Dry Tortugas National Park

Running around the moat wall, then taking that extra distance to go around the outside of the old rubble pile is almost exactly 1km.

There are stalactites and stalagmites growing on the floor and ceiling in sections of the fort, a product of the calcium carbonate leaking through the bricks, and replicating a process which takes hundreds if not thousands of years in caves. As a geologist, I’m obligated to say that these technically don’t qualify as ‘true’ cave formations. As someone who finds these ‘artificial’ speleothems hilarious, I don’t care.

Sea Turtles, Alligators, and Crocodiles are reptiles which can actually have their sex determined by the temperature of the egg. (this isn’t true of mammals like humans.)

There was a crocodile named Cletus who lived out at the park for 14 years, he was moved to the Everglades in 2017. (I only saw him once while I worked there. Until then, I didn’t even know that there were American saltwater crocodiles.)

Fort Jefferson was not the first fortification on the island. In 1742 the HMS Tyger grounded near Garden Key, while chasing a Spanish vessel. They built a small fortification for protection and survived on the island for months before returning to British Territories.

Yellow Fever, there was an outbreak after the civil war which spread through the park, killing the only doctor, and infecting almost everyone on the island. This was how Dr. Mudd, one of four convicted co-conspirators in President Lincoln’s assassination sent to Fort Jefferson, eventually earned his pardon, taking over medical care of the sick once the doctor was gone.

Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the islands and named them for the turtles. He was searching for the fountain of youth. You can still drink from it’s waters, a small concrete fountain in front of the sally port. (joke)

Birds: There is an ongoing study from 1939-present tracking the Sooty and Noddy turns which migrate and nest at the Dry Tortugas.

Sea Turtles: There is an ongoing study of sea turtles, which nest out at the park each year.

Pirates at the Dry Tortugas: I grew up thinking that the Dry Tortugas was The pirate haven of the Caribbean. When Pirates of the Caribbean came out and they mentioned that they were headed for Tortuga, imagine then, my surprise when the island they ended up at was a mountainous island with a ragged coastline large enough for an entire village, and not a barren desert island with low lying buttonwood and sea grapes.

There were probably pirates who frequented the Dry Tortugas for turtles or a chance to rest on dry land in a relatively safe anchorage, but the famed Pirate haven of Tortuga lies south and west of the Dry Tortugas. Henry Morgan and English Privateers worked from a base on the island of Tortuga, north of Haiti.

First and foremost for accurate information on every park:

The park website:

Park Website

A special case because I happen to know the author: A book all about Dry Tortugas National park by my father:

(I’d post the Amazon link but he’s been having trouble with the page. Buy a New book from the seller L. Wayne Landrum, and you are buying directly from him.)

If you want a different perspective on the Dry Tortugas, Emily Holder was married to the surgeon assigned to the fort, and they lived out there before, during and after the civil war. she wrote of her time out at the Dry Tortugas in a series of articles published in 1892 called: At the Dry Tortugas During the War: A Lady's Journal. It’s not always pleasant, but it provides an interesting perspective and can be found which can be found at various sources online including:

Emily Holders Journal

Help Lucy keep “her” park pristine.

The best source for all park information is the website or the rangers on duty.

Here are a few general things.

Don’t go past the signs. Area Closed signs, no visitors signs, etc. These are there for a reason, whether it is to protect you from falling bricks, to give the rangers a bit of privacy in what is essentially their backyard, or to protect the nests of birds which lay only a single egg at a time. Do not trespass or put yourself in danger. The Junior Rangers have the benefit of an author who protects them from trouble.

Don’t touch, and other ways of saving coral. Nothing makes Lucy roll her eyes harder than when people stand on, touch, or accidentally (because they forget they are wearing 2ft long flippers,) kick the coral. The coral around the park is visited by thousands of people a year. Coral is vulnerable to infection and damage, one small break in it’s protective layer can kill an entire colony (coral head.) A moment of carelessness might seem like very little but remember: 1,000’s of visitors. It adds up. Use Reef safe sunscreen, look from a distance, and do not touch. Also, look up fire coral, some of the coral out there bites back.)

Shark and Fish bites:

The most common shark in the Dry Tortugas is the nurse shark. These are barely aggressive, and not man eaters. . . unless you bother them first. There is a story of a boy who tried to grab a nurse shark fin like he’d seen dolphins in the movies. It bit him in the chest, and they had to fly him to the hospital to have it removed. Leave them alone, and they will you. As for other sharks and fish like barracudas: be aware, swim with buddies and avoid murky water.

Shipwrecks

As mentioned in the book, there are lots of shipwrecks in the park. They are super cool. Leave them alone, so the next person can appreciate them as you do.

Mammoth Cave was first explored by indigenous people thousands of years before Europeans rediscovered it in the 19th century.

The Cave Crickets living in Mammoth Cave often come to the surface to feed.

The Kentucky Cave Shrimp (sorely left out of mention in the book) is an endangered species only found in Mammoth Cave. Not to be confused with the

Mammoth Cave Crayfish. This albino crayfish also likes to live in caves, but will go to the surface if necessary.

Mammoth Cave is one of the few places where two species of cave fish live. The Northern and Southern Cave Fish. They rely upon good water quality to survive, and get nutrients from periods of flooding

How long is the cave, really?

First and foremost for accurate information on every park:

The park website:

Park Website

Read more about the Bransfords of Mammoth Cave, and about the effort to get a memorial placed in the park here:

The Bransfords of Mammoth Cave

Bethany would like to remind you that the history and the natural wonder of both the land above ground and the subterranean sections of Mammoth Cave National Park, are beautiful, deserve protection, and are in your hands.

Also, the Junior Rangers Investigative Club have the benefit of getting away with things for story reasons. Following their footsteps will only put you in danger trouble.

Travel the cave with Guides only, and listen to their instructions.

Do not touch. Should be obvious. There was a time when people would crawl through these caves and break of formations as souvenirs. Do you know what a stalagmite looks like once it’s been taken from a cave? A chunk of rock and a hefty fine.

Bats- a vital part of the ecosystem. They eat things like mosquitos and other bugs. They provide habitats for organisms living in caves. (mostly creepy crawlies.) They have their own problems. Namely white-nose disease, which mammoth cave is trying to prevent from spreading. Help them by following guidance provided at the park. Also, bats are best appreciated from a distance, don’t bother them, or try to catch or touch them.

Do not enter a cave alone. Don’t enter a cave in Mammoth Cave National Park without a guide. Do not trespass around Mammoth Cave looking for entrances or new caves.

Do not use this book as a guide to caving. I made up most or all of the routes featured in the book, so while some features and places are recognizable, navigating using this book would be impossible.

Lancelot Jones lived on Porgy Key..

Many of the southern islands, such as Totten Key, Old Rhoades Key, Porgy Key, and others have names whose origins seem lost to time.

The same can be said of Caesar’s Creek. Is it truely affilliated with Black Caesar know from the records as part of Blackbeard’s crew? Is it affiliated with Henri Caesar who, himself, seems to be a fictional character?

First and foremost for accurate information on every park:

The park website:

Park Website

A special case because I happen to know the author: A book all about Dry Tortugas National park by my father:

(insert link here)

Justin would like you to help him keep his park pristine.

The main way to do that is to follow the rules and guidelines established by Biscayne National Park. These change all the time, so check with the park website, or your friendly ranger. however there are a few good general ideas:

Artifacts: You might stumbled across relics of history, especially under water while out at the park. Please leave these alone. Look but do not touch or move. Allow others to appreciate them as you have. If you think you’ve discovered something truly new or interesting report it to a park ranger, but leave everything where it is.

Natural Life: Coral is precious, it is a habitat and provides a habitat. It is also in danger. The increased traffic around Biscayne Bay, the variable climate of the water, the spread of disease. The coral in and around Biscayne has a lot to deal with, so don’t contribute to it’s trouble. Do not touch, and use coral safe sunscreen.

Mangroves: it’s crazy to think about but mangrove habitats are not only nurseries for a lot of small life which will eventually transition to deeper waters, but they are also better at protecting coastal areas from storm surges and waves than man made barriers. As such please be nice to these trees.

Fish, and lobster and others: Areas like Biscayne Bay are important nurseries for many animals, and keeping areas like it protected allow for the spread of those species both in and outside of the park, so please pay attention to guidelines about what can and cannot be taken from the park.

Manatees, if you are fortunate enough to boat through Biscayne, (the best way to get around) keep your eye out for these big gray lumps. Don’t ruin their day, and yours by running them over.