Coral Reefer Madness

Location Info

Map

HistoryMiami

101 W. Flagler St.
Miami, FL 33130

Category: Museums

Region: Downtown/Overtown

Photos

1 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare	0

Related Content

• BEST SNORKELING SPOT
  May 12, 2005
• BEST SNORKELING SPOT
  May 15, 2003

More About

• John Pennekamp
• Sciences
• Science and Technology

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

Remember when you were a kid snorkeling at John Pennekamp in the Keys and your father panicked when he spotted a nurse shark? He plopped you atop a coral reef to take you out of danger's way. Bad daddy! Didn't he know he was damaging the reef? So what if that shark took a little nip out of you. In the grand scheme of things, that reef is a quadrillion times more important than one rotten kid. That's the problem with humans. Totally selfish. And nothing like coral reefs, which are a model of how societies should behave. Plants and animals live harmoniously in coral reefs, and they provide food, breeding areas, and safety from predators for thousands of types of sea creatures. If your dad knew anything, he'd know coral reefs are the key to the biodiversity of sea life off the South Florida coast. And they are incredibly fragile. It takes them a whole year to grow from half an inch to seven inches, and it has taken them 5,000 to 7,000 years to get the size they are today. All it takes is a spoiled brat a couple of seconds to destroy much of that history. So step off. Learn more about the reefs during a special presentation, Florida's Fragile Coral Reefs, given by eco-historian Frank Schena at HistoryMiami Sunday.
Sun., Sept. 18, 2 p.m., 2011