ISLAMORADA, FL – An exciting partnership which will bring a new permanent exhibit to Keys History & Discovery Center is being undertaken between Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) and Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation, both not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organizations. The exhibit is expected to be complete in December 2019. It will be housed in the Keys History & Discovery Center, which is operated by the Foundation. In addition, BTT will be a top-level sustaining member of the organization for at least five years, making an annual contribution of $10,000.

“To be affiliated with an organization as well-respected locally and globally as BTT is so gratifying,” said Foundation Executive Director Jill Miranda Baker. “As a young not-for-profit, entering our sixth year, garnering their respect is one of our most significant accomplishments to date.”

Located in the heart of Islamorada, the addition of an exhibit featuring the importance of the sport fishery and the habitat in which they live, further allows the Foundation to fulfill the mission of ‘discovery’ within the only bricks-and-mortar history and ecology museum in the Upper Keys.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT President and CEO. “With its impressive exhibit space and historic location, the Center is a fitting home for our Circle of Honor, which will recognize legendary anglers and conservation leaders who have made significant contributions to the conservation of our bonefish, tarpon and permit fisheries. The partnership also gives BTT the opportunity to create an educational exhibit that will highlight the ecological and economic significance of the Keys’ flats fishery.”

The project, expected to cost an estimated $40,000, is being funded by BTT and through efforts of a capital campaign.

“It is particularly exciting to join with yet another organization that shares a mission of preserving and sharing the unique ecology of the Florida Keys and the surrounding waters,” said Miranda Baker.

The Foundation also has a long-term partnership with Mote Marine Laboratory which resulted in Coral Reef Exploration, a comprehensive permanent exhibit which brings the Florida Keys ecosystem to land.

For more information on becoming a part of this unique and comprehensive exhibit, contact Foundation Executive Director Jill Miranda Baker at 305-922-2237 or via info@keysdiscovery.com.

About Keys History & Discovery Center:

Keys History & Discovery Center is a world-class museum that preserves and shares the incredible history of our Upper Keys community and explores the unique ecology of the region. In addition to permanent exhibits on subjects such as Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railway, Legends of the Line, and First People, the Discovery Center offers a lecture series, educating the public through presentations from a variety of expert speakers. The museum’s second floor features a state-of-the-art theater showing documentaries on topics like the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Indian Key, as well as traveling exhibits, and the Jerry Wilkinson Research Library. The center, on the property of the Islander Resort, is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

About Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation:

Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation formed in 2013 to develop and operate Keys History & Discovery Center. The not-for-profit organization’s board of directors is comprised of community-minded volunteers with a passion for the mission of preserving and sharing the unique history and environment of the Florida Keys, particularly that of the Upper Keys. More information can be found at www.keysdiscovery.com or by calling 305-922-2237.

About Bonefish & Tarpon Trust:

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s mission is to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit—the species, their habitats and the larger fisheries they comprise. As a science-based organization, BTT pursues this mission across the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean through research, conservation, education and advocacy.