Big Coppitt and Lower Keys in Florida - By: Kamyar Shah

The Florida Keys is an archipelago in the southeast United States with about 1700 islands beginning at the tip of the Florida peninsula and extending to the south southwest and then to Key West. The islands divide the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico and define one edge of Florida Bay. The southern tip of Key West is just 98 miles from Cuba and the climate is defined as tropical.

The area is divided into 4 major areas, the Upper Keys, the Middle Keys, the Lower Keys and the Outlaying islands. Big Coppitt is a census designated place and an unincorporated community on an island of the same name in the Lower Keys. The name is said to de derived from "coppice" meaning thicket. Us route 1 (or the Overseas Highway) crosses the key between East Rockland and Saddlebunch Keys. In the 2000 census there were 1,108 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 38.5% were non families in the Lower Keys regions. All areas are considered to be suburbs of Key West.

The Keys are the exposed portions of an ancient coral reef and there is very little sand. The northernmost island arising form the formation is Elliott Key. The Keys have taken their present form as the result of drastic changes in sea level during the ice age some 130,000 years ago. There were several lines of reefs and the reef formed Key Largo limestone that is on the surface between Key Biscayne and Elliott Keys.

Starting about 100.000 years ago the glaciers began lowering sea levels an exposed the coral reef and surrounding marine sediments. By 15,000 years ago the sea level had dropped to 300 to 350 feet and the exposed reefs and sediments were heavily eroded. The acidic water dissolved some of the limestone and it was redeposited as a denser cap rock. This formed the foundation for the lower Keys.

The main chain of islands can be reached by automobile on the Overseas Highway which is a 127 mile section of US Highway 1. It runs from Key West to Maine. ??The highway was built parallel to the original route of the Overseas Railway which was not rebuilt following the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Before the hurricane road sections and highway bridges allowed automobile traffic to travel from Miami to Lower Matecumbe Key where a car ferry connected with another roadway section through the Lower Keys. After the hurricane some of the railway bridges were converted to carry highway roadbeds. In the 1980's new highway bridges were built alongside but many of the original railroad and highway bridges remain and are used as pedestrian fishing piers.

The overseas Railroad was opened in 1910. Until that time the Keys were accessible only by water. When the Labor Day hurricane made landfall near Islamorada in the Upper Keys on Labor Day Sept 2, 1935 a reported 600 people were killed. The new bridges under construction to connect a highway though the entire Keys were turned into death camps for the World War I veterans working at the construction camp. The evacuation train failed and more than 200 veterans perished. The Overseas Railway was damaged so badly that the tracks were never rebuilt.

The Lower Keys and Big Coppitt were connected to the Middle Keys by the Seven Mile Bridge, one of the longest bridges constructed in the area. After the destruction of the Keys railway by the Labor Day Hurricane the railroad, bridges, including the Seven Mile Bridge were converted to automobile roadway.

With the takeover of Cuba by Fidel Castro many refugees fled to South Florida. Key West had traditionally had strong likes with Cuba and large number Cubans settled there. The Lower Keys also attract Cubans fleeing repression and poverty in cub and stories of the "boat people' coming ashore in the Lower Keys in not uncommon.

The climate in the Keys is closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida. The Upper Keys islands are remnants of large coral reefs but the Lower Keys are composed of sandy type accumulations of limestone grains produced by plants and marine organisms.

The natural habitats of the Keys are upland forests, inland wetlands and shoreline zones. Soil ranges from sand to rich decomposed leaf litter. Rain falling through leaf debris becomes acidic and dissolves holes in the cap rock where soil accumulates and tree roots find purchase. The Keys has distinctive plant and animal species some are found nowhere else in American. The climate also allows many imported plant to thrive. Some exotic species which arrived as landscape plants now invade and threaten natural area.

The well known a very sour Key Limes was apparently introduced from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The tree grows vigorously and has thorns and produces small yellow fruit.

The Lower Keys around Big Coppitt and Big Pine are home to unique animal species including the Key deer. They are protected by the national Key Deer Refuge, and the American crocodile. Dry Tortugas national park is one of the most isolated and therefore well preserved in the world. When the Spanish explorers arrived there was no fresh water to be found and the small humpbacked shaped islands looked like tortoise shell from a distance

Tropical cyclones present special dangers and challenges to the entire Keys. Because no area of the islands is more than 20 feet above sea level and water surrounds them nearly every neighborhood is subject to devastating flooding as well and hurricane winds.

Because of the treat from storm surge evacuations are routinely ordered. Evacuations depend on causeways and the two lane highway to the mainland. It is estimated that is takes 12 to 24 hours to evacuate the entire population of all of the islands

Life in the Keys is laid back and the hurricane bravado is a part of that atmosphere... The major industries are tourism and fishing. Ecotourism is also part of this with many visitors scuba diving in the area's protected waters. Anew ferry now takes riders between Key West and Fort Myers due north on the mainland.

The Big Coppitt Key and No Name Keya areas are home to the Key Deer. This endangered species lives only in the Lower Florida Keys and is a subspecies of the White tiled Deer.

This deer can be recognized by the characteristic smaller size. Adult makes usually weigh for 55 to 75 pounds. The adult females or does usually weigh between 45 to 65 pounds, in contrast to the up to 300 pound Deer of the upper Midwest. The deer is a reddish brown to grey brown and the males grow antlers and shed between February and March. The antlers regrow in June. Key Deer can easily swim between islands. Living in close proximity to humans the Key Deer has little of the natural fear of man shown by most of their mainland cousins. The deer are found in resident's yards and along roadsides where they much tasty pants and flowers. There are many car deer collisions and the deer are more active at night. It is not unusual to see them a dusk and dawn, on lightly inhabited No Name Key, Big Pine Key and big Coppitt. Some are so tame that they will accept food directly from humans but feeding the deer is prohibited by law.

Mating may occur at any time of the year but usually peaks during September to November. Key deer have a relatively low reproductive rate.

The range of the key Deer originally encompassed all of the lower Florida Keys where standing water pool exist but is now limited to a stretch of the Lower Keys keys. The Deer only reside permanently reside in island s Of big Pine, Cudjoe, West Summerland, big Torch, Howe, Little Pine, Little torch, Middle Torch, No Name and sugarloaf. They also can be found on the other islands but are only there in the dry season where there is a lack of fresh water. The Deer use all islands during the wet season when drinking water is more generally available. Key Deer inhabit nearly all habitats within their range, including pine rock lands, hardwood hammocks, mangroves and freshwater wetland's They feed on over 150 types of plants but mangroves and thatch palm berries make up the most important part of their diet.

Key Deer were hunted as a food supply by native tribes, passing sailors, and early settlers. The hunting of Key Deer was banned in 1939 but widespread poaching and habitat destruction caused the subspecies to plummet to near extinction by the 1950's. The National Key Deer Refuge, a federally administered national Wildlife Refuge operated by the Wildlife Service was established in 1957.

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