Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge

Infobox_protected_area | name = Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge
iucn_category = V

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caption =
locator_x = 225
locator_y = 156
location = Manatee County, Florida, USA
nearest_city = St. Petersburg, Florida
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area = 64 acres
established = 1905
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governing_body = National Park Service

The Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located offshore from St. Petersburg. The 64 acre refuge was established in 1905. It is one of the three 'Tampa Bay Refuges', and is administered as a part of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Passage Key Wilderness Area is part of the refuge, and consists of 36.37 acres (or 56.9%) of its total area. It was established in 1970, to protect native birds and serve as a breeding ground for them.

Passage Key has suffered substantial shaoling in recent years, and is currently reduced to a small sandbar approximately convert|100|yd long at high tide. Passage Key has been a popular destination for nudists for several years.

External links

* [http://www.fws.gov U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]
** [http://www.fws.gov/southeast/PassageKey/index.html Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge]
** [http://www.fws.gov/realty/table08.html Wilderness Areas acreage]