Park Archives: Dry Tortugas National Park

Almost 70 miles west of Key West, Fla., lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas. With the surrounding shoals and water, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park, an area noted for bird and marine life and shipwrecks. Fort Jefferson, its central cultural feature, is the nation's largest 1800s masonry fort.

First named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) in 1513, by Spaniard Ponce de León, the reefs soon read "Dry Tortugas" on mariners' charts, to show they offered no fresh water. In 1825 a lighthouse was built on Garden Key to warn sailors of coral shoals. The light that now stands on Loggerhead Key was built in 1857.

By 1829 the United States knew it could control navigation to the Gulf of Mexico and protect Atlantic-bound Mississippi River trade by fortifying the Tortugas. Fort Jefferson's construction started on Garden Key in 1846, and went on for 30 years but was never finished. During the Civil War the fort served as a Union military prison for captured deserters. It also held four men convicted of complicity in President Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865. The Army abandoned the fort in 1874.

In 1908 the area became a wildlife refuge to protect the sooty tern rookery from egg collectors. Proclaimed as Fort Jefferson National Monument in 1935, the area would be redesignated in 1992 as Dry Tortugas National Park to protect its nationally significant scenic, cultural, marine, and scientific values for the education and inspiration of the public. Not least among its natural treasures are its namesakes, the endangered green sea turtles and threatened loggerhead turtles that nest here. Snorkeling, swimming, saltwater sport fishing, underwater photography, birding, and touring the historic fort are popular activities in the park today.

Warm, clear, and well lit, the shallow waters of the Dry Tortugas foster optimal conditions for coral reefs to develop on the outer edges of these islands. Actual builders of these fringing reefs are small primitive animals called polyps. Over centuries these polyps accumulate in living colonies that form the reef's rigid structures that are so often misconstrued as rocks. Though fragile, the Tortugas reef complex supports a wealth of marine life.

Multicolored sea fans sway in gentle currents. Sea anemones thrust upward their rose and lavender tentacles in search of food. Lobsters anticipating danger wave their antennae. Sponges dot sandy bottoms, and staghorn coral clusters simulate underwater forests. Most obvious among coral reef inhabitants are the colorful reef fishes. Vivid and boldly patterned reds, yellows, greens, and blues work like camouflage and identity, warning, and courtship messages. Predatory fish include amberjacks, groupers, wahoos, tarpon, and, atop this coral reef food pyramid, sharks and barracudas.

Sea turtle populations have diminished worldwide mostly from illegal hunting for gourmet meat, leather, and cosmetic oils. But green, loggerhead, and hawksbill turtles can still be seen in the Dry Tortugas.

Sea turtles prey on small marine invertebrates and forage turtle grass and other aquatic plants. Twice or more per season females lumber onto beaches to dig out nests, lay up to 100 eggs, cover them, and retreat seaward. Hatchlings crawl seaward by instinct, but many succumb to natural predators somewhere between the nest and the sea. It is critical that humans not add to the threat by disturbing sea turtles or their nests.

In season a succession of songbirds and other migrants fly over or rest at the Dry Tortugas. The islands lie across a principal flyway between, the United States and Cuba and South America. Familiar up north in summer, many gulls, terns, and migratory shore birds winter here.

A great wildlife spectacle happens yearly between February and September when as many as 100,000 sooty terns gather on Bush Key for nesting season. They come from the Caribbean Sea and west-central Atlantic Ocean. As early as mid-January, sooties perform nocturnal maneuvers above the Dry Tortugas but spend their days at sea. When they do land here in February, egg-laying starts immediately.

Bush Key is closed to landings during tern nesting season, but the rookery is readily witnessed from the fort with binoculars. Sooty parents take turns shading the single egg—laid in a simple depression in warm sands—from sunlight. As the young birds grow strong enough for continuous flight, the colony disperses.

Interspersed among the sooties' rookery are up to 10,000 breeding brown noddies. Unlike sooties and most other terns, the noddies nest in vegetation like bay cedar and sea lavender. Sooties and noddies both feed by capturing fish and squid from the sea's surface while in flight.

Magnificent frigate birds soar with seven-foot wingspans. They prey on fish and tern hatchlings. You may also see masked and brown boobies, roseate terns, brown pelicans, and double-crested cormorants.

The park is open all year. Fort Jefferson is open daylight hours only, as are Loggerhead, East, and Middle keys. Boats and amphibious planes serve the park from Key West. Go to "Plan Your Visit" on the park website for ferry and seaplane information. You must be self-sufficient: the park has no public lodging, water, food, bathing facilities, or supplies. Private pleasure boats are welcome, but must be fully self-sufficient and must acquire a permit through the park rangers at Garden Key.

An entry fee is charged for each person age 16 and up. This fee is collected in the cost of your ferry or seaplane fee. All private vessels that anchor or use mooring balls in the park must come ashore at Garden Key and pay your park entry fee at the self-service fee station on the main dock. Your entry fee is valid for seven days.

Getting Around the Park On arrival see the orientation program at the visitor center in the fort and do the self-guiding fort tour. The parade ground has remains of the Officers' Quarters, Soldiers' Barracks, two magazines, and restored hotshot furnace. Beware of loose mortar and bricks and wall edges. Help us preserve the park's features by leaving everything in place. And please do not litter.

Overnight Stays Camp only in the Garden Key primitive campground (fee), first-come, first-served (until a reservation program is set up). Limit 14 consecutive days, 30 days per calendar year. Grills, picnic tables, compost toilets, and posts for hanging food provided. Groups of 10 or more must obtain a reservation in advance—contact the park. Overnight anchorage in the park must be within one nautical mile of the Garden Key Harbor Light.

Natural and Cultural Features Collecting, commercial fishing, spearfishing, and the taking of conch or lobster are prohibited. Don't disturb shells, coral, sea fans, tropical fish, spiny lobsters, or turtles or their nests. Shipwrecks, their cargo, and all artifacts are protected by federal law.

Closures February to September (or as posted), Bush Key is reserved for birds only. Hospital and Long keys are closed all year. Other closures may occur as necessary.

Loggerhead Key Day use only; no public lodging. All buildings are off limits. The pier is closed to docking by the public: to enter, anchor offshore and approach the beach by small boat.

Research Natural Area Forty-six percent of the park is a Research Natural Area (RNA), part of a national network of ecological areas for education, non-manipulative research, education, and preserving biological and genetic diversity. As sanctuaries for species affected by harvesting or degraded habitat, RNAs provide baseline ecosystem information. (The area within one nautical mile of the Garden Key Harbor Light and the central part of Loggerhead Key are not in the RNA.)

Only non-consumptive recreation activity is allowed in the RNA: There is no fishing or collecting. Anchoring is also prohibited. Contact the park for current regulations or visit Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, 35 East Quay, Key West, FL 33040, www.floridakeys.noaa.gov/eco_discovery.html. Tortugas Ecological Reserve, which is next to the RNA, has the highest percentage of living coral cover in the Florida Keys.

At Dry Tortugas you can enjoy dramatic natural and cultural features. Marine life concentrates near patches of live coral. You can explore the coral wonderlands in just three or four feet of water.

Docking facilities are reserved for park-permitted ferries 10 am to 3 pm daily. Load, unload, and moor vessels only as designated on the public dock and for up to two sunrise and sunset.

Overnight mooring to docks or piers is prohibited. Anchor overnight only within one nautical mile of the fort. To dump or pump holding tanks in park waters is prohibited.

Approaches, landings, and takeoffs by seaplanes must be within one nautical mile of the fort. Moor seaplanes only in the designated area at Garden Key.

Anchoring, fishing, and collecting are prohibited in the Research Natural Area (RNA).

Middle and East keys are closed to protect nesting birds and nesting sea turtles. Bush Key is closed February 1 to September 30 to protect nesting terns. For all closures, people and boats must stay at least 100 feet from the mean low tide mark or obey buoys or signs.

Warnings
Park waters may have strong currents. Be safety conscious. Divers and snorkelers must display the flag indicating "divers down."

The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

1950	1956	1958
1961	1965	cover only 1969
1971	1974	1977
1981-1984	cover only 1988-1992	1994-2005
2007-2019

Bird Wreck Key 11/2007	Visiting Bush Key Date Unknown	Lighthouses of Garden Key Date Unknown
Tortugas Harbor Light 2017	Life on Loggerhead 11/2007	Loggerhead Key Lighthouse Date Unknown
Kayaking the Dry Tortugas 07/2010	Kayaking the Dry Tortugas 01/2014	Camping 12/03
Camping 06/07	Camping Checklist Date Unknown	Park Regulations 04/03
Park Regulations 04/07	Normas del parque nacional 06/2007	Park Regulations 07/2010
Park Regulations 08/2012	Park Regulations 06/2014	Boat Permits and Mooring Buoys Date Unknown
Fort Jefferson Self-Guided Tour Date Unknown	One Bad Decision Can Ruin A Great Day Date Unknown	Report Lionfish Sightings and Save the Ecosystem! 2010	Bird Checklist 02/2004
Keeping Watch on Surging Seas June 2014	Protect Yourself, Protect the Reef! Date Unknown	What is the Research Natural Area? 04/07
What is the Research Natural Area? 11/2007	Qué es el Área Natural de Investigaciones? 06/2007	Why Fees? 05/2003
Conserving and Remounting Fort Jefferson's Cannon Date Unknown	Preserving Fort Jefferson 01/2014	The Underground Railroad at Fort Jefferson 04/2005
The Underground Railroad at Fort Jefferson 06/2007	American Crocodile at Fort Jefferson 01/2014	Engineering Officers' Quarters 01/2014
Totten Shutters 01/2014	Windjammer Wreck 05/03	Windjammer Wreck 06/07
Windjammer Wreck 01/2014	Garden Key Fishing Date Unknown	Keeping Coral Healthy Date Unknown
Going Green Date Unknown	Expedition Journal 2014	Conserving Fort Jefferson's Harbor Light Date Unknown
Trading Cards

Coral Reefs in the U.S. National Parks: A Snapshot of Status and Trends in Eight Parks NPS Natural Resource Report NPS/NRPC/NRR-2009/091 (Nash C. V. Doan, K. Kageyama, A. Atkinson, A. Davis, J. Miller, J. Patterson, M. Patterson, B. Ruttenberg, R. Waara, L. Basch, S. Beavers, E. Brown, P. Brown, M. Capone, P. Craig, T. Jones and G. Kudray, April 2009)

History of Fort Jefferson 1867 Fort Jefferson Research Memorandum No. 6 (Dexter W. Woods, Enrique Requinaldo, Jr. and Albert Manucy, June 2, 1936, revised January 8, 1938)

Length-based risk analysis of management options for the southern Florida USA multispecies coral reef fish fishery (Jerald S. Ault, Steven G. Smith, Matthew W. Johnson, Laura Jay W. Grove, James A. Bohnsack, Gerard T. DiNardo, Caroline McLaughlin, Nelson M. Ehrhardt, Vanessa McDonough, Michael P. Seki, Steven L. Miller, Jiangang Luo, Jeremiah Blondeau, Michael P. Crosby, Glenn Simpson, Mark E. Monaco, Clayton G. Pollock, Michael W. Feeley, Alejandro Acosta, extract from Fisheries Research, Vol. 249, February 9, 2022)

Fort Jefferson National Monument (George T. Morrison, John Wesley Phillips and Richard A. Rasp, September 6, 1972, revised April 30, 1974)

Park Newspaper (A Visitor's Guide to the National Parks and Preserves of South Florida): 1998-1999

The Terns of the Dry Tortugas (William B. Robertson, Jr., extract from Bulletin of the Florida State Museum Biological Sciences, Vol. 8 No. 1, 1964)

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.