The Endangered Species Coalition, Oceana and the Surfrider Foundation will assemble elected officials, concerned residents, business leaders, fishing families, dive operators and other Florida Keys stakeholders for a Lunch & Learn focused on protecting marine wildlife, the Endangered Species Act and the economy that depends on clean water and healthy reefs.
The event will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at noon at the History of Diving Museum, 82990 Overseas Hwy., Islamorada. It will address the consequences of the current administration’s March 31 decision to exempt Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and gas operations from Endangered Species Act safeguards. The exemption was the first of its kind in more than 30 years, eliminating protections for imperiled Gulf wildlife, including sea turtles, manatees, Rice’s whales, sperm whales, corals and birds.
“The Florida Keys are not simply a vacation destination. They are a living marine ecosystem, a fishing community and a tourism economy,” said Susan Holmes, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “Weakening wildlife protections for offshore drilling puts sea turtles, manatees, corals and other marine life at risk. It also threatens the local businesses and working families whose livelihoods depend on clean water and healthy reefs.”
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects some 4,539 square miles of waters surrounding the island chain. The waters surrounding the Florida Keys contain some of the highest densities of sea turtles in the Gulf region and provide important nesting and foraging habitat for green, loggerhead and hawksbill sea turtles. Manatees depend on the Keys’ quiet, shallow waters and healthy seagrass beds, while threatened coral species are already confronting warming waters, disease, ocean acidification and declining water quality.
“Strong, science-based protections help sustain fisheries, tourism, recreation and the natural heritage we have a responsibility to pass on to future generations,” Holmes said.
Two weekend rallies, in Key West and Islamorada, will take place Saturday, Aug. 29 from 9 to 11 a.m. “to defend marine life, protect the Endangered Species Act and oppose offshore drilling.”
The Islamorada rally will take place along U.S. 1 at MM 86 bayside. The Key West rally and march will start at Mallory Square and end at the other end of Duval Street at the temporary Southernmost Point.
The Endangered Species Coalition is composed of 475 member organizations and 525,000 activists working to protect at-risk, threatened and endangered species, and to defend the Endangered Species Act and other wildlife laws and policies.
