Almost 70 miles  west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands.  Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the park is known the world over as the home of magnificent Fort Jefferson and for its picturesque blue waters, superlative coral reefs and marine life, and the vast assortment of bird life that frequents the area.

Dry Tortugas National Park is a bucket list adventure for many of the visitors who make it there.  We camped for two nights and would highly recommend it but take any opportunity you have to visit what you can. Learn more about our experience as well as that of other campers.

Just steps away from the disembarkation point of the ferry is Fort Jefferson, part of the third system of U.S. coastal defense.  Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in the United States and is composed of 16 million bricks.  Hollywood, the energetic and expert tour guide from Yankee Freedom, shares a great deal of knowledge about the history and importance of the fort and the area.

Information/Booking re: Camping in Dry Tortugas National Park:

https://www.drytortugas.com/key-west-camping/

Outdoor Organization Feature:

Venture Out Project: https://linktr.ee/theventureoutproject

This month we are sharing the work of the Venture Out Project as part of our community effort to showcase organizations who are working towards social justice and more inclusive public lands.  Established in 2014 by Perry Cohen, the Venture Out Project was one of the first guiding companies run by and for queer and transgender people.  Their mission is to provide a safe and fun space for queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ people to experience the outdoors as well as providing education and support that helps schools and organizations affirm their LGBTQ+ members. This is further underscored by their commitment to environmental stewardship, social justice, diversity, and inclusion.

Linda Mohammad, better known as @thebucketlisttraveler on social media, is originally from Malaysia.  She moved to the U.S. to study in Colorado, then to Texas for her first job and has been living in California since 2012 where she works as an engineer.  A few day trips to NPS sites in California led to her bucket list ambition of visiting all National Parks, which she accomplished in 2019.  In honor of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPIHM), we organized a special session on Clubhouse in the National Parks and WH Sites club. This episode features excerpts of the conversation that focus on her own roots in Asia as well as the importance of diversity and inclusion, the powerful educational role of the cultural and historical NPS sites, and the importance of volunteer work.

Special thanks to @nationalparkpatchlady for her insightful questions.

Follow @thebucketlisttraveler on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebucketlisttraveler/

Learn more and support the Channel Islands Park Foundation: https://www.ciparkfoundation.org/

Outdoor Organization Feature:

Get Out Stay Out/Vamos Afuera is committed to increasing diversity and representation for people of color, especially indigenous youth, within the outdoor industry by ensuring they have opportunities to run, play, and discover themselves in the natural world.  Follow Get Out Stay Out on Instagram (@getout.stayout).  Please consider a donation to support their work - 100 percent of your donation will go to youth excursions: check out their website at vamosafuera.org.

On May 17, 2021, the American Legation building in Tangier celebrates its bicentennial. A U.S. National Historical Landmark (NHL) since 1982, Sultan Moulay Suliman presented the building, now part of a larger complex, to the United States in 1821. The building is a powerful symbol of the long-standing and strong historical, cultural, and diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Morocco.  While it no longer serves a diplomatic purpose, it is still owned by the U.S. Government and is occupied by the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM), which comprises a museum, library, cultural and research center.  John Davison, TALIM’s director, discusses the history and importance of the building, both past and present, in this episode.

The building is the oldest continuously occupied U.S. diplomatic property in the world.  The relationship between the U.S. and Morocco is long and deep.  Sultan Mohammed III issued a decree opening Morocco’s ports to American ships in 1777, making Morocco one of the first countries to recognize the newly independent United States.  The Treaty of Peace and Friendship, signed by the U.S. and Morocco in 1786, is the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history.

It is the only NHL listing or designation in a foreign country, excluding those in countries that grew out of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.  NHLs are those that have been recognized by the Secretary of the Interior as possessing national significance: properties that help us understand our history.  All NHLs are part of the National Register of Historic Places, which is the official list of the nation's historic properties worthy of preservation. Landmarks constitute more than 2,500 of more than 90,000 entries in the National Register; the others are of state and local significance.  Both the NHL program and National Register of Historic Places are run by the National Park Service.

TALIM website: https://legation.org/

Virtual tour: https://legation.org/virtual-tour/

TALIM social media channels:
https://www.facebook.com/TangierAmericanLegation
https://www.instagram.com/tangieramericanlegation/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoWoGL8gO9n-Rjon-HYI2Jg

Outdoor Organization Feature:

Get Out Stay Out/Vamos Afuera is committed to increasing diversity and representation for people of color, especially indigenous youth, within the outdoor industry by ensuring they have opportunities to run, play, and discover themselves in the natural world.  Follow Get Out Stay Out on Instagram (@getout.stayout).  Please consider a donation to support their work - 100 percent of your donation will go to youth excursions: check out their website at vamosafuera.org.

Resources:

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm
Legation.org
https://savingplaces.org/stories/american-history-foreign-soil-tangier-american-legation-morocco#.YKBL5GYza3I

Photo courtesy of TALIM