John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, America's first underwater preserve, celebrates it's 50th Anniversary on Dec. 11.
The park named for Pennekamp, a former Miami Herald editor, was dedicated Dec. 10, 1960. Today it draws more than a million visitors annually to explore its nature trails and beaches and observe the abundant underwater wildlife that inhabits its 70 square nautical miles, that is also a facet of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
