View source for Egmont Key State Park and National Wildlife Refuge

{{Short description|United States National Wildlife Refuge and state park in Florida}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Egmont Key State Park & National Wildlife Refuge
| iucn_category = IV
| photo = Egmont Key lighthouse01.jpg
| photo_caption = Egmont Key Light
| map = Florida#USA
| map_width =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| relief = 1
| label = Egmont Key State Park & National Wildlife Refuge
| label_position = left
| mark =
| marker_size =
| location = [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough County]], [[Florida]], [[United States]]
| nearest_city = [[St. Petersburg, Florida]]
| coordinates = {{coord|27.58625|-82.761389|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|328|acre|km2}}
| established = 1974
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = [[Florida Department of Environmental Protection]]
| website = [https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Egmont-Key Egmont Key State Park]
| embedded1 = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Egmont Key
| nrhp_type =
| image =
| caption =
| nearest_city =
| coordinates = {{coord|27|35|24|N|82|45|46|W|display=inline}}
| built = 1840
| architecture =
| added = December 11, 1978
| area = {{convert|450|acre|sigfig=3}}
| governing_body =
| refnum = 78000946<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park''' is a National Wildlife Refuge and State Park located on the island of '''Egmont Key''', at the mouth of [[Tampa Bay]]. Egmont Key lies southwest of [[Fort De Soto Park]] and can only be reached by boat or ferry. Located within Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park are the 1858 [[Egmont Key Light]]house, maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and the ruins of [[Fort Dade]], a [[Spanish–American War]] era [[fort]] that housed 300 residents.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Egmont Key State Park|url=https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/egmont-key-state-park|access-date=2021-03-15|website=Florida State Parks|language=en}}</ref> Egmont Key is located in [[Hillsborough County, Florida|Hillsborough County]] [[Florida]] on a narrow strip of the county that extends along the [[Port Tampa Bay|Tampa Port Shipping Channel]].
'''Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge''' was established in 1974. The entire {{Convert|328|acre}} island is all part of the Refuge.<ref>[https://www.tidewater-florida.com/wildlife-refuges/egmont-key-nwr.htm Tidewater: Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park]- Retrieved 2017-12-26</ref> Egmont Key is one of the three 'Tampa Bay Refuges', along with [[Passage Key NWR|Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge]], and the [[Pinellas NWR|Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge]], that was administered as a part of the [[Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge]] Complex but changed to the ''Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge Complex'' headquartered in [[Crystal River, Florida]]. The complex also manages the [[Crystal River NWR|Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge]] and the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.<ref>[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Crystal_River/About_the_Complex.html Crystal River Complex]- Retrieved 2017-12-26</ref>
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns and manages Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and entered into a cooperative agreement with Florida Park Service to cooperatively manage the entire island in 1989 and is known as Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park.
== Registry information ==
'''Egmont Key''' was listed as a Military related place of significance in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on December 11, 1978 with [[nara:77842672|reference #78000946]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Department of the Interior. National Park Service. (3/2/1934 - )|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/77842672|title=Florida SP Egmont Key|date=2013–2017|series=File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Florida, 1/1/1964 - 12/31/2013}}</ref> Only 2.75 miles North West from Egmont Key is the Historic Register #100003048 U.S.S. NARCISSUS Tugboat Shipwreck that can be toured.
==Fauna==
Among the wildlife in the refuge are [[box turtle]]s, [[Gopherus polyphemus|gopher tortoises]], [[dolphin]]s, [[manatee]]s, and birds such as osprey, brown pelicans, white ibis, royal and sandwich terns, black skimmers, American oystercatchers and laughing gulls.  The southern end of Egmont Key and a section of the east beach are closed year-round to all public use to provide nesting habitat for the laughing gulls, terns, white ibis, brown pelicans, and American oystercatchers.  These closed areas also provide habitat for birds migrating during the spring and fall and for wintering birds.
== Visiting ==
There are no refuge or state park fees for visiting the island (this is excluding ferry tickets or boat rental fees).
Egmont Key is only accessible by boat and has no drinking water, restrooms, or shops due to the remote nature.<ref name=":0" /> Because of this, visitors are advised to bring food and water for their visit. No alcoholic beverages, glass, kites, drones, fireworks, hunting, or pets of any kind are permitted on the island due to the island being a National Wildlife Refuge.
Visitors needing transport to the island can utilize the [https://www.hubbardsmarina.com/egmont-key-ferry-cruise/ Egmont Key Ferry Cruise provided by Hubbard's Marina] departing from the Bay Pier located within Fort De Soto. The ferry departs daily at 10am and 11am for a 4 hour trip; 3 hours on the island and 30 minutes travel each way. On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday there is also a 2pm ferry. Ferry tickets are $45.00 for adults 12 and up, $25.00 for youth ages 3–11, and free for those under age 3. Snorkeling gear can also be rented.
GPS coordinates include:
* Ranger Station: N 27 36. 032 W 82 45. 623
* Lighthouse: N 27 36. 047 W 82 45. 634
* Fort Dade: 27.5953° N, 82.7637° W
==Recreational activities==
Activities include [[sunbathing]], [[human swimming|swimming]], [[conchology|shelling]] (shell collecting - collecting of live shells is prohibited), [[boating]], [[picnic]]king, [[snorkeling]], and [[wildlife]] viewing within designated areas. Visitors can also tour the fort ruins and gun batteries. The lighthouse is no longer open to the public due to safety concerns.  A visitor center, staffed by volunteers, is located in the guardhouse and is open on special occasions. Amenities include [[beach]]es, nature trails, and picnic tables.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Experiences & Amenities|url=https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/egmont-key-state-park/experiences-amenities-0|access-date=2021-03-15|website=Florida State Parks|language=en}}</ref>
==Hours==
Egmont Key is open 365 days a year from 8am until sunset.
==History==
Egmont Key became an island around 11,000 years ago, separated from the mainland by the rising coastline. The [[Tocobaga]] tribe had a persistent but impermanent presence on the island, as evidenced by the discovery of arrowheads and spear points. A [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] surveyor found an abandoned canoe, presumably Tocobaga, on the island in 1757. Spanish incursions and the collapse of the Tocobaga population, however, meant that their presence on the islands ended in the late 1700s.
Spanish surveyors first mapped the island in the 1750's, naming it Isla de San Blas y Barreda, in honor of a Cuban official. Following the transfer of Florida to the British in 1763, a mapper commissioned by the English returned to Tampa Bay, and named the island Egmont, in honor of the Lord Egmont, who was at the time the First Lord of the British Admiralty.<ref name="Tomalin" />
As with the rest of Florida, Egmont Key transitioned between rule by Spain and England multiple times before finally becoming part United States in 1821.<ref name="Straub">Straub, W. L. ''History of Pinellas County''. page 27. The Record Company. St. Augustine, Florida. 1929.</ref> In 1847, concerns with hazardous navigation at the mouth of [[Tampa Bay]] led to the construction of the first lighthouse, but the [[Great Gale of 1848]] swamped the island and all but destroyed the original lighthouse.<ref name="baker">Baker, Rick. ''Mangroves to Major League: a Timeline of St. Petersburg, Florida''. page 18. St. Petersburg. Southern Heritage Press. 2000.</ref> The lighthouse keeper reportedly rode out the storm in a rowboat tied to a palmetto. After the storm had passed, the keeper rowed to Fort Brooke and tendered his resignation.<ref name="Straub" /> In 1858, the lighthouse was replaced with the lighthouse that still stands today.
During the 19th century, Egmont Key was used as a camp for captured Seminoles at the end of the Third Seminole War and later in the century the island was occupied by the Union Navy during the [[American Civil War]].<ref name=":0" /> Defense considerations during the [[Spanish–American War]] led to the construction of [[Fort Dade]] on the island in 1898, and Egmont Key remained a military reservation until 1923.<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Coast Defenses of Tampa<ref>{{cite book|last=Clay|first=Steven E.|date=2010|title=U.S. Army Order of Battle 1919-1941, Volume 2. The Arms: Cavalry, Field Artillery, and Coast Artillery, 1919-41|location=Fort Leavenworth|publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press|page=1029}}</ref>
|-
! Batteries !! No. Guns !! Weapon/Mount !! Location !! Remarks
|-
| Battery Laidley || 8 || 12" Mortar || Fort De Soto || Partially disarmed 1921
|-
| Battery McIntosh || 2 || 8" Gun, [[Disappearing gun|Disappearing Carriage]] || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1923
|-
| Battery Howard || 2 || 6" Gun, Disappearing Carriage || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1926
|-
| Battery Burchsted || 2 || 6" [[Armstrong gun|Armstrong Gun]], Pedestal Mount || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1919
|-
| Battery Burchsted || 1 || 3" Gun, Masking Pedestal Mount || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1920
|-
| Battery Bigelow || 2 || 3" Gun, Masking Pedestal Mount || Fort De Soto || Disarmed 1920
|-
| Battery Mellon || 3 || 3" Gun, Masking Pedestal Mount || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1920
|-
| Battery Page || 2 || 3" Gun, Pedestal Mount || Fort Dade || Disarmed 1919
|}
In 1928, [[Pan Am]]'s first crash occurred in the Gulf of Mexico near Egmont.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Historical Foundation |first=Pan Am |date=2015 |title=Pan Am's First Crash |url=https://www.panam.org/images/Stories/FirstCrash/Pan-Ams-First-Crash.pdf |access-date=September 4, 2022 |website=panam.org}}</ref> On August 15 that year, a [[Fokker F.VIII|Fokker/Atlantic F.VIIIb/3m]] that was turned into a "C-2 Tri-motor", ''General Machado'' (NC55 or 53<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil Aircraft Register - United States |url=http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_N.html |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=www.airhistory.org.uk}}</ref>), was operating a Pan Am flight from [[Havana]] to [[Key West]], when it became lost and ditched off of the island after running out of fuel. 1 of the 5 occupants, Norman Ageton, died. The plane had been originally built as a F.VIIIb/3m for [[Colonial Air Transport]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=Accident Fokker/Atlantic F.VIIb/3m NC55, 15 Aug 1928 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/26658 |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owns and manages Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and entered into a cooperative agreement with Florida Park Service to cooperatively manage the entire island in 1989 and is known as Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park.
In 1974, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took over Egmont Key. In 1989 they turned the island over to the State of Florida and it became a state park. After a yearslong effort, the jail structure from Fort Dade was rebuilt and repurposed as a visitors' center for the park in the early 2000s. The structure was designed to resemble the original as closely as possible and featured [[Ludowici Roof Tile|Ludowici tiles]] from the original manufacturer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meacham |first1=Andrew |title=Historic Egmont Key brig getting a new roof |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=11 November 2004 |location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref> Budgetary concerns in 2009 led to a proposal to close the park.<ref name="Tomalin">Tomalin, Terry. "Tampa Bay's sentinel, Egmont Key, about to be left unguarded." page L2. ''The St. Petersburg Times''. Online. February 6, 2009. Online.</ref>
==Harbor pilot station==
Since 1926, Egmont Key has been the location of the [https://www.tampabaypilots.com/ Tampa Bay Pilot Association]'s [[pilot station|Pilot Station]] operation guiding ship traffic safely into and out of the port of Tampa, protecting the wildlife and environment from damage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://video.tbo.com/v/21865478/harbor-pilot-s-egmont-key-station.htm |title=Tampa Bay Online: Harbor Pilot's Egmont Key Station |access-date=2011-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722200657/http://video.tbo.com/v/21865478/harbor-pilot-s-egmont-key-station.htm |archive-date=2011-07-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Egmont_Key01.jpg|[[Beach]] on east side of island. [[Sunshine Skyway Bridge]] in background.
Image:Egmont_Key02.jpg|Aerobeacon lenses from old light.
Image:Egmont_Key03.jpg|View looking east toward [[Fort De Soto Park]].
Image:Egmont_Key04.jpg|Looking north along eastern beach of Egmont Key.
Image:Egmont_Key05.jpg|Brick road, Fort Dade ruins.
Image:Egmont_Key06.jpg|[[Gopher tortoise]] by nature trail.
Image:Egmont_Key07.jpg|Beach with dead palm trees on west side of island.
Image:Egmont_Key08.jpg|West side of island.
Image:Egmont_Key09.jpg|Ruins on west side of island.
Image:Edmont_Key_Guardhouse01.jpg|Reconstructed Guardhouse, Fort Dade
Image:Egmont Key10.jpg|Egmont Key from ferry
</gallery>
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* [https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Egmont-Key Egmont Key State Park] at [[Florida State Parks]]
* [http://www.abfla.com/parks/EgmontKey/egmontkey.html Egmont Key State Park] at Absolutely Florida
* [http://www.fws.gov/egmontkey Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge] at [[U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]
* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/FL/Hillsborough/state.html Hillsborough County listings] at Register of Historic Places
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120415082626/http://www.flheritage.com/facts/reports/places/index.cfm?fuseaction=ListAreas&county=hillsborough Hillsborough County listings] at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.egmontkey.org/ Egmont Key Alliance website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120314042133/http://www.orgsites.com/fl/egmontkeyalliance/History.pdf An island of history: Egmont Key]
{{Protected areas of Florida}}
{{National Wildlife Refuges of the United States}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:State parks of Florida]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Hillsborough County, Florida]]
[[Category:National Wildlife Refuges in Florida]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1974]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in the Tampa Bay area]]
[[Category:1974 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Tampa Bay]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Florida]]