The Five South Florida National Parks Remain Open

National Parks Service press release:

The Five South Florida National Parks Remain Open

Monitoring of Resource Protection and Visitor Safety Issues Continues

South Florida: As of 6 PM EDT, June 2, 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) expanded the boundaries of the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico. The expansion includes an area off southwest Florida that covers waters approximately 20 miles west of Dry Tortugas National Park. Given this information, the National Park Service (NPS) is consulting with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to consider fisheries management strategies for Dry Tortugas National Park in keeping with this new information and any future changes to this information from the NMFS or NOAA.

The park will consider a range of options from wildlife protection, public health and safety, and fisheries management in and around the park. The NPS will continue to monitor this situation closely and notify the public of any change to visitor uses or access to resources in Dry Tortugas National Park.

It is important to note that the five units of the National Park System in the south Florida area remain open for visitation, and all park activities will proceed as scheduled. These include Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas National Parks, Big Cypress National Preserve, and DeSoto National Memorial. These exceptional areas protect a diverse collection of natural and cultural resources of national significance -- attracting millions of visitors from around the world annually.

Travelers intending to visit the south Florida area are advised to monitor the situation carefully and visit the park's websites in advance of your visit for the latest information.

More information on fisheries closures in the Gulf of Mexico is available here: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.htm .

Questions regarding the parks' ongoing oil spill response should be directed to the incident public information line at 305-224-4215.

General Visitor information for each of the 5 National Parks is as follows:

Everglades National Park: 305-242-7700, or online at www.nps.gov/ever
Biscayne National Park: 305-230-7275, or online at www.nps.gov/bisc
Dry Tortugas National Park: 305-242-7700, or online at www.nps.gov/drto
Big Cypress National Preserve: 239-695-1201, or online at www.nps.gov/bicy
DeSoto National Memorial: 941-792-0458 x 105, or online at www.nps.gov/deso

-NPS-

For General Park Information Contact 305-242-7700

Contacts: Incident Information Center Office 305-224-4215

Linda Friar - Incident Information Officer Office 305-242-7714