Tropical Architecture of Virginia Key Lauded in Miami Architecture, AIA Guide

Virginia Key’s iconic structures, including the Ralph Middleton Munroe Miami Marine Stadium (its official name) are featured in the new AIA Guide, Miami Architecture (University of Florida Press, $29.95).

The guide imagines the area as a tropical playground - with the Marine Stadium as the centerpiece of a “necklace of public amenities” in the Biscayne Bay corridor.

The playground begins with the Rickenbacker Causeway itself -- in reality a linear park -- which was designed to include areas for fishing, bathing and boat launching along the way. Today, the scenic road is also a major attraction for bicyclists and pedestrians who enjoy the scenic views.

The Rickenbacker was designed by landscape architect WIlliam Lyman Phillips, the preeminent architect of the 1930s and 40s. Phillips’ commissions included some of our most beautiful parks and gardens, including Crandon and Virginia Key Beach Parks, Matheson Hammock, and Fairchild Tropical Garden.

Miami Seaquarium’s 1950s vintage look may strike some as quaint today, but when it was completed it was considered “a technological feat of marine architecture and showmanship,” according to the guidebook. The 55-acre site design is based on World’s Fair models before World War II, which is reinforced by the later addition of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic Golden Dome.

Other guidebook entries include the University of Miami Rosensteil School and NOAA Building, National Marine Fisheries Service Center.

Miami Architecture was co-written by Miami architect Allan T. Shulman, landscpae architect and planner Randall C. Robinson, Jr. , co-author of MiMo: Miami Modern Revealed and James F. Donnelly, former chair of the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board.

The precursor to the guide was the Miami Architecture Project, a community-based group that organized local forums on architecture and community revitalization.

There will be book signing and discussion beginning at 7:30 p.m., Thurs., June 10, 2010 at the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120804544604561&ref=mf

Resources:

University of Florida Press http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=DONNES08

Miami 21 "zoning" of Virginia Key allows urban uses

Miami 21 isn’t just about dictating development in the urban grid. Virginia Key, the urban island with the heart of a wilderness, has also been zoned.

Some areas are designated preservation zones (T-1), others have civic zone designations (CI) which may be developed with urban public uses or commercial uses, with urban infrastructure, including parking garages and roadways. Other areas are zoned "urban core," some of the highest urban center designations (T6-8).

A Miami Dade County planning report states that Virginia Key’s “valuable and protected” areas – mangroves, wetlands, dunes, and hammocks and cultural resources, including the historically-designated Miami Marine Stadium – could be threatened if future land uses permitted under Miami 21, the City of Miami’s new land use and zoning code that will take effect May 20, don’t take into account the long-term management requirements of these areas.


County planners analyzed Miami 21’s impact on Virginia Key as part of the biological evaluation prepared by the Dade Environmental Resources Management department for the purpose of identifying areas that could be acquired by the Environmentally Endangered Lands Program. The report stated:

Regardless of whether some Virginia Key properties are ultimately acquired by the EEL program, it is important that any future land uses on Virginia Key be carefully planned and permitted such that they do not impact the sensitive and valuable habitats there. The management of restored and protected land on Virginia Key should be not inhibited by adjacent future land uses. The historic places and structures on the key should be maintained and fully incorporated into all future land use plans.

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Miami 21 took effect May 20, 2010 although City of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado has called it a “work in progress” and will give residents, including Miami Neighborhoods United (MNU), commissioners and others, the opportunity to express concerns and possibly amend the code in the future. A special City Commission session on Miami 21 will be held at 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 2, 2010.

Resources: www.miami21.org

Gulf Oil Crisis Response: Beach Rally, Photo Project

If the Gulf of Mexico oil spill were to enter the Gulf “loop current” Virginia Key, with its vast expanse of wetlands, marshes and mangrove forests and sea-turtle nesting beaches, would be severely impacted.

Though the oil is now more than 80 miles away from the Gulf loop current, changes in wind and weather patterns could bring the oil to the Florida Keys and around to Miami Dade's beaches and barrier islands. The oil rig site is discharging approximately 210,000 gallons a day for a total estimated output of 3.5 million gallons already spilled into the Gulf. Fishing grounds throughout the region have been closed.

Everglades and Biscayne National Parks are bracing for the impact, already documenting conditions pre-oil spill.

Average citizens are also taking action in the wake of this unprecedented environmental catastrophe. Some are documenting current conditions through photos of shorelines and beaches. Others are holding events calling for an end to off-shore oil drilling.

THINGS TO DO NOW:
Rally: Miami-Dade County Says “No to Off Shore Drilling” Rally took place May 11 on Miami Beach where several hundred participated.

Photo Project: Tropical Seike is collecting photos of shorelines to document existing conditions. The photo-baseline project will collect images of our beaches, estauries, and harbors before and after the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil/tar arrives. Include the name of the specific site and date. The project site is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tropical-Selkie-gathering-the-ocean-tribes/231034041891?ref=mf

Resources:
http://miami-dade.ifas.ufl.edu/environment/sea_grant_oilspill.shtml
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill/

Mother's Day is About Lolita

Today, Mother’s Day, there will be a protest -- as there has been for many years -- in front of Miami Seaquarium by supporters of Lolita (Tokitae), the captive killer whale and star attraction of the marine exhibition park on Virginia Key.

According to the Orca Network, Lolita was captured off Whidbey Island, Washington State in 1970. Lolita was believed to be 2-6 years old and was separated from her mother, along with other orcas who were also captured for sale to marine parks.

Researchers believe they have identified Lolita’s mother, identified at “L-25,” “Ocean Sun,” a member of the Southern Resident community of Orca’s off Washington State’s coast.

On this Mother’s Day, supporters of Lolita plan to come out to raise awareness about the capture and separation and promote Lolita’s retirement into a baypen “where she would be able to interact with and if she chooses to do so, rejoin her pod including her mother."

The Miami Seaquarium has responded in the past that Lolita, which has been hand-fed for the past 39 years, could not survive on her own in the ocean and would "continue to be an ambassador for her species from her home at Miami Seaquarium," according to statements previously released to the press.

The 38-acre Miami Seaquarium on Virginia Key, which opened in 1955, is the longest operating “oceanarium” in the United States. From 1963 through 1967, 88 television episodes and two movies starring Flipper were filmed at Miami Seaquarium, according to the park’s website.

Photo: Killer whales in the wild, San Juan Islands. Courtesy of http://sanjuanupdate.com

Resources:
http://www.orcanetwork.org
http://www.miamiseaquarium.com/visitor_info/history.asp
http://www.islandcam.com/orca_page.html

President Could Be Commencement Speaker for MAST Academy

A high school on Virginia Key that was once the site of the former Planet Ocean tourist attraction could soon host the President.

Imagine a presidential motorcade soaring along the scenic Rickenbacker Causeway, a notable passenger peering out to a boundless Biscayne Bay, contemplating what lurks beneath the tropical greenery of the small island before him.

That would be President Barack Obama on his way to give a commencement address at MAST Academy on Virginia Key. That is, IF the magnet high school for marine sciences on Virginia Key is chosen for the honor after an internet voting competition.

To be eligible to win the President’s presence, people need to vote in a “contest” the White House is sponsoring on its website.

Here’s the opening pitch from the students from the White House web site:

MAST's 100% graduation rate is only one measure of student success. Our school's strong core curriculum, which includes a variety of Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses, complements the unique electives that truly set MAST apart. In Solar Energy class, we learn about kilowatt-hours, then construct solar ovens and spread environmental awareness by monitoring school energy usage. Cadets in the nation's only Coast Guard JROTC program earn boating licenses on the surface, while underwater, engineering students test their remotely operated vehicles. Culinary classes prepare feasts using produce from our "edible garden," while woodshop students construct everything from dining tables to CO2-powered cars. We express creativity through steel drum band or ceramics class, while required internships provide hands-on experience in fields ranging from marine biology to architecture. As a testament to the dedication that MAST instills, the majority of our diverse student body stays beyond the bell to participate in activities like water polo, ocean conservation, multicultural dance and independent research in our greenhouse and artificial reefs.
 
MAST's 100% college acceptance rate proves the effectiveness of well-rounded, interactive learning. Here, students, teachers and parents take initiative to build a culture of success that propels us into college and beyond.

To vote, go to whitehouse.gov/commencement and rank each of the six schools in the contest from a high score of 5 to the lowest score of 1. Videos of all five schools are posted. President Obama will choose among the three highest-scoring schools.

How fitting that the Florida school in the running is housed in the former home of a defunct tourist attraction: Planet Ocean, which closed in 1991.

According to the website, www.lostparks.com, Planet Ocean featured state of the art exhibits about the ocean, including a “touchable” iceberg. A film made for the museum was nominated for an Academy Award as best short film.

Resources: http://www.lostparks.com/planetocean.html
www.whitehouse.gov/commencement

National Parks Traveler on Virginia Key

An article in the National Parks Traveler, a web magazine dedicated to the National Parks, considers how creating an urban gateway to Biscayne National Park on Virginia Key would put a national park within steps of downtown Miami, accessible through the scenic Rickenbacker Causeway. This would make Biscayne National Park perhaps the only national park that combines both remote island wild lands, such as the Channel Islands National Park, with the easy accessibility to natural and historic sites provided by urban parks such as Santa Monica Mountains or Gateway National Recreation Areas in California, the article states.

The expansion could include the southern portion of the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve. The park’s expansion would link the natural and historic heritage of the Miami region and help foster and fund the restoration and protection of important historic and cultural sites and facilities, such as the historic Virginia Key Beach Park, an 82-acre public park that played a critical role in the nation’s civil rights history as well as the the historic but neglected Miami Marine Stadium, an icon of modern architecture.

The City of Miami currently owns most of Virginia Key, including the historic Virginia Key Beach Park and Miami Marine Stadium. Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve is owned by the State of Florida.

After nearly a century of neglect, mismanagement and/or ill-conceived development plans, there has recently been a new appreciation in the community for the ecological, historic, and recreational significance of Virginia Key. It was that concern and the outcry that resulted when extensive commercial development was proposed for the island, that postponed approval by the Miami City Commission of the last master plan proposal for the island.

A March 2010 Miami Herald editorial stated:

"The value of this semi-tropical natural haven can't be overestimated in a city that sorely lacks adequate park and recreation space. The city has targeted Virginia Key for a make-over, but so far its plans have given short shrift to Mother Nature in favor of concrete."

Under the National Park proposal, parts of the island and the surrounding Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve could be acquired by the National Park Service through donation or exchange. These additions and the placement of a northern visitor center for Biscayne National Park on the island would help to address longstanding public concerns about the protection of these areas, and also make Biscayne National Park a more interesting and accessible national park.

This hybrid urban/wild national park property with tales to tell about the American experience - from civil rights, to restoring Florida's fragile ecology to Miami's modern architectural heritage - may be the new model for the National Park system, which is eager to reach out to an urban, diverse America.



To read more of the article in National Parks Traveler, go to:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/04/creating-urban-gateway-biscayne-national-park-virginia-key5739

Fun in the Sun Youth Festival part of environmental tradition

The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park will host the second annual Fun in the Sun Youth environmental festival (FISY) from 12 to 8 p.m., Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Outdoor activities include environmental projects, ocean conservation talks, sea grass adventure tours, healthy cooking demonstrations and games and prizes.

Environmental education and awareness is part of the historic tradition of the park, which officially opened in 1945 as a county facility for blacks only during the era of segregation.

Planning with and for the unique natural environment on the barrier island has been integral part of park’s community-led restoration. To that end, the federally funded project that restored the interior wetlands, tropical hardwood hammock and coastal dunes was done in concert with restoration of the historic site and recreational amenities that now exist.

In December 2000, the Virginia Key Civil Rights Task Force submitted a report to the City of Miami that stressed the significance of creating a “conservation buffer zone” as part of the “historic” experience. The report stated: "Oral testimonies, re-creations and photographic documentation indicate that these natural features were an integral part of the appeal of Virginia Key Beach Park and contributed significantly to its being considered a special place."

The festival is an attempt to reach out to a new generation of environmental stewards.

The late M. Athalie Range, the chairperson of the Virginia Key Civil Rights Task Force, described the challenges in reaching out to youth and newcomers:

“The fast-changing world in which we live makes it very difficult for our younger generations and for those who arrived in Miami in more recent years to appreciate why Virginia Key beach is such and important and special place to restore and preserve. Certainly for African Americans who remember it as ‘the only place we could go’ during the segregation area, there are no words that can summarize or describe what it meant to have this beautiful gathering place which brought together baptisms and religious services, courtships and honeymoon, organizational gatherings, visiting celebrities and general family recreation. This experience would be shared by some of the earliest arriving Cuban refugee families, and eventually, after desegregation, by everyone who could enjoy this precious natural retreat located right in the City, yet serene and free from view of large buildings. ...We have become even more aware of the Park’s unique and fragile natural environment and how valuable it is to a city with no other large-scale natural preserve.”

The historic Virginia Key Beach Park is located at 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami (second beach entrance right before Bear Cut Bridge as you’re heading south towards Key Biscayne). The event is free; parking fees still apply.

Virginia Key Beach Park also has a children’s playground, nature trails in restored wetlands and along sandy dunes, picnic areas and barbecue stands. Vintage amusement rides include the Biscayne Virginia Rickenbacker Central Miniature Train Ride and the Allan Herschell Vintage Carousel (separate fees apply for amusement rides).

More info on the park: http://www.virginiakeybeachpark.net/
FISY event video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQR6DEFtoU