Wisteria Island Found to be in Federal Ownership
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The Bureau of Land Management Eastern States (BLM-ES) office in Springfield, Virginia, has reversed a previous decision regarding the ownership of Wisteria Island near Key West, Florida. Further review of historic documents by BLM-ES subject matter experts, revealed that Wisteria Island has been in a protected status since 1908.
Wisteria Island was reserved for use by the Navy Department in a 1908 Executive Order, but Public Land Order 6214 of March 18, 1982, withdrew the land from the Navy and put it in a general land base to be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There is no evidence that ownership of Wisteria Island was ever transferred from the Federal government.
Experts at the BLM-ES previously held that the above cited Executive and Public Land Orders did not apply because Wisteria Island was not a naturally occurring island. After further review and consultation, it has become clear that Wisteria Island was subject to Executive and Public Orders because it was built upon a pre-existing shoal when the Navy dredged Key West harbor in the early 1900s.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.