Sea breezes, bay views draw many to park

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The calm sea breeze blew strongly enough to shake the trees that surrounded the serene atmosphere of Biscayne National Park’s Dante Fascell Visitor Center.

On a low-tide part of the day from the visitor center, by facing the right position looking across the beautiful Biscayne Bay, it was a thrill to be greeted with the sight of two landmarks. The first landmark representing the south end of Key Biscayne and the second being the Miami skyline. It was the perfect place to sit down and read a book or have a picnic with some of your closest friends and families.

A plaque honoring the late Congressman Dante B. Fascell in the establishment of Biscayne National Park on June 28, 1980 (Photos by Shanika Isaacs).

Biscayne National Park, located beyond a stretched perimeter of South Florida’s Biscayne Bay, was famous for being 95% under water. It is a subtropical place that protects its eco-system and this attracts different ocean species to the park. Tourists and visitors alike travel near and far to enjoy the sights of the mainland mangrove shorelines, warm shallow bays and small islands and keys. In the park’s theater, much can be learnt from an introduction video of the site and how it was discovered. By participating in the different educational experiences at the visitor’s center, it can make the duration of the visit more meaningful.

“I enjoy working at Biscayne National Park because of the different tourists and visitors who walk through that door. The tranquility of the people and their pursuit for knowledge always surprises me. I enjoy when we are all able to learn something new, which builds on both of our experiences,” Esmeralda Reyes, a park volunteer, said.

Every Saturday for two years, Reyes found herself dedicating time to Biscayne National Park. In her experience she expressed that many tourists visited the park during the winter or cooler seasons, as opposed the summers and dry seasons.

“We get tourists from all over the world. Many internationals come in the winter after the hurricane season. That’s one of the reasons why we offer our brochures in many different languages to make sure that we are communicating to our customers what they need to know,” she said.

Reyes said that one of the most popular park activities was its Boca Chita Key boat tour, which she confessed was also her all-time favorite.

“A lot of people enjoy this tour more because it gives them the opportunity to do it with their families and friends. So many of them come with their families and in large groups, so being able to go through this experience together it excites them,” she added.

A display about the bay’s muddy shallows at Biscayne National Park Center Gallery.

She stated that Biscayne National Park offered to each visitor an opportunity to experience history which includes the natives, the park’s construction and the people. Reyes emphasized that it was a place for many to make a connection with and bask in the glories of what the park had to offer to them.

John Owens, another park volunteer, happily dedicated 25 years of seasonal service to Biscayne National Park. In his experience as a tour guide, he shared similar details that solidified what people looked for and encountered when visiting the park.

“Some of the activities we offer are fishing, boating, camping, canoeing and kayaking. We also offer snorkeling to see the coral reefs and the shipwreck we have on the Maritime Heritage Trail. Many of our tours are accompanied by adults, who all get the chance to explore Elliott or Adams Keys depending on which one they paid for,” Owens said.

He continued by sharing some of the essential things people needed when going on one of these tours that would make or break the experience.

“You need bug spray and lots of it,” he said sternly, “And not just any old bug spray. You need the ones with DEET in it to repel the mosquitoes away.”

Owen explained that during the summers due to the warmth of the climate, it was the perfect setting for increased bugs and insects. As a result, it was always expected to have a significantly smaller number of visitors traveling to the park during this time.

“And when it’s not the bugs it’s the summer heat. The temperatures in Miami is unbearable during the summers, so not many people come down here during this time. For us to wear repellent on these tours it is considered bad for the plants, but we try our best to find that balance of protecting the park, ourselves and our visitors,” he said.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, its main goal is to protect and preserve the nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. It is seen as the voice of America’s national parks, a group that lobbies on their behalf. Assistant Director of National Partnership, Jacqueline Crucet, who worked for the organization for the past 11 years, was solely responsible for conn