National Key Deer Refuge
Encyclopedia
The National Key Deer Refuge is a 8542 acres (34.6 km²) National Wildlife Refuge
located on Big Pine Key
and No Name Key
in the Florida Keys
in Monroe County, Florida
.
The refuge is home to the endangered
Key Deer
, a subspecies
of the White-tailed deer
that is endemic to the Florida Keys and has a current population of around 800 animals. 21 other threatened
and endangered species of plants and animals are also found on the refuge, which includes 2400 acres (9.7 km²) of upland forests
, 5100 acres (20.6 km²) of wetland
s, and 1050 acres (4.2 km²) of marsh
. 2278 acres (9.2 km²) of the refuge have been designated as a wilderness area.
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
, Great White Heron NWR
, and Key West NWR
are administered by the National Key Deer Refuge.
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
located on Big Pine Key
Big Pine Key, Florida
Big Pine Key is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Monroe County, Florida, on an island of the same name in the Florida Keys. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5,032.-Geography:...
and No Name Key
No Name Key
No Name Key is an island located in the lower Florida Keys in the United States. It is 3 miles from US 1 and sparsely populated with only 43 homes. It is a fairly small island in comparison to its neighbor, Big Pine Key, which lies about a half mile to its west...
in the Florida Keys
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
in Monroe County, Florida
Monroe County, Florida
Monroe County is a county located in the state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 79,589. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county was 74,737....
.
The refuge is home to the endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
Key Deer
Key Deer
The Key Deer is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is a subspecies of the White-tailed deer .-Physical description and behavior:...
, a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
that is endemic to the Florida Keys and has a current population of around 800 animals. 21 other threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
and endangered species of plants and animals are also found on the refuge, which includes 2400 acres (9.7 km²) of upland forests
South Florida rocklands
The South Florida rocklands ecoregion, in the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests Biome, occurring in southern Florida and the Florida Keys in the United States, where they would naturally cover an area of . These forests form on limestone outcroppings with very thin soil; the higher...
, 5100 acres (20.6 km²) of wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s, and 1050 acres (4.2 km²) of marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
. 2278 acres (9.2 km²) of the refuge have been designated as a wilderness area.
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
The Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in north Key Largo, less than 40 miles south of Miami off SR 905...
, Great White Heron NWR
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge
The Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located in a region known as the 'Backcountry', which reaches from north of Marathon to north of Key West. It is along the north side of the Keys in that area that border the Gulf of Mexico...
, and Key West NWR
Key West National Wildlife Refuge
The Key West National Wildlife Refuge is a 189,497 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Monroe County, Florida, between Key West, Florida and the Dry Tortugas . Only 2,019 acres of land are above sea level, on several keys within the refuge. These keys are unpopulated and are also designated...
are administered by the National Key Deer Refuge.