imperiled marine turtles: the green sea turtle, hawksbill sea turtle and loggerhead sea turtle. The Florida Keys WEA also offers several natural resource-focused outdoor recreational opportunities, such as hiking, paddling, kayaking and sightseeing.
“The Florida Keys WEA was purchased to ensure the preservation of fish, wildlife, and other natural and cultural resources for future generations, and to provide fish and wildlife-focused outdoor recreation opportunities to the public,” said Elizabeth Norregaard, FWC Land Conservation Planner. “This Management Plan will specify how we intend to accomplish that goal.”
For more information regarding this and other upcoming public hearings, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation, then click “Terrestrial Conservation” and “Management.” Hunting and fishing regulations are not included in this plan or public hearing; they are addressed through a separate public process.
Visit MyFWC.com/Hunting or MyFWC.com/Fishing to learn more about hunting and fishing regulations. To obtain a copy of the draft elements of the Management Plan for the Florida Keys WEA, contact Elizabeth Norregaard at Ann.Norregaard@MyFWC.com or Christina Omran at Christina.Omran@MyFWC.com.Pursuant to Chapters 253 and 259, Florida Statutes, all lands purchased with public funds must have a Land Management Plan that ensures the property will be managed in a manner that is consistent with the intended purposes of the purchase. To see more about Land Management Plans, visit MyFWC.com/Conservation, click “Terrestrial Conservation,” then scroll to “Management Plans (WMA).”
