NatParks-Kendall+B.

=Welcome to Dry Tortugas National Park!=



=__Park Profile-__= ====Dry Tortugas is a national park located 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida. The park size is about 64,701.22 acres. Dry Tortugas National Park is made up of seven islands (Loggerhead Key, Garden Key, Bush Key, Long Key, Hospital Key, Middle Key, and East Key). The general climate is around an average of seventy-nine to eighty-two degrees (fahrenheit). During the winter, Dry Tortugas has cool weather with little to no wind. During the summer, Dry Tortugas is very warm with no wind. Dry Tortugas is in the South East Coast of the United States. There is an average of 53,890 visitors per year (taken in 2010). The most popular sites in the park are Fort Jefferson and the beautiful beaches located on Dry Tortugas. Dry Tortugas got its name because of its species of turtles (las tortugas is Spanish for turtles) and dry because the island doesnt have any fresh water. The five species of turtles that can be found near the island are Green turtles, Loggerhead turtles, Kemp's Reidley turtles, Hawksbill turtles, and Leatherback turtles. The park is the most used turtle nesting site in the region! The only animals that live on the land of the island are introduced species (mostly rats). However the island is mostly know for its birds and aquatic animals!==== == =__History-__= ====Dry Tortugas was made a national monument in 1935 and was later made a national park in 1992. Dry Tortugas became a national park because of Fort Jefferson and the protection of the fort. It also became a national park because of the cluster of islands that make up Dry Tortugas. Dry Tortugas represents the end of Florida's reef system and the reef is the third largest reef in the world. Since the reef represents the end of the reef system, it makes it the most prostiene because it has the least amount of human activity (which means it has the best coral for suba diving)! Dry Tortugas is also a historiacal site because of the fort (Fort Jefferson) that was built around it. The Jefferson fort built along the perimeter of the island was built between 1846 and 1875 and was built to protect the nations gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. However the fort was never finished because fears that additional bricks and cannons would cause further settling and place more stress on the structure. Dry tortugas is a natural site because it is an island and has always been there. There are no populations associated with this national park.====

=__Environmental Issues-__= ====Dry Tortugas experinces two seasons, winter and summer. Summer is from June to November and winter is from December to March. The summer is tropical storm season so there is heavy chances of isolated storms. The average temperature of the summer is in the mid eightys. The winter brings a stormy season with wind and rough seas. The average temperature of the winter is in the mid sixties. The island has frequent afternoon showers, so bring your rain coat! Primary bedrock lays underneath the island. Most of the island is made of large piles of unconsolidated Holocene sands, carbonate sands and debris from corals and algae. Acres of coral surrond the island. There are reef fish, sea turtles, stingrays, and many other aquatic animals. There are also many species of birds such as Frigate, Masked Booby, and Sooty terns. The air quality is clear with little to no air pollution. The waters are clear and beautiful and the quality is measured daily. The reef is not of volcanic activity. There are no water gysers, volcanoes, or earthquakes on the island. However there is tropical storms such as hurricanes. Natural land features include the coral reefs, the beautiful sand that outlines half of the island and much more! Restorations are being made at Fort Jefferson, for the fort is deteriorating fast. So far over eighteen million dollars has been put into the restoration of Fort Jefferson.==== ====

=__Recreational Activities-__= ====Recreational Activities for park visitors include snorkeling, bird watching, diving, swimming, Beach combing, camping, picnicking, fishing, boating, swiming with dolphins, touring Fort Jefferson and much more. Everyone should visit Dry Tortugas at least once in their life time. It is an amazing expierence you will never forget! Dry Tortugas is one of the most unique national parks because of its island setting. There are so many activities to do and their are so many amazing and rare animal species to see and discover. The weather and the one of a kind island is beautiful. It is a wonderful time to spend with your family and your friends. The ferry ride or sea plane ride is fun and exciting too, after all they are the only way you can get to the island!====


 * ===[]- Directions===
 * ===[]- Operating hours & Seasons===
 * ===[]- History & Culture===
 * ===[]- More History===
 * ===[]- Nature& Science===
 * ===[]- Nature & Wildlife===
 * ===[]- Park News===
 * ===[]- Snorkeling===
 * ===[]- Camping===
 * ===[]- Bird Watching===
 * ===[]- Beaches===
 * ===[]- Day Trips===
 * ===[]- Rates & Reservations===
 * ===[]- Climate===
 * ===[] - Environmental News===

=Videos:= media type="youtube" key="OIpPptVOG_M?version=3" height="288" width="512"

=Work Cited:= //Dry Tortugas Park Info & Reservations//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb 2012. . "Dry Tortugas National Park." //National Park Service//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb 2012. . //Dry Tortugas Island//. N.d. Photograph. n.p. "Dry Tortugas." //Gulf Base.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2012. []. "Restoration aids, preserves aging Fort Jefferson." //Our National Parks//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Feb 2012. //Dry Tortugas National Park Sign//. N.d. Photograph. Key West Travel Guide, Key West. //Sea Planes//. N.d. Photograph. Park Vision //Ferry//. N.d. Photograph. Historic Tours of America //Masked Booby//. N.d. Photograph. Wallpapers //Loggerhead Sea Turtle//. N.d. Photograph. Defenders of Wildlife //Stingray//. N.d. Photograph. Nice Image //Map of Dry Tortugas//. N.d. Photograph. Whats-At-Florida-Keys //Fort Jefferson Sign//. N.d. Photograph. TravelPod //Fort Jefferson Side View//. N.d. Photograph. Discovering Florida Keys //Dry Tortugas Light House//. N.d. Photograph. Lighthouses of the U.S. //Snorkeling at Dry Tortugas//. N.d. Photograph. The Mindful Tourist //Camping at Dry Tortugas//. N.d. Photograph. MagazineUSA //Bird Watching at Dry Tortugas//. N.d. Photograph. Dry Tortugas National Park Ferry //Beach at Dry Tortugas//. N.d. Photograph. Beach Hunter //Dry Tortugas National Park - Florida//. N.d. Video. Youtube //Plan Your Visit: Dry Tortugas National Park//. N.d. Video. Youtube //Dry Tortugas National Park//. N.d. Video. Youtube //Key West Seaplane Adventure to the Dry Tortugas National Park. N.d. Video. Youtube// //Dry Tortugas National Park Fort Jefferson Key West Ferry Yankee Freedom. N.d. Video. Youtube// //Fort-Jefferson Dry-Tortugas. N.d. Photograph. Wikipedia//

=Thank you for Visiting Dry Tortugas!=

Kendall, I love your pictures they add a lot of color to your page and it really makes me want to visit Dry Tortugas! It's also very organized and your headings really help. Maybe you could've added your hyperlinks throughout your text and added a slideshow. Other than that your page looks really good. - Stephanie Stevens

Kendall, I really like you pictures, they do add a lot of color. I think you could have used a map showing where Dry Tortugas is located though. - Kaitlyn Griffith