Key West National Wildlife Refuge
| Key West National Wildlife Refuge | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
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| Location | Monroe County, Florida, United States |
| Nearest city | Key West, Florida |
| Coordinates | 24°34′09″N 82°06′55″W / 24.569294°N 82.11525°WCoordinates: 24°34′09″N 82°06′55″W / 24.569294°N 82.11525°W |
| Area | 189,497 acres (766.867 km2) |
| Established | 1908 |
| Visitors | 180,000 (estimated) (in 2004) |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Key West National Wildlife Refuge |
The Key West National Wildlife Refuge is a 189,497 acre (766.867 km2) National Wildlife Refuge located in Monroe County, Florida, between Key West, Florida and the Dry Tortugas . Only 2,019 acres (8.171 km2) of land are above sea level, on several keys within the refuge. These keys are unpopulated and are also designated as Wilderness within the Florida Keys Wilderness. The refuge was established to provide a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and other wildlife as well as to provide habitat and protection for endangered and threatened fish, wildlife, plants and migratory birds.
In addition to the 189,497 acres (767 km2) of land owned by the refuge, the refuge maintains 154 acres (.623 km2) for the United States Coast Guard and 206,289 acres (834.822 km2) of marine waters in conjunction with the state of Florida.
The refuge is one of three refuges administered by the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key in Florida. Although Key West NWR is unstaffed, the National Key Deer Refuge has a combined staff of 13 with a fiscal year 2005 budget of $1,041,000.
Key West NWR was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds and other wildlife to curtail the slaughter of birds whose feathers were highly valued in the hat industry. Wading birds were threatened with extinction before this refuge began providing a safe haven for them and other threatened plant and animal species. This refuge was the first established in the Florida Keys and one of the earliest refuges in the United States. They have over 250 different bird species there.
The refuge encompasses more than 300 square miles (800 km2) of open water and 2,019 acres (8 km2) of land on 26 islands. The Refuge includes mostly mangrove islands, with a few sandy beaches and dunes that are critical nesting habitat for endangered sea turtles. Other habitat includes salt marsh and coastal berm hammocks, plus sea grass and coral reef communities.
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