Mangrove forests are among the most threatened coastal habitats worldwide, decreasing an estimated 35% globally over the past 50 years, with continuing annual declines of 2%. Some estimates show that Florida has already lost 50% of its mangroves. Ongoing and planned coastal development in Belize, Mexico, The Bahamas, and other locations in the Caribbean pose serious threats to mangroves. All this habitat loss and destruction has direct negative effects on our fisheries. Juvenile tarpon, for example, depend on mangroves as nursery habitats. If we lose the nurseries, we lose our tarpon fishery.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — The work of award-winning photographer Barry Fellman is featured in the Dante Fascell Visitor Center Gallery from August 4 through October 15, 2017. The Mangrove Coast exhibit features photographs that explore the unexpected beauty, rhythms and patterns of spectacular mangrove habitats. The exhibit is free and open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. An opening reception will take place from 1 – 3 p.m. this Sunday, August 6, 2017.
“The elements that make up the zone between sea and land are rich and diverse,” said Fellman. “They challenge me to reinvent the way I see, much as they reinvent the way they assemble themselves after each change in tide.”
Barry Fellman is director of the Miami Center for Visual Communication. His photographs are exhibited at museums and public venues around the nation.
Mangrove Coast is part of the community artists program, since 1997 it has been an outlet for the works of artists inspired by the beauty of the park. It is supported by the South Florida National Parks Trust, the Miami-Dade Division of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council, Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the Center for Visual Communication and park visitors.
For more information about Biscayne National Park visit nps.gov/bisc or follow the park on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at “biscaynenps.”
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About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.
