Editing Scout Key

{{Short description|Island in the lower Florida Keys, United States}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Scout Key
| native_name      =
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| image_name       = Aerial photographs of Florida MM00034361x (7369661790).jpg
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| image_caption    = Camp Sawyer on Scout Key in 1987
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| pushpin_map             = Florida#Caribbean
| pushpin_label           = 
| pushpin_label_position  = left
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| pushpin_relief          = 1
| pushpin_map_caption     = Scout Key
| coordinates      = {{Coord|24.649855|-81.310887|display=it}}
| etymology        = 
| location         = [[Gulf of Mexico]]
| grid_reference   = <!-- UK only -->
| archipelago      = [[Florida Keys]]
| waterbody        = [[Florida Straits]]
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| country         = {{USA}}
| country_admin_divisions_title      = State
| country_admin_divisions            = [[Florida]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1    = County
| country_admin_divisions_1          = [[Monroe County, Florida|Monroe]]
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}}
'''Scout Key''' is an [[island]] in the lower [[Florida Keys]]. It was previously known as '''West Summerland Key''' until 2010.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Petuch | first1=E.J. | last2=Myers | first2=R.F. | title=Molluscan Communities of the Florida Keys and Adjacent Areas: Their Ecology and Biodiversity | publisher=CRC Press | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-4822-4919-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f5LSBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA43 | access-date=September 7, 2017 | page=43}}</ref> [[U.S. Route 1 in Florida|U.S. 1]] (the [[Overseas Highway]]) crosses the key at approximately [[mile marker]]s 34–35, between [[Spanish Harbor Key]] and [[Big Pine Key]].

==Etymology==
[[File:Scout Key Milky Way in April 2018.jpg|thumb|Scout Key Milky Way in April, 2018]]
The Key was renamed to reflect the two adjoining [[scouting in Florida|scout camps]] on it, Boy Scout [[Camp Sawyer]] and Girl Scout [[Camp Wesumkee]]. The name change also removed some confusion about its location &ndash; despite its name, the formerly-named West Summerland Key is actually about 10 miles ''east'' of [[Summerland Key]].

==Geography==
Originally, there were three keys at this location.  They were connected by [[fill (land)|fill]]s at the time the [[Overseas Railroad]] was built.  The keys were West Summerland Key (westernmost), Middle Summerland Key (center), and no name is known for the easternmost key.  West Summerland retained its name, but the other two are known simply as the [[Spanish Harbor Keys]]; named for the [[anchor]]age located between this key and [[Big Pine Key]].  Interesting features of this key include [[indian mound]]s, and storage buildings still standing from the [[Henry Flagler|Flagler]] [[railway]] [[construction]] era.

==Environment==
In 2017, Category 4 [[Hurricane Irma]] destroyed much of the fragile mangroves and dunes on the key, reshaping the Atlantic shoreline. A few buildings were crushed and other damaged in both Scout camps. The swimming platform at the Sawyer camp had to be rebuilt yet again after the most recent rebuilds in 2004 and 2005.<ref>[https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article178222171.html in Miami Herald]</ref><ref>[https://www.girlscoutsfl.org/en/support-us/donate/hurricaneirma.html in Girl Scouts FL]</ref>

==Attractions==
[[Camp Wesumkee]] is the site of the [[Winter Star Party]],<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.scas.org/home/winterstarparty |title = Winter Star Party | publisher =  Southern Cross Astronomical Society}}</ref> an annual gathering of amateur [[astronomer]]s.

[[File:Bahia Honda Old Rail Bridge.jpg|thumb|Bahia Honda Old Rail Bridge as seen from Scout Key]]
The eastern end of the key has a small parking area on the Atlantic that allows access to the old [[Bahia Honda Rail Bridge]], which is a popular photography spot among tourists and locals also known as "Broken Bridge".<ref>{{Coord | 24.6537485 | -81.3111987 | dim:30_region:US-FL_type:landmark  |display=inline |name=location of Broken Bridge}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=Deyrup | first=M. | title=Ants of Florida: Identification and Natural History | publisher=CRC Press | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-315-35101-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SuLDQAAQBAJ&pg=PP130 | access-date=September 7, 2017 | page=130}}

{{Florida Keys}}


{{authority control}}

[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Monroe County, Florida]]
[[Category:Beaches of Monroe County, Florida]]
[[Category:Beaches of Florida]]
[[Category:Islands of Florida]]


{{monroeCountyFL-geo-stub}}