Boot Key Harbor
"Marathon- the Heart of the Florida Keys"

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COMMANDER’S REPORT
Marathon Sail and Power Squadron, September 2001
(Reproduced with permission from the Sombrero Light Newsletter of the Power Squadron)

STEWARDSHIP OF BOOT KEY HARBOR

As we begin our 2001-2002 season with this first issue of fall, I’d like to bring Boot Key Harbor to the forefront of the thinking of our members and supporters in the community, and to get you all talking about this. Political issues aside, which we will not address in the Power Squadron, the decisions our community makes regarding the management of Boot Key Harbor and its marine resources will affect the quality of life in our community for a long time to come. Members of the Marathon Sail and Power Squadron represent a credible, knowledgeable and respected segment of our community that already focuses on boating and marine issues. Together with the Yacht Club and Sailing Club we are the best and most appropriate segment of the middle keys community to lead the way with recommendations to the harbor committee regarding management of our local marine resources. We stand at a crossroads in the stewardship of Boot Key Harbor. The broad dichotomy that presents itself is whether to manage the harbor according to sound and responsible boating and social principles, or whether to treat the management of the harbor as a strategic vehicle for increased tourism and related revenue generation for local business. I have very strong opinions and feelings that we should focus on the former relating to boating and community issues solely, while encouraging a growth in associated tourism only to a point constrained by our quality of life community decisions. To put it more bluntly, would you really like Marathon and Boot Key Harbor to become an annex of Duval Street? There are TREMENDOUS things we can do to clean up the harbor, live well with our responsible (mostly) liveaboard neighbors, make the community proud of its marine jewel, plus make money. The single most important difference in Boot Key Harbor and any other harbor is it’s large, full time liveaboard population. By and large, these are decent, respectable people - many of whom are very well educated. They are incredibly important to our local economy because a huge segment of our service workers come from here. Sterilize the harbor and you’ve lost character, good neighbors and much of the work force in Marathon. Within the next few weeks I’ll start posting issues and recommendations on the website www.BootKeyHarbor.com. The community will be invited to post ideas & opinions here as this process develops. Cuba, too, is a major influence. My local involvement with this is seen at www.CubanHealthNetwork.org. What really brought this in focus for me this summer is the trip Lisa & I took in our boat up to the Great Lakes. Lake Erie has a popular island harbor called Put In Bay. Years ago this used to be one of our favorite spots. We’d anchor there for days and weeks at a time. We went back this year for the first time. I don’t want to go back again. What we found disheartened us, and made me feel in somewhat of a panic for our own Boot Key Harbor. To be brief on details, the emotional effect was disdain. Prices had skyrocketed. Quality had virtually disappeared. Local character had been replaced with a kind of corporate Disney superficial image. Police involvement was all encompassing and KGB-like. The major reason for this was a calculated, many-fold increase in the tourists visiting the island. Do we want the same? I don’t. I want to be proud of where I live and share it on a reasonable and responsible basis with others. What’s your opinion? Think about it.

Gregory Absten, Commander

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