Artificial Reefs: You Might Be Surprised What's Down There

One year ago the USS Oriskany became the world's largest artificial reef, intentionally sunk in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola. The Oriskany, the "Mighty O," was an aircraft carrier that saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Veterans who served onboard and went on to become well known include astronaut Alan Shepard, Admiral James Stockdale, and Senator John McCain. Also, if you've watched "The Bridges of Toko-Ri" or "The Men of the Fighting Lady," you've seen the Oriskany. The hope is that the ship will be a good fishing and diving spot, and be an economic asset for Pensacola.

Another artificial reef is under construction near Pensacola, from the remains of the old I-10 bridge over Escambia Bay, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. These are just two of the over two thousand artificial reefs that can be found in Florida's offshore waters.

An artificial reef is a man-made object that is deliberately sunk in the ocean to provide habitat for marine life or stabilize erosion. The "U.S. Customs Reef" was created east of Key Biscayne in 2001 by scuttling four ships seized from drug smugglers. Four Florida reefs incorporate parts of old oil rigs. Reef Balls are man-made objects made specifically to create artifical reefs. Eternal Reefs are reef balls that incorporate the cremated remains of the dearly departed, a different sort of burial at sea.

Unfortunately, not all artificial reefs are successful. In 1972, two million tires were placed offshore of Fort Lauderdale. The tires were meant to attract marine life and keep the land fills from overflowing. However, marine critters were not attracted. Some of the tires have broken loose and washed ashore. Others have broken loose and actually damaged natural reefs. Hopefully, the tires will be cleaned up this year (here's the plan).


(Additional Resource for Teachers: National Geographic Lesson Plan "The Pros and Cons of Artificial Reefs" for Grades 9-12. )

Today's News Headline

Today's Story

"Developer Sues Activitsts for Fighting 42-Story Condo Next to Stranahan House" (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 15, 2007)


Bloggers React

"Lawsuit Slappy" (The Daily Pulp)
"Developer Vs. Conservation Activists" (Stuck on the Palmetto)
"Slapp Happy? Related Group v. Stranahan House" (Randazza's Academic [In]Sanity)

Relevant Links

Stranahan House
Icon Las Olas
Book Review: The Stranahans of Fort Lauderdale: A Pioneer Family of New River

Economics of Historic Preservation Author to Lecture

Donovan Rympkema, who wrote The Economics of Historic Preservation, will be the keynote speaker at the first James Gamble Rogers II Colloquium on Historic Preservation, Thursday April 12, 2007, 6:30 pm, at Rollins College's Bush Auditorium.

Rympkema's consulting firm, PlaceEconomics, "specializes in services to public and non-profit sector clients who are dealing with downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization and the reuse of historic structures," according to its website. The site provides links to publications such as Historic Preservation and Affordable Housing: The Missed Connection (National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2003), and recommendations for further reading on this important topic.

The James Gamble Rogers II Colloquium will include the presentation of the 2007 Friends of Casa Feliz Historic Preservation Award to two Winter Park area preservation projects. Casa Feliz, designed by James Gamble Rogers II, is a historic house museum. The story of the house's restoration has its own website.