FLORIDA KEYS — The Florida Keys encompass four national wildlife refuges and are surrounded by nearly 3,000 square nautical miles of national marine sanctuary waters, which protect the continental United States' only living coral barrier reef, so it's no wonder that every day is Earth Day in the island chain instead of just April 22.

Visitors can pay homage to Mother Earth with Keyswide outdoor events, volunteer opportunities and other meaningful activities.

Key Largo

Native Plant Day: An Earth Day Event is planned for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9, sponsored by Key Largo's Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

This event is to be held at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, mile marker 102.5 Overseas Highway oceanside. Attractions include informational booths from community organizations concerned with the environment in the Florida Keys, a talk on using native plants in gardens, nature walks and children's activities.

For more information, call 305-451-1202.

A “Dive for the Fishes” Earth Day Weekend is planned Friday and Saturday, April 22-23, sponsored by the Reef Environmental Educational Foundation. The marine conservation event is designed for everyone who enjoys the Keys reefs.

Weekend events include a fish identification workshop at 6:30 p.m. Friday at REEF headquarters, 98300 Overseas Highway. Attendees can learn about the most common fish of the Florida Keys and REEF's cornerstone program, the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, which enables scuba divers and snorkelers to collect and report information on marine fish populations.

Saturday morning, a two-tank dive trip dedicated to fish surveys, reef cleanup and debris removal is planned with Horizon Divers in Key Largo. For more information, visit www.reef.org. 

Islamorada

Cheeca Lodge & Spa, located at mile marker 82 oceanside in Islamorada, is hosting Earth Day activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 24. Attendees can listen to presentations on environmental topics by speakers from Islamorada's History of Diving Museum, Marathon's Dolphin Research Center and Turtle Hospital, and the Lower Keys' Sea Camp and Mote Marine Laboratory. Each speaker is to bring an interactive exhibit.

Children are invited to dig for “Cheeca Treasures” in individual sandboxes and enjoy fishing and casting lessons on the resort pier. Guests also can enjoy a beach barbecue with a live steel drum band.

The day's planned main event is a contest among teams from Florida Keys schools and businesses who each sponsor a gigantic alphabet letter to spell out the 2016 Earth Day slogan, “SAVE EARTH,” on the property's Atlantic Ocean beach.

For information, visit www.cheeca.com.

Marathon

Marathon's Dolphin Research Center is sponsoring the Tom's Harbor Bridge Cleanup and Earth Day Celebration from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to soak up spring sunshine and salt air while helping collect and remove discarded trash, monofilament fishing line and other debris at Tom's Harbor Bridge, mile marker 62.

Participants should wear hats, shoes and clothes that can get wet or dirty and bring a reusable water bottle, bug repellent and sunscreen. Water, scissors, trash bags, gloves and hand sanitizer are to be provided.

For over 30 years, the nonprofit Dolphin Research Center has promoted peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and the environment through education, research and rescue. Located at mile marker 59, the center is home to a family of dolphins and California sea lions and is open daily to the public.

For more information, call Courtney Coburn at 305-289-1121, ext. 231, or email Courtney@dolphins.org.

Big Pine & the Lower Keys

The 524-acre Bahia Honda State Park, located in the Lower Keys at mile marker 36.8, is to host its annual Earth Day Celebration Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The family-friendly event features live music, a sand sculpture contest, fish printing, face painting, children's games and marine touch tanks as well as environmental exhibitions presented by several local groups.

Bahia Honda's pristine expanse of sandy beach has been ranked among the United States' 10 best beaches. The park is one of the Florida Keys' most popular camping and recreation areas with deep near-shore waters for swimming and snorkeling, picnicking areas, watersports, a marina and rental cabins.

For information, call the Bahia Honda Sand and Sea Nature Center at 305-872-9807.

Key West

On the third Saturday of each month, kids in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to join the free, fun-filled Discovery Saturday Educational Series sponsored by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. At 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16, the series features “The Three R's of Earth Day: Reuse, Recycle, Reduce.”

Discovery Series events take place at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center located at 35 East Quay Road on Key West's Truman Waterfront. Admission and parking are free. Pre-registration is recommended. For information, visit floridakeys.noaa.gov/eco_discovery.html.

Celebrate the planet outdoors at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 16, during Key West's 19th annual Earth Day 5k Run/Walk starting at McCoy Indigenous Park, located at Atlantic Boulevard and White Street. The event is co-sponsored by Last Stand and Key West Southernmost Runners Club and organized by Marci L. Rose. 

Earth-friendly recyclable awards await the top overall male and female, top masters male and female and first- and second-place runners in multiple age groups as well as the top 5k walk finishers.

Proceeds benefit the Friends and Volunteers of Refuges. To register, visit http://www.southernmostrunners.com/applications/ED-Registration-16.pdf.

Friday, April 22, the Key West Turtle Museum is to host an Earth Day 2016 celebration from noon to 4 p.m. The public is invited to tour the Turtle Museum and meet representatives of local organizations that are addressing the concerns and conservation of wildlife in the Florida Keys. 

Admission is free. The Key West Turtle Museum is located at 200 Margaret St. in Key West's Historic Seaport. To learn more, visit www.keywestturtlemuseum.org.  

Every Day in the Keys

Got Your Bags? Florida Keys campaign encourages the voluntary reduction of single-use plastic bags and the adoption of reusable bags to decrease marine debris and litter in the Keys. The grass-roots initiative was launched in cooperation with the Keys' Green Living & Energy Education organization, a local nonprofit dedicated to education and promoting sustainable living in the Keys.

Many Keys retailers, vacation rental offices and supermarkets offer complimentary reusable bags or sell them for less than a dollar. For more information visit www.keysglee.com/gyb.

While the Bible's Ten Commandments advise people what not to do, the Florida Keys' tourism council developed “The 10 Keymandments,” designed to guide visitors in what they CAN do to have meaningful, memorable vacations while respecting and helping preserve the Keys environment.

Enjoy a sustainable travel experience in the laid-back subtropical destination with some lighthearted yet educational guidelines to encourage eco-conscious responsible behaviors, such as “Hike it, bike it or hoof it (it's low on eco-impact and high on fresh tropical air)” and “Take out the trash (especially if it's floating in the water).” To view all 10 Keymandments visit http://www.fla-keys.com/greentravel/ten-keymandments.cfm.

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