The Florida Keys’ National Key Deer Refuge is an incredible environmental success story — but many people don’t know that one of the story’s main characters was a gun-toting lawman who loved Key deer.

The late Jack Watson, shown here in an undated photo, was the first refuge manager of the National Key Deer Refuge and a passionate protector of the endangered deer. (Photo courtesy of the Watson Family, Florida Keys News Bureau)

When the refuge was established in 1957, its first manager was Jack C. Watson, who wasn’t above using some pretty unorthodox tactics to thwart poachers targeting the deer under his protection.

“If he found somebody’s car up here and knew they were hunting and running the deer with some dogs, he would disable the car — putting a few bullet holes in the gas tank or the engine,” said Kip Watson of Big Pine Key, who happens to be Jack Watson’s son.

During his 17-year tenure as refuge manager, Jack Watson spread the word that he was a no-nonsense guy who would do whatever it took to protect the Key deer. His tough approach helped save the entire species from extinction.

For example, Kip recalled a time when his father discovered people were hunting deer on Little Pine Island, which was reachable only by boat. He heard shots, found the poachers’ boat, and stationed himself nearby to catch them when they returned to it.

A big-eyed Key deer peers through brush in the refuge. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

“They didn’t come back around as quick as he wanted them to, so he just set the boat on fire and said, ‘I’ll come back in the morning, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to talk to me by that time’,” said Kip. “The next morning we went back out and they were sitting there trying to figure out how they were going to get back to the mainland — and he was happy to give them a ride.”

A few years ago, the National Key Deer Refuge celebrated its 50th birthday. The refuge measures about 9,100 acres, with lands on Big Pine Key and other islands of the Lower Keys, plus backcountry land and water areas. An amazingly diverse environment, it includes mangrove forests, freshwater and salt marsh wetlands, pine rockland forests and tropical hardwood hammocks.

But it’s best known as the home of the small, shy creature called the Key deer.

Jack Watson is memorialized on Big Pine Key by a street named in his honor. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Male Key deer weigh approximately 90 to 100 pounds full-grown, and stand about the size of a large dog. Females are a little smaller, averaging 60 to 70 pounds full-grown. Male or female, they’re big-eyed, graceful and startlingly rare.

“The Key deer is the smallest of 30 subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer, and are only found in the Lower Florida Keys,” said Jim Bell, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee at the refuge. “As a population, they’re not found anywhere else in the world.”

In the early 1900s, the miniature deer were a legitimate food source. By the 1930s, they’d been over-hunted to the point that extinction was a real threat. Although Florida outlawed hunting Key deer in 1939, poaching continued.

In 1957, when the refuge became a reality and Jack Watson became its manager, the deer got the champion they so desperately needed.

A Key deer doe, one of a thriving herd that owes its existence in part to Jack Watson, licks her chops after grazing on a plant. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Since then, the refuge’s population has increased from 50 or fewer deer to a thriving herd of 600 to 700.

“The National Key Deer Refuge, protecting the habitat for the Key deer, has brought them back from extinction,” said Jim Bell.

Today, more than 90,000 people visit the refuge each year, exploring popular areas including a wildlife-rich freshwater quarry and a nature trail named for Jack Watson, who retired in 1974 and died in late 1982.

“Since the refuge has been established, the herd has made probably one of the best recoveries of any endangered species,” said Kip Watson. “It’s a wonderful thing that my father helped leave to the world.”

Topics: Animal Ambassadors, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Environment, Highlights, History, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

No matter what your actual U.S. or international time zone, beginning Nov. 4 you can find tropical relaxation on “Key West Time” — thanks to a new TV series produced and shot in the Florida Keys and hosted by Keys singer/songwriter Howard Livingston.

Howard (right) and “Key West Time” guest Sir Peter Anderson, secretary general of the Keys’ Conch Republic, pause for a frosty libation from Howard’s wacky boat motor/blender.

“Key West Time Starring Howard Livingston” showcases the laid-back Keys lifestyle through Howard’s eyes — with additional insights from his wife Cyndy, members of his Mile Marker 24 Band, and a changing cast of local and visiting characters (believe me, we have characters galore!).

Keys landmarks, special events, history, popular hangouts, fishing and diving, fabulous food, environmental wonders and easygoing atmosphere are all featured in a lively, enticing manner. They’re complemented by Keys-inspired tunes from Howard and the band — tunes so infectious that you’ll find yourself swaying to the beat and singing along, whether you know the lyrics or not.

Howard, who has appeared on several national morning shows, is shown here with Al Roker during a live "Today" show broadcast in Key West. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

“The backdrop is the local side of the Keys, and there’s a lot of spontaneity — you’re hanging out with us,” said Howard, who tours the U.S. with Mile Marker 24 and has appeared on national TV shows including “Good Morning America.”

Previews of the “Key West Time” are now posted on www.ConchTV.com. The program itself is scheduled to debut nationally Nov. 4 on the R & R television network, seen on DirecTV channel 354. Each episode will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST and repeat Sundays at 7:30 p.m. EST and Tuesdays at 11 p.m. EST. In addition, it will appear on Untamed Sports TV for Comcast and Capital Broadcasting viewers.

Producer and Keys resident Craig Hollenback has guided the development of "Key West Time."

Don’t worry if you miss an episode, though — after its televised airing, each one will be archived and available on-demand at www.KeyWestTime.com so any time can be “Key West Time.”

One of the show’s most appealing elements is the passion for the Keys Howard projects in his music and conversation — a passion that inspired the unhappy Chicago businessman to become a carefree, fulfilled musician who lives on the water in the Lower Keys.

The “Key West Time” title comes from one of his most popular songs, written on a business trip to China before he abandoned his northern life and assembled the band.

“We were sitting in a meeting and they were trying to figure out what time it was in the States, because there was like a 12-hour time difference,” Howard recalled. “I said, ‘I don’t care what time it is — I’m living on Key West time.’ That night I wrote the song.”

Thanks to Howard's vision and passion for his Keys home, television viewers can escape their cares to live on "Key West Time."

The program is produced by Howard and veteran video/communications pro Craig Hollenback, whose Conch Republic Media Group was named for the Keys’ “official” nickname.

“It’s not a cliché to say that Howard’s music is the soundtrack to a lifestyle,” said Gail Hollenback, Craig’s wife and business partner. “We all live it, and we wanted to produce the show to share our Keys lifestyle with the rest of the world.”

Upcoming episodes spotlight the Sunset Celebration at Key West’s Mallory Square, a party in Howard’s oceanfront backyard, an on-the-water concert in the Lower Keys, the history of the Conch Republic, treasure diving, Key West’s outrageous Fantasy Fest, a tour of beloved local watering holes and the sinking of the vessel Vandenberg as an artificial reef.

Equally important, each one offers a lighthearted escape from everyday cares.

“No matter what’s going on in your life, our show is going to take you to a wonderful place and make you feel better,” said Howard. “It’s positive, it’s upbeat and it’s real.”

Topics: Arts, Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Highlights, Key West, Local Color

The average family might spend an afternoon flying a Charlie Brown–style kite, but Islamorada’s Walsh family is anything but average. Their family “kiting” afternoons are filled with extreme jumps, twists, flips and other acrobatics on the open waters of the Florida Keys.

Mike Walsh, co-founder of Islamorada's popular Otherside Boardsports, paddles out with son Cody hitching a ride.

Mike and Shana Walsh, owners of Otherside Boardsports in Islamorada, bring new meaning to the expression “mom and pop shop.” Affectionately called the Otherside, their shop is a place where people can experience the more extreme side of Florida Keys waters through kiteboarding, wakeboarding, wakeskating and standup paddleboarding.

“Working at the Otherside is more of a labor of love than a job,” said Mike Walsh. “I actually care more about whether you have a good time than getting paid for it.”

The family affair blossomed out of Mike and Shana’s childhood years in New Jersey and their love of the water and action-packed adventure. Shana grew up living the “island lifestyle,” surfing, kiteboarding and wakeboarding almost daily in Long Beach Island, N.J.

Mike and Shana, shown here with Cody, turned their passion for boarding into a fun-filled business.

“I unfortunately didn’t grow up on an island, but I’ve been trying to get there ever since,” said Mike. “I’ve always been into swimming, water sports and more extreme sports.”

Their kite adventure, friendship and romance began when Shana, 17 at the time, met 20-year-old Mike while working at Island Surf & Sail shop in her hometown. But unlike their kiteboarding escapades, the couple’s love story was no whirlwind experience.

“When we first met, Mike was just a goofball that made me laugh,” admitted Shana, who said eventually the friendship she felt for him turned into love. “If you ask Mike, though, he’ll tell a very different story — he says he knew he was going to marry me since the first time he saw me.”

After several vacations in the Keys, Mike and Shana moved to Islamorada in 2006 and opened their shop in October 2007.

Despite his young age, Cody has been known to share kiteboarding tips with customers.

When it came to selecting a name for the enterprise, they chose Otherside Boardsports because it literally was written on the wall.

“We used our son’s bathtub crayons to write possible shop names on the bathroom wall,” said Mike. “The bad ones would get washed off and the good ones would stay longer, and Otherside was there the longest.”

After its opening, the Otherside quickly grew from a small kiteboard and water sports shop to a “second home” for adventure- and thrill-seekers. In the true spirit of a mom and pop shop, Mike and Shana share daily store duties, assisted by a few staff members. Their young son, Cody, is the shop’s full-time mascot — and he’s even been known to show customers a thing or two on the boards.

In addition to coaching seasoned boarding aficionados, Mike and Shana enjoy instructing first-timers. About 25 percent of the kiteboarding students they teach every year have never attempted any kind of water sports before.

“There are people out there that we’ve taught that are now competing on a pro level,” said Mike. “They’ve fully embraced the lifestyle of the sport and we introduced them to it, and that’s huge for us.”

Mike and Shana share their love of kiteboarding adventures with each other and with Otherside Boardsports' clients.

Mike and Shana see the Keys’ warm, flat, shallow waters as an ideal year-round training ground for their favorite sports. Kiteboarding season runs from late October to early June during the best wind conditions, while standup paddleboarding and wakeboarding flourish during the summer months when flatter waters prevail.

“The sports we participate in are not only sports,” said Shana. “For a lot of people it’s a true passion.”

For the energetic couple, kiteboarding and their shop are their passion and their life. In fact, on long summer days, they often close the shop a bit early — to go boarding themselves.

Topics: Environment, Highlights, Islamorada, On the Water, Profiles, Voices Main Archive

Wow … what an experience these last couple of weeks! Imagine having lunch with Emily Saliers of the Grammy-winning Indigo Girls, who has made Key West a special vacation spot for herself and her lover. Then spend the evening dancing to the rock music of Sister Funk — all during Womenfest.

At 61 years old, Diana Nyad is poised to attempt a 103-mile swim from Cuba to Key West. (Photos by Haig Jacobs, Florida Keys News Bureau)

During the festival I also had the pleasure of seeing Diana Nyad, a world record-winning swimmer who swam around Manhattan Island in less than eight hours. She was joined at a pool party by about 350 cheering women and yours truly, the only man on the property.

Womenfest weekend was also the time that the Keys’ PR folks were busy shooting new high-definition B-roll footage — footage they provide to TV producers for use in showcasing the Keys during travel and feature programs. Our B-roll will include gays on the LGBT trolley, gays strolling and dancing down famed Duval Street, eating out and about, and enjoying the drag shows.

After the girls left came the bikers and the Bears, two distinctly different groups. Thousands of bikers were here for the annual charity Poker Run, while the Bears were here for their “Bear Run.” I welcomed the Bears at their opening party, joined them for a Bear Bar-B-Que at Fort “Elizabeth” Taylor, splashed at the Bear Pool Party, and spent Sunday afternoon in the pool with Bears, Cubs, Otters, and Teddys. What a warm, fuzzy, nice group of men.

A participant in the annual Key West Poker Run rides a fine and flashy bike down Duval Street in Key West. (Photo by Rob O'Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Between the Bear parties on Saturday, I strolled down Duval Street admiring the thousands of bikes. Not the usual two-wheelers, but block after block of incredible custom works of art. There were a lot of biker chicks with their men, biker babes with their girlfriends, and gay guys taking it all in. If you thought we gays dressed wildly for pride events, you should have seen the bikers in their leather gear. Wow!

As if the events so far weren’t enough, we’re rolling out the Fantasy Fest red carpet. Every night the candidates for king and queen of the outrageous Fest hold fundraising parties. The festival always ends on the last Saturday of October, with the prior week full of adult-themed events. Yeah, we do have a few kid-friendly activities, but body painting, g-strings and jock straps are not your usual kids’ fare.

Fantasy Fest, Key West's leading annual event, celebrates dressing for EXCESS. (Photo by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

In order to get some rest, I am heading out to St. Augustine, Fla., for “Ancient City Pride.” (Stop by on Saturday, Sept. 25, if you’re in the neighborhood.) After spending a few days at home, I head to Charlotte, N.C., for “Pride Charlotte,” then off to Atlanta for the annual Atlanta Pride held Oct. 9 and 10. I’ll be home again Oct. 11 to work on my costumes for Fantasy Fest.

Don’t forget to make YOUR plans to be here for Fantasy Fest, themed “Habitat for Insanity.” When you arrive, look me up at the Gay and Lesbian Visitor’s Center, open seven days a week from 9-ish until 5-ish (sometimes 6-ish) in the key-lime green building at 513 Truman.

By the way, Key West was nominated one of the “Sexiest Places on Earth” for LGBT travelers by an international panel of travel writers chosen by LOGO TV in their annual TripOut Gay Travel Awards. Visit this site and cast your vote for the island.

Thanks for joining me … until we meet again!

(Steve’s current American Airlines mileage: 2,497,241 miles promoting Key West to the LGBT world. Divided by 450 miles per hour average, that means 5,549.4 hours in a can at 30,000 feet!)

Topics: Events, Festivals, Highlights, Key West, LGBT, Local Color, Voices Main Archive

Early in my 30-year sojourn in the Keys, I took a front-line hospitality-industry job that put me in daily contact with visitors to the island chain. I enjoyed a lot of things about the work — meeting people from all over the world, glimpsing my beloved home through others’ eyes, knowing that each day would bring an ever-changing tapestry of diverse people and viewpoints.

Every evening visitors gather at Mallory Square for Key West's exuberant Sunset Celebration, featuring entertainers and artists. FYI, the sun sets once a day in the Keys. (Photo by Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau)

But there were two things I liked above all else.

One, admittedly, is a bit weird: saying goodbye to people. Watching them depart for homes in the “real world,” which I defined as any mundane locale that didn’t offer the Keys’ quirky experiential richness, I invariably felt sorry for them and gloried in the fact that I didn’t EVER have to leave.

The other is the crazy questions I got asked. Now, please understand that most guests were savvy, interesting visitors who clearly did their “homework” about the Keys before arrival. But a few had either left their common sense at home or imbibed enough tropical cocktails to make them a little hazy on geography and the laws of nature.

For example, a sweet white-haired woman once asked, in all seriousness, “How many times a day does the sun set down here?”

Key West is famous around the world for its nightly carnival-like sunset celebration at Mallory Square, and people flock to see its artisans and street performers. But trust me — even with that kind of celebration, sunset only takes place once a day.

At Dolphin Research Center, visitors can swim with the resident dolphins -- not to be confused with the Miami Dolphins, despite this one's apparent fondness for football. (Photo courtesy of Dolphin Research Center)

Another unforgettable visitor, a rabid Miami Dolphins fan, apparently hoped to interact with his favorite football players in the Keys.

“When I go to one of those ‘Swim with the Dolphins’ places, is that the football team or the Flipper-like dolphins?” he inquired.

Football fans weren’t the only sporting aficionados to ask unusual questions. For many years a nationally acclaimed offshore powerboat race was held in Marathon. The boats navigated a high-speed course that took them under the Middle Keys’ Old Seven Mile Bridge and its modern-day counterpart.

For one prospective spectator, my description of the route under the parallel bridges just wasn’t detailed enough.

The historic Old Seven Mile Bridge, at right of the newer bridge, cuts through tiny Pigeon Key ... but how long is it really? (Photo by Andy Newman/ Florida Keys News Bureau)

“That’s great,” he said enthusiastically. “So you mean the offshore powerboats race in the water?”

Ummmm … yeah. In the water.

The Old Seven Mile Bridge, an engineering marvel hailed as the eighth wonder of the world when it was completed in the early 1900s, also drew a lot of questions about its length. Strangely enough, that’s trickier than it might seem. Although the span is believed to be the longest segmental bridge in the world, its name was a slight exaggeration. Actually, it stretches 6.79 miles.

Tentative phone inquiries from some potential visitors reflected the Florida Keys’ reputation as an exotic tropical island.

In the Florida Keys, the beaches are VERY near the ocean. (Photo by Rob O'Neal)

Almost every day, someone queried, “Do I need a passport to get into the Keys?”

Then there was the guy who asked if it was possible to see Cuba from the top floor of the Keys’ tallest building. But while a certain former governor may be able to see Russia from Alaska, Cuba lies 90 miles from the Keys at the closest point — so the answer remains a resounding “no.”

My favorite question of all time was a staggeringly simple one. It came from a brand-new arrival so eager to start soaking up rays that she was rubbing suntan lotion on her arms as she checked into her hotel.

“Tell me,” she said breathlessly, “is the beach near the ocean?”

Topics: Big Pine Key & Lower Keys, Islamorada, Key Largo, Key West, Local Color, Marathon, Quirks, Voices Main Archive

Diana Nyad is one tough lady. And she’d better be, because swimming 103 miles from Cuba to Key West is one tough task — a task not many 61-year-olds would attempt.

At 61 years old, Diana Nyad is poised to attempt a 103-mile swim from Cuba to Key West. (Photos by Haig Jacobs, Florida Keys News Bureau)

Diana hopes to begin her marathon swim any day now, but it won’t be the first time she’s challenged herself to attempt the feat. In 1978, when she was 32 years younger and a seasoned athlete, she didn’t make it.

Instead, battered and weak, she was hauled into a support boat by friends after spending more than 41 hours battling strong currents and punishing waves.

This time, she believes, will be different. And while having turned 60 might seem to be a disadvantage, for Diana Nyad it was just the inspiration she needed.

“Honestly, I have not been sitting around for all these 32 years thinking ‘my life is miserable without making it from Cuba to Florida’,” Diana said recently during a break in her final training in Key West. (Click here to view a You Tube video interview segment with Diana.)

Tough and savvy, Diana is motivated by the desire to shatter negative stereotypes about older people.

In fact, she’s a popular radio and television personality and author who lives in L.A. and looks far younger than her chronological age. Yet after celebrating her 60th birthday last year, she decided somebody needed to shatter the modern-day perception that older people are “past it.”

“I’m strong, I’m vital, I still feel relevant to my community, but you’re not made to feel that way at 60 in this society,” Diana said. “I want 60-year-olds to look at me and say, ‘You know that silly bumper sticker ‘60 is the new 40’? She’s proving it’.”

So she began training for the 103-mile swim — which, coincidentally, is estimated to take about 60 hours (yes, that’s an almost unbelievable two-and-a-half days).

As well as being physically and mentally challenging, the feat also involved logistical challenges that rivaled those of an Everest expedition. They included getting government permissions from both the U.S. and Cuba, and assembling a support team (it eventually grew to 37 people).

Diana's nonstop marathon swim is expected to take an incredible 60 hours.

Unlike her 1978 attempt, Diana won’t be swimming in a protective shark cage. This time, she’ll be accompanied by professional kayakers with electronic shark repelling devices — just in case.

In mid-July, with the details falling into place, Diana successfully completed a 24-hour swim in the Gulf Stream off Key West. And recently, she’s been staying in the island city, where the community has embraced her as she waits for the right weather conditions to begin the marathon.

“The people in town have been so generous to me,” Diana marveled. “The Southernmost Hotel has given me a free hotel room for as long as I’m here, the Key West Yacht Club is giving us a free boat slip for our boats … these generous donations from the good people here in the Keys have helped me enormously and I will be forever grateful.”

A seasoned athlete with tremendous physical and mental reserves, Diana believes she has a better chance for success now than she did during her first attempt 32 years ago.

She hopes to end the swim in Key West. But if currents sweep her closer to some other part of the Keys, that’s just fine too.

She’s got plenty of mental techniques to help pass the hours at sea, like counting her strokes in every language she knows and following the beat of metronomic songs. But ultimately, it will come down to her personal resilience and staying power … qualities Diana believes have only increased with age.

“I definitely am a little slower than I used to be but I think I have a better chance mentally, and in spirit and will, than I did before,” Diana said. “And after all, that’s what it’s all about out there — the will.”

May this tough, inspiring lady stay safe, stay focused, and emerge triumphant on the welcoming shores of the Keys.

Topics: Events, Highlights, Key West, On the Water, Profiles, Voices Main Archive