The Florida Keys & Key West: News Flash

FREE ENVIRONMENTAL LECTURE SERIES ENHANCE FLORIDA KEYS VISIT

FLORIDA KEYS - Florida Keys visitors wishing to gain historical, cultural and environmental insights into the destination can participate in two complimentary lecture series set for locations from Key Largo to Key West.

The not-for-profit Florida Keys Discovery's "Exploring Everything Unique and Wonderful About the Florida Keys" series and the Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site's "Delicate Balance of Nature" series inform participants about conservation issues related to birds, reptiles, mammals and the coral reef. For the angler, sessions offer expert advice on flats fishing and saltwater fly fishing. History buffs may journey back in time to delve into such topics as the early 1900s construction of Henry Flagler's famed Seven Mile Bridge.

Last year thousands of Keys visitors and residents participated in these enrichment programs.

Schedule of Lectures

Florida Keys Discovery's "Exploring Everything Unique and Wonderful about the Florida Keys" series. All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free. For more information, call (305) 872-3725 or write to P.O. Box 430137, Big Pine Key, FL 33043-0137.

"Key West in the Spanish-American War," by Tom Hambright; Saturday, Jan. 10; Marathon Government Center, MM (mile marker) 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Recollections of Yesterday's Key West," with Barbara Jacobson; Thursday, Jan. 15; Monroe County Public Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West.

"Recollections of Early Days in Marathon," with Ted Bartz; Saturday, Jan. 17; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Building of the Old Seven Mile Bridge," by Dan Gallagher PhD; Tuesday, Jan. 20; Key Largo Library, MM 102 oceanside, Key Largo.

"Coral Reefs in Florida: The Real Story," by Steven Miller PhD; Thursday, Jan. 22; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada.

"Beleaguered Aristocrat: Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly," by Thomas Emmel PhD; Saturday, Jan. 24; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Saltwater Fly Fishing," with Jeffrey Cardenas; Thursday, Jan. 29; Monroe County Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West.

"The Incredible Survivors: American Crocodiles and Alligators," by Harold Nugent PhD; Tuesday, Feb. 3; Key Largo Library, MM 102 oceanside, Key Largo.

"Sea Soup: Why Water Quality is Not So Simple in the Florida Keys," by Paul Dye; Saturday, Feb. 7; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Characters and Crooks in Florida History," by Robert Gold PhD; Tuesday, Feb. 10; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada. Sponsored by the Florida Humanities Council.

"Characters and Crooks in Florida History," by Robert Gold PhD; Thursday, Feb. 12; Monroe County Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West. Sponsored by the Florida Humanities Council.

"Fortunes Made and Lost in Florida Keys Industries," by Irving Eyster; Thursday, Feb. 19; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada.

"Learning About the Florida Key Deer," by Monica Folk PhD; Saturday, Feb. 21; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"The Devastating Labor Day Hurricane of 1935," by Jerry Wilkinson; Thursday, Feb. 26; Monroe County Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West.

"Birds in the Florida Keys," by Alexander "Sandy" Sprunt; Saturday, Feb. 28; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Flats Fishing: How to Get Started," with Capt. Hank Brown; Thursday, March 12; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada.

"Maritime History of the Florida Keys," by John Viele; Saturday, March 14; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Discovering Underwater Archaeology in Florida" and "The Florida Keys' Shipwreck Trail," by Roger Smith PhD and David McCampbell; Thursday, March 19; Monroe County Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West.

"Dolphins of the Florida Keys," by Barbara Losch and Peggy Sloan; Saturday, March 21; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"A Photographic Natural History Tour of the Keys," by Bill Keogh; Thursday, March 26; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada.

"Discover a Tropical Paradise: Fairchild Tropical Garden," by Carla Shaw; Saturday, March 28; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"The Role of the Florida Keys in Recent Fiction," by Susan Monroe Nugent PhD and Harold Nugent PhD; Tuesday, March 31; Key Largo Library, MM 102 oceanside, Key Largo.

"Basics of Healthy Living in the Keys," with John O'Connor MD; Saturday, April 4; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Native Plants of the Florida Keys," by Susan Sprunt; Thursday, April 16; Monroe County Library, 700 Fleming St., Key West.

"Native Plants Used by Keys Indians," by Joan Borel; Saturday, April 18; Marathon Government Center, MM 47.5 bayside, Marathon.

"Manatees in the Florida Keys and Beyond," by Shelly Samm; Thursday, April 23; Islamorada Library, MM 81.5 bayside, Islamorada.

Key Largo Hammocks State Botanical Site's "The Delicate Balance of Nature" series. All lectures are gratis and begin at 7:30 p.m. at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Visitor Center, MM 102.5 oceanside, Key Largo. For more information, call (305) 451-1202.

"A Wild Bird's-Eye View," Wednesday, Jan. 14. Representatives from the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center discuss human impact on the local bird populations.

"History of the Florida Keys: Daring Settlers to Flagler's Railroad," Wednesday, Jan. 21. Monroe County Library historian Tom Hambright recounts events that shaped the Keys from 1600 to the 1920s.

"Resource Management and the Florida Park Service," Wednesday, Jan. 28. Biologist Janice Duquesnel explains how the park service manages natural resources in state parks and preserves.

"When Is a Coral Reef a Classroom?" on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary education specialist Ivy Kelley presents an update on education and outreach programs in the sanctuary.

"Dolphins, Manatees and More," Wednesday, Feb. 11. Peggy Sloan from the Dolphin Research Center reviews conservation issues and marine mammals.

"Frogs: A Leap Into the World of Amphibians," Wednesday, Feb. 18. Paul Moler of the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission reveals facts about frogs, lizards, snakes and turtles native to the Keys.

"Law Enforcement's Role in Managing Natural Resources," Wednesday, Feb. 25. A law enforcement officer discusses problems encountered in dealing with environmental and resource violations.

For general Florida Keys visitors information, including accommodations details, write Florida Keys & Key West Visitors Bureau, P.O. Box 1147, Key West, FL 33041 or call, toll-free U.S. and Canada, 1-800-FLA-KEYS.

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