Passage Key Refuge Turns 100: Roosevelt’s Great Grandson Marks Conservation Milestone

Today U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the adjacent

Ames added, "In a speech made in 1912 at the Progressive Convention in Chicago, TR said, "There is no greater issue than that of conservation in this country" and the value of protected land becomes even more apparent as our population grows and expand. My great grandfather was thrilled to be able to take action to conserve key areas. During his presidency he created 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reservations, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments. Passage Key is an important part of his conservation legacy, and I think he would be proud that a century later stewards of the land continue to cherish this reservation and to protect our natural heritage."

When it was set aside in 1905, Passage Key, located at the southern mouth of Tampa Bay, was a lush 60-acre barrier with a freshwater lake. The hosted more than 102 species of birds. A century later, the national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Learn more about national wildlife refuge is a meandering of less than 10 acres. The lake and most of the vegetation are gone, victims of a severe hurricane in 1921. But the spit of sand that is left is critically important to the bird species that still call it home. The largest population of Royal terns and Sandwich terns in all of Florida can be found today at Passage Key and Egmont Key.

President Roosevelt issued an Executive Order on October 10, 1905 establishing Passage Key as a federal bird reservation. The President established the refuge specifically for the birds? use. Protection of Passage Key was one of several priorities for the National Audubon Society, who urged Roosevelt to establish it as a refuge. Just two years prior, he had established Pelican Island, a five-acre in the Indian River Lagoon near Sebastian on Florida's east coast, as the nation's first federal bird reservation. These federal bird reservations were the first lands in what would become the National Wildlife Refuges System. Before his presidency ended, Roosevelt would establish 55 refuges.

Today Passage Key is one of three national wildlife refuges in the Tampa Bay area. Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1951, and Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1974.

Because of its small size and its importance to sensitive bird species, Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public. The islands that make up the Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge are also closed to the public for the same reasons. Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge is open to the public and provides many wildlife dependent activities such as bird watching and snorkeling.

As part of the ceremony, Shell Oil Company (through the Shell Marine Habitat Program), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (through the Pinellas County Environmental Fund), and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation presented a check for $199,000 to fund a new conservation partnership for Tampa Bay's diverse bird species. These funds will be used to create an environmental education and outreach program, eradicate invasive exotic plants, and conserve and restore coastal habitats for the three Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges.

Friends of Tampa Bay Refuges, a chapter of the Friends of the Chassahowitzka Refuge National Wildlife Refuge Complex, was formed in 2004 to support and promote the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Tampa Bay Refuges. In honor of Passage Key's 100th anniversary, the Friends are launching an outreach campaign to recruit more members and volunteers to help protect these lands. For more information on the Friends group, please visit their website at http://www.fcnwr.org.