BISCAYNE Biscayne National Monument A Proposal

The area provides highly significant water-related outdoor recreation opportunities. Those pre-eminent for their own sake, such as boating and fishing, are enhanced by both the natural beauty and the climate of the area. Also rewarding are those activities engaged in primarily as a means of viewing and enjoying underwater life. Unusually fine skin-diving and underwater nature study conditions are made possible by the clear waters of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Large stretches of water only two to three feet deep offer rare opportunities for children to fish-watch and observe other subsurface life. In fact, the underwater attractions in this area make the Biscayne National Monument proposal outstanding.

High ground within the proposed area is now covered with a 20-40 year old second growth tropical hardwood forest, said to be the best that remains of South Florida's once splendid tropical forests. If preserved undisturbed, this second-growth forest will eventually approximate the size and composition of the original forest.

Only by bringing these resources into public ownership will they be protected and preserved adequately and permanently for public use and enjoyment.