BISCAYNE Biscayne National Monument A Proposal

Developments will include visitor contact areas on the mainland east of Homestead and on Key Largo in the Card Sound vicinity. Visitor centers at these two locations will provide exhibits to interpret and invite land and underwater observation. Concessioner conducted tours will be available from these points. The concessioner will also provide passenger ferry and water taxi service from these points to other parts of the National Monument.

Another primarily visitor contact point will be located on Elliott Key in the vicinity of the existing Dade County Park. Here developments will include a shelter in which visitors may change clothes, enlarged docking facilities for concessioner and private boats, primitive campgrounds and land and underwater interpretation. Fishing, diving, snorkeling, bicycling, picnicking and hiking will also be possible. Visitor facilities in this location would serve recreation activities along the bayside as well as the seaside and off-shore reefs, including such underwater attractions as self-guiding nature trails, submerged viewing rooms, viewing piers, conducted snorkeling trips and glass-bottom boat excursions. Perhaps even closed circuit underwater television may be provided.

A secondary public use facility to supplement the one on Elliott Key will be on Sands Key, to the north. Visitor contact, picnicking, boat docking, and interpretation of archeological and marine features will be available here.

A similar facility will be on Adams Key to the south. Developments will provide for visitor contact, picnicking, fishing and bird life interpretation.

To the extent compatible with preservation of the natural resource, further developments will be provided to meet any growing demands or pressures for public use.

The map on the following page shows the locations for proposed visitor use developments.

(click on image for a PDF version)