Recent Stories
Writer gains new appreciation for nature
DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. — My trip to the Dry Tortugas National Park started at 4:07 a.m. on Nov. 3. Although I was still half asleep, I was excited to be making the trip. It was my first time to visit Key West and my first time visiting a national park,Read More…
Pelican Island offers contrast to urban life
SEBASTIAN, Fla. — Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is only 9.3 miles from the house in which I grew up. It’s 7.2 miles from Pelican Island Elementary: the elementary school I attended from kindergarten through fifth grade. The refuge is less than one mile from the country club where IRead More…
National memorial or community group?
BRADENTON, Fla. — As someone who grew up in Manatee County, the only thing I knew about Hernando De Soto for sure was that we had a parade in his honor every year. Probably one of the most widely attended events of the year, the De Soto parade attracts youngRead More…
Fowey Rocks Lighthouse transferred to park
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Jumping back on the boat, Madison Keys, a Miami resident visiting Biscayne National Park had finally made it back to the tour boat from the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. “I never thought I was going to see this boat again,” yelled Keys. “I swam way too far awayRead More…
Biscayne Park appeals to kids with activities
HOMESTEAD, Fla.— Oliver Gill walked up to the touch table in the Dante Fascell Visitor Center with wide eyes and a smile larger than life. As a fourth grader looking to play, he no longer was going to use action figures. Live coral, puffer fish and giant hallowed turtles wereRead More…
Tropical storms leave their marks on park
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Hurricane Sandy, which was later renamed Superstorm Sandy after its devastating effects on the northeast, left many people without power, running water or without a home. Fortunately, the harsh effects that were felt in the northeast did not affect Florida to that extent. But Biscayne National ParkRead More…
Sea turtles key part of Tortugas wildlife
DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. – It was 1513 when Ponce de Leon named the small collection of sand and coral islands today known as Dry Tortugas National Park, “Las Tortugas,” Spanish for “The Turtles.” This came about because of the frequent sightings of sea turtles around the islands. Sea turtles seasonRead More…
Tour highlights foods of Lower East Side
NEW YORK — The U.S is often referred to as the melting pot of the world, thanks to the large number of immigrants who came from many parts of Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world between the mid 19th Century and World War II that mixed into theRead More…
Stiltsville celebrates Biscayne lifestyle
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Stiltsville is a group of seven wood stilt houses located on Biscayne Bay, roughly one mile south of Cape Florida at the tip of Key Biscayne. Seemingly floating above the bay’s shallow seagrass beds, these houses stand on wood or reinforced concrete pilings, generally about 10Read More…
Memorial honors contribution of president
NEW YORK — Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb? From 1947 to 1961, American television star Groucho Marx asked people this question on the game show You Bet Your Life. This helped ensure that contestants who did not win anything would at least go home with a consolation prize. WhileRead More…
Stressed reefs in park suffer slow demise
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Imagine the coral reefs, an underwater city of rock-like structures. The staghorn coral sticks out in jagged shapes, with branches extending in every direction. A vast brain coral sits at the bottom, its surface covered by connecting twists and turns, while the coral fan looks like giantRead More…
Fort Jefferson has link to Lincoln death
DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. — Seventy miles west of Key West, in the middle of the pristine sapphire and emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico, stands a landmark of American history of which many people are unaware. Fort Jefferson, located on one of the seven islands that make up theRead More…