Caitlyn “Caiti” Currie, who captains Key Largo water excursions for Pirates Cove Watersports and for school groups out of MarineLab at the Key Largo Undersea Park, is passionate about keeping the Florida Keys’ aquamarine waters clean.

Through Pirates Cove, located at Reefhouse Resort & Marina, Caiti enjoys captaining boats for and participating in Dive Against Debris trips.

Like many Keys environmentalists, she holds two jobs to be able to do meaningful work that she loves. At MarineLab — a Marine Resources Development Foundation program on Largo Sound at the park housing Jules’ Undersea Lodge — she educates student groups of all ages about Keys ecosystems.

The landlocked native of St. Louis, Missouri, packed her bags for Key Largo about 10 years ago. Previously she had studied marine archaeology at Southeast Missouri State University and conducted educational field research at the Sanisera Archaeology Institute in Menorca, Spain.

Caiti immediately landed a boat mate’s position at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. A couple of years later, she began studying for her captain’s license and earned it at age 25.

Her seven-year stint at Pennekamp ended when the coronavirus pandemic struck, and Pirates Cove offered her a captain’s job.

During her limited spare time, Caiti enjoys her two Labrador–Australian shepherd–mix dogs and performing with the Key Players theatrical troupe.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Caitlyn “Caiti” Currie: In 2013. I realized after college that I hated the cold weather too much, so I wanted to be somewhere it was warm all year round and where there were shipwrecks. I like water, warmth and buried treasure.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

CC: I really like how most everyone down here loves to do some activity on the water. Whether paddling, snorkeling or fishing, everyone likes to get out and enjoy our unique ecosystems. Not only do they enjoy it, they care about it! Our local community really gets involved in helping take care of our reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

CC: Working on snorkel boats, glass-bottom boats and running eco-tours has allowed me to see firsthand how our ecosystems have been affected over the years. I can’t imagine what they looked like 50 to 60 years ago!

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

CC: I try to make sure the companies I work for care about our environment and conditions as much as I do, if not more so.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

CC: Damage to our different ecosystems has encouraged me to educate visitors on how to properly interact with the environment they’re in, so that it can be enjoyed for years to come.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

CC: My peers and co-workers constantly keep me energized about helping to educate others. Where I work, mainly at Pirates Cove Watersports, we do multiple Dive Against Debris trips throughout the year to help clean up the oceans. At MarineLab, we take school groups out to experience the different ecosystems and learn about them in depth.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

CC: The more we educate our visitors, the better our reefs can be in the future as more people realize the impact they can have on our beautiful and unique reefs — just with their everyday habits.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

CC: To encourage others to be appreciative of our environment down here and help us to preserve it.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

CC: I’m not sure if I could pick a favorite activity! It’s a tie between diving and snorkeling.

George Bellenger, who co-founded Key West Eco Tours with wife Carla in 2006, believes that even a five-minute commitment helps to preserve the Florida Keys’ natural backcountry and dense mangrove islands.

The company operates from the Geiger Key Marina fish camp and RV park’s Geiger Key Paddle Hut in the Lower Keys — and prides itself on educating clients about the backcountry and teaching respect for the Keys environment.

On each tour, guides and participants take part in a “5 Minute Project,” spending five minutes removing debris from the water and mangroves.

George landed in Key West after attending the University of Delaware, discovering a subtropical paradise where rent was affordable and residents didn’t need a car.

An avid kayaker, diver, windsurfer and sailor, George worked for Tropical Watersports as an instructor, teaching windsurfing and Hobie sailing at Smathers Beach. Over the years, the watersports enthusiast closely bonded with Key West’s island community and even ran for mayor twice.

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he met future wife Carla, who hails from Alabama, on a random Key West walk in the 1990s.

“She liked my dog JoJo, the wonder dog,” George recalled.

He’s recognized for launching the Havana Challenge, the first permitted regatta since the U.S.-Cuba embargo, with government-authorized sailing from Key West to Havana. His goal was to bring boating enthusiasts from both countries together, bridging cultures through traditional maritime heritage.

George’s adventures in Cuba, where he’s visited about 30 times, were documented in Men’s Journal.

He and Carla each hold U.S. Coast Guard charter captain certifications. And their son, George Robert, is a senior at SUNY Maritime College (Maritime College, State University of New York) and is pursuing a career in nautical operations.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

George Bellenger: A job offer first brought me to Key West around 40 years ago. Even back then, people told me I should have been here 10 years earlier!

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

GB: Initially, the way of life and cast of characters kept me hanging around the Keys until I eventually discovered the unbound natural world on and around the island. Then I was hooked.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

GB: Earth Day, 1971. The Boy Scouts announced a new merit badge, S.O.A.R. (Save our American Resources), to inspire thought and action to protect the environment. Our troop, when I was 11, scoured the Brandywine River’s muddy banks, pulling out mostly tires.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

GB: Every day provides an opportunity to exert a positive influence on the world around us.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

GB: Thirty years ago, I wrote a phonetic Reef Relief awareness talk, highlighting dive safety and equipment protocols in six languages. Reef Relief published and still distributes it. I also initiated and led a Keys citizen response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I’m currently a founding board member of the Crocodile Foundation, dedicated to preservation of the endangered American crocodile. We’re hoping to build nesting boxes away from civilization and relocate nuisance crocs into a preserve abutting Crocodile Lake.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

GB: We collaborate with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Turtle Hospital, Reef Relief and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to mitigate and affect positive change. Caring about future generations keeps me in the game every day. Good news helps. As an example: the terrific work Mote Marine Laboratory is doing replanting corals.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

GB: To inspire future leaders. Saving the planet from environmental degradation is a multigeneration endeavor. Our generation is just “passing the torch.”

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

GB: Don’t give up. Every little bit helps. Together we do make a difference.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

GB: Kayaking, of course!

Marine artist Lisa Lee Herman, owner of Gallery of the Arts Islamorada, is known throughout the Upper Keys for her gyotaku — the ancient Japanese art form for recording a catch.

Lisa greets her gyotaku-seeking clients, and the prized fish they want to preserve, at the dock following their angling excursions. She uses nontoxic inks to painstakingly press the fish on kozo paper, or traditional Japanese mulberry paper, and later details colorful embellishments at her studio-gallery in Tavernier.

She also expresses her creative talents in ways ranging from acrylic painting to teaching piano.

Lisa graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in psychology and music. In addition, she studied color photography and abstract painting at Scotland’s Edinburgh College, and studied and performed classical piano throughout Belgium and France.

After college, Lisa moved to Chicago and managed an art materials store — until the cold winters motivated her return to Florida. In late 2016, she opened her Florida Keys gallery.

Today, Lisa’s work can also be seen at Islamorada’s Green Turtle Inn and Kaiyo Grill & Sushi, and through Oct. 3 at the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center.

Lisa married Islamorada boat captain Jeff Tharp in a California vineyard in late August. They live in historic Tavernier, and she plans to expand her gallery.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Lisa Lee Herman: My family has been part of Islamorada since the early ‘60s — so since I was born. I was raised in Fort Lauderdale, and we visited our little spot in paradise nearly every weekend.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

LLH: I grew up fishing with my family, so I absolutely have to live near the water. What I love most about the Keys is the community. We’re all here because we share a common love for the ocean. The Keys’ environment is so unique — from the adorable Key deer, all the birds, flowers, insects, all alongside stunning coral reefs.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

LLH: My dad always showed us the coolest reefs to snorkel and the best spots to fish. I learned quickly how to respect the ocean and its creatures. Being able to handle fish, and release them, had me hook, line and sinker!

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

LLH: My passion for the ocean and its influence on my art are 1000% connected. My art is produced mainly from species we get to then enjoy at the dinner table. Celebrating your catch with friends and family is so wonderful; keeping a piece of art made from that fish is really special. 

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

LLH: I’ve always been a friend to all critters on land or at sea. I feel most called to protect and spread the love and knowledge of our increasingly fragile oceans. I contribute time, art and donations to local causes. I bring a small bag every time I walk my dog and try to pick up any little pieces of plastics or trash. I know it’s cliché, but it’s so true: if we all do a little, we can do a lot.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

LLH: The love and support from my family, my husband Jeff, the community and charter boat captains. Gyotaku, a challenging and ever-changing form of art, is never boring! Each species of fish is completely different from the next.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

LLH: My goal is to capture the beauty and uniqueness of each fish onto paper for all to enjoy. That translates to conservation: only take what you need. It breaks my heart to see people limit out, day after day after day, just for the sport of it. Everything in the ocean is connected to us. I want our next generations to see that.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

LLH: Paddleboarding! It’s such a fun and peaceful way to get up close and personal with our natural world without any disturbances.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

LLH: To spread my knowledge and appreciation for this style of art and its origins, and how important our oceans are to each of us. Looking at the fishes preserved in this unique way hopefully strikes a chord in us all to find joy and respect for all species.

Erin Muir, a sixth-generation Upper Keys native, is descended from two founding Florida Keys families — the Albury and Lowe families that settled in the Keys in the 1860s — whose roots run as deep as those of the mangroves lining the island chain’s shoreline.

Erin, Mote Marine Laboratory’s newly named Upper Keys engagement manager, handles outreach and engagement with locals and visitors at Mote’s new land-based coral nursery. Located near Reefhouse Resort & Marina’s conference center in Key Largo, it’s to be unveiled in mid-August.

Mote opened its first satellite land-based coral nursery at Bud ‘N Mary’s Marina in Islamorada in 2021. The two nurseries have a combined capacity of 40,000 coral fragments.

Erin’s knowledge of state and local government and Keys benefactors is extensive. She’s a former state legislative aide to Holly Raschein, now a Monroe County commissioner, and led fundraisers for the Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation.

At Mote, Erin is developing small-group eco-tour packages to include participation in hands-on coral fragging, or propagation, activities.

Mote is in the midst of a 10-year, science-based Florida Keys Coral Disease Response & Restoration Strategic Initiative. The program uses genetic strains of coral that demonstrate enhanced resiliency to rising water temperatures, increasing seawater acidity and coral disease. The initiative includes multiyear monitoring to assess survival and ecosystem health.

Erin has lived most of her life in the Keys, except for six years at the University of Florida.

She and husband Sam, a Florida Power & Light engineer, also spent 18 months in southern Alabama. Now, with young children Violet and Charlie, they live surrounded by her close-knit family in Tavernier.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Erin Muir: My family emigrated here from the Bahamas in the 1860s to farm limes and tomatoes. We are lucky to call this unique place home.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

EM: Living in a community that has such a great appreciation of our area’s natural beauty and a deep understanding of the need to protect our environment.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world? 

EM: My mom inspired me and decades of students she taught at Key Largo School. She made learning about the delicate balance between our unique and interconnected marine ecosystems engaging and fun — whether it was learning about the shelter red mangroves provide to young fish, seeing what tiny creatures you can shake out of a handful of sargassum or identifying bird species in the Everglades.   

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

EM: It is a source of pride to know that the small part I play with Mote contributes to such positive impacts on our local environment.  

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle? 

EM: I’m focused on helping others to connect with and engage in Mote’s science-based reef restoration efforts in the Upper Keys. I help people understand perils facing our reefs and the hope that Mote’s restoration efforts bring for revitalizing this precious ecosystem.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

EM:  Our children, Violet and Charlie, keep me motivated. My grandfather, who grew up in the Upper Keys, tells us about quality of the reefs and abundance of marine life when he was young. That abundance has declined for my parents’ generation and my own. Changing that course, and making sure my kids get to experience more beautiful and resilient reefs and plentiful fisheries, keeps me focused on my path.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

EM: We recently took the kids to stroll/scoot the Old Seven Mile Bridge out to Pigeon Key. It was exciting to see sharks, rays and other marine life from the bridge. My mom and I got our Keys history fix with our visit to the island. It was a wonderful day!

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish? 

EM: Mote’s coral disease response and restoration initiative will add over 1 million corals back to our local reefs, which will be an incredible accomplishment for all of our scientists, staff, volunteers and supporters.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter? 

EM: Everyone can play a role in helping restore our coral reefs. You don’t have to be a marine biologist or scuba diver. Just channel your passion into action because, whether those actions are small or large, they collectively lead to positive impacts.

Autumn Blum, the founder of Stream2Sea reef-safe skin-, hair- and body-care products, is a part-time Key Largo resident, an avid diver and a cosmetic chemist who developed sunscreen products billed as the world’s only ones proven safe for saltwater and freshwater fish and coral larvae.

Through partnerships with Reef Renewal USA and Virgin Voyages, Autumn launched a “Crazy for Coral” mission to plant 10,000 corals — a project that kicked off on Earth Day, April 22, and runs through July 31. More than 8,100 had been planted by late June.

Newly inducted into the elite Women Divers Hall of Fame, Autumn is hailed as an entrepreneur, clean-ocean advocate, PADI master scuba dive trainer and highly skilled Trimix CCR diver. She’s also the founder of Scuba Girls, a community of more than 25,000 women divers.

After growing up near Sarasota, Florida, Autumn earned an organic chemistry degree at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

At age 23, she worked as an organic chemist and created her first organic skincare line. Twelve years later, it was carried at 3,000 health food stores in a dozen countries.

After selling the company, she took time off to scuba dive.

In 2015, after a dive trip to Palau helped her realize that ingredients in body-care products are toxic to fragile aquatic ecosystems, Autumn founded Stream2Sea in Wauchula, Florida.

Stream2Sea mineral-based sunscreen products have passed the stringent Haereticus Environmental Laboratory’s Protect Land + Sea certification, which tests and proves safety for freshwater and saltwater fish and coral larvae.

Rolling Stone magazine recently named Stream2Sea Sport Sunscreen as its top recommendation among “best reef-safe, eco-friendly sunscreens.”

Autumn’s products include wakame seaweed, aloe vera, tulsi or holy basil, green tea and olive leaf — and they DON’T contain endocrine disruptors or toxic ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Autumn has given presentations in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and to the National Science Academies about the need to ban toxic sunscreens. Stream2Sea, a member of the “1% for the Planet” global environmental organization, donates 1% of revenue back to conservation and restoration projects.

The company is currently developing a deodorant and pet sunscreen.

While Autumn’s Stream2Sea manufacturing plant is located in Florida’s Hardee County, she and husband John spend as much time in Key Largo as possible.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Autumn Blum: My parents took me scuba diving in Key Largo after I got certified at 14.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

AB: The water is central to my life, and this is exemplified in every facet of the Keys environment. Everything about living in the Keys revolves around the water. Choosing to only use products with ingredients safe for our waters is such a simple step.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

AB: I love the laid-back atmosphere of the Florida Keys, and how stress seems to melt away here. But what I love the most about the Keys is the water — and those who work to protect that water.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

AB: My profession follows my passion. I’ve been a cosmetic chemist for more than 20 years, so I was aware of the potential toxicity of chemical sunscreens and body-care products even before researchers documented the damage. When I started Stream2Sea, I knew that we would have to do real aquatic safety testing.

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

AB: Through partnerships with conservationists and new ways to help educate people that what we put on our bodies can and does make a difference.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

AB: Knowing that I’m making a difference. It takes a village to effect change in our world, and I love the members of this village! But the clock is ticking for our reefs. That keeps me motivated.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

AB: We all need to protect our coral reefs, taking whatever steps are within our power. Learning about reef-safe sunscreens is a “gateway” to other steps to encourage personal action to promote conservation. Two drops of the wrong product are shown to harm everything in a 20-gallon aquarium — what would that whole bottle do?

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

AB: Learn how to read labels. The terms “reef safe” and “natural” have no real regulations. When purchasing sunscreen, look for a label that reads non-nano titanium dioxide or non-nano zinc oxide. Every drop in the bucket adds up.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

AB: Scuba diving, of course! Lately I have paired that with planting coral and cleaning the nurseries. I’m loving it!

After many years in Key West, I’ve made a lot of friends who have contributed to our community. Among them is Michael Ingram, who has lived on the island — and worked tirelessly to benefit it — for over 30 years.

Michael arrived in Key West in 1989 as an owner of a small gay B&B named Alexander’s. Starting with seven rooms, he expanded it to 15 guest rooms and two suites before turning his focus to other ventures, including his well-respected architectural practice. In fact, many of Key West’s LGBTQ venues bear his designs and suggested improvements.

Michael also played a pivotal role in the 1997 creation of Key West’s AIDS Memorial, located overlooking the Atlantic Ocean at the Edward B. Knight Pier. Inscribed with the names of over 1,000 men and women who died of AIDS, the poignant memorial is believed to be the world’s only official municipal monument of its kind.

His other endeavors include participation in city government, community outreach programs and not-for-profit LGBTQ organizations — and for more than 15 years, he has owned and managed the Aquaplex, one of Key West’s premier LGBTQ entertainment venues.

Recently, despite Michael’s busy schedule, he took time to share some insights with Keys Voices’ readers.

Keys Voices: You’re successful enough to live anywhere; what caused you to make Key West your home for so many years?

Michael Ingram: My success is a result of the island’s acceptance of my efforts. The guesthouse I owned remains one of the best B&Bs in Key West. Architecture has allowed me to preserve and enhance the built environment, while participation in government has given me a voice for issues that are important to me and my community. Also, my current occupations are still of interest and remain rewarding. If health and mind remain, why would I leave?

KV: What are some of the aspects of life in Key West that you value the most?

MI: The diversity of our community. The culture is one of tolerance and acceptance, understanding of the “individual” and his/her/their special qualities. Key West embraces the individuality of all, whether gay individuals or couples. Tourism is a big part of our economy, but Key West also has a strong underpinning in the arts.

KV: The Aquaplex is one of Key West’s longstanding LGBTQ entertainment venues. What do you believe underlies its enduring success?

MI: Aquaplex, in its current form of multiple venues, is the outgrowth of early successful operations from 25 or 30 years ago — building upon the early success of drag shows which remain today. We’ve added Sidebar; Club 504, our lounge and dance venue; 22& Co., with a quintessential Key West vibe and décor; and Backbar, an outdoor tropical environment that also includes our Poké in the Rear restaurant. We constantly adjust our operation to serve various demographic changes and current trends. And of course, we have the best sound, lights and entertainment.

KV: What were some of your inspirations for getting involved with the Aquaplex?

MI: An opportunity to work with a group of talented professionals who interact as a family, and assist my son Kimball to make a career. When Kimball and his family moved from Key West, I became the sole proprietor.

KV: You’ve been deeply involved in community outreach. What are some of your favorite local LGBTQ organizations, and why?

MI: Aqua has always been in the forefront of community fundraising for organizations that are part of or supportive of LGBTQ culture. It is difficult to pick favorites! Sister Season has been supportive and an LGBTQ foundation for decades. The Key West Business Guild (of which I was president and on the board) has the unique distinction of being the earliest gay tourist promotional organization. We are fortunate to have many great organizations and to be supported by the Monroe County tourism council (TDC).

KV: You’ve had multiple career paths over the years; what are some of your proudest accomplishments along the way?

MI: I’m proud of being chair of the TDC for 12 years, Key West Planning Board chair for eight years, Historic Architectural Review Commission Board for five years, Monroe County Human Service Advisory Board (supporting non-profits) for five years, and of course the Aquaplex. And of real import to me was participating to identify the site of the Key West AIDS Memorial, the design of the two phases, leading the Friends of the AIDS Memorial for years and, with others, the creation of the endowment for its maintenance.

KV: Do you have any recommendations for first-time LGBTQ visitors to Key West?

MI: Enjoy yourselves — the great food, great drinks and great people. It’s fun to experience all of Key West’s bars, restaurants, entertainment and cultural resources.

Click here to subscribe to the Florida Keys & Key West’s LGBTQ travel blog.

Captain Dave Dipre, Marathon-based operational captain with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement, oversees 32 patrol officers and operations from Key Largo to Key West.

Dave’s love of the Florida Keys runs as deep as the 125-mile-long island chain’s waters that he’s charged with protecting.

He even declined a recent job promotion to major — where he would be based in Gainesville, Florida, overseeing the agency’s North Central region of 17 counties — after deciding he just couldn’t leave the Keys.

“I’m more effective as captain in Monroe County,” he said.

The FWC, Florida’s largest state law enforcement agency, protects natural resources including fish, wildlife and the environment. Officers with full police powers and statewide jurisdiction are cross-deputized to enforce federal marine fisheries and state and federal wildlife protection laws.

Dave’s biggest challenge includes the removal of derelict vessels scattered throughout Keys waters. Under his watch, about 3,200 have been removed — 1,600 through cooperative efforts with the Coast Guard and Monroe County, and the other half through private insurers or owners.

FWC violations commonly involve the poaching of protected wildlife, snagging of out-of-season spiny lobster or taking out-of-season, undersized or over-the-bag-limit fish.

Dave grew up in tiny Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, and did Army stints in locations including Fort Riley, Kansas, and Frankfurt, Germany. After leaving the military, he remained in Frankfurt as the Officer’s Club assistant manager.

Upon returning to the U.S., he attended college at the University of Utah. Subsequently he journeyed to the Keys to visit a girlfriend, and in the early 1990s began his law enforcement career as a dispatcher.

Dave met wife Kim, a now-retired FWC lieutenant, through the FWC. Daughter Sophia is a University of Florida student majoring in tourism, hospitality and event management.

To unwind, Dave plays keyboard, piano and sings with his band, dubbed the 79th Street Band after a block party gig on 79th Street in Marathon.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys?

Dave Dipre: In November of 1993. I was 27 years old.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

DD: A balance maintained among the environment, economics and politics. I want to see Keys residents become stewards over their home, and see tourists have a sense of appreciation for what is here.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

DD: A couple of years into my career, I recognized the disrespect some individuals have toward the ocean’s finite marine resources. I saw individuals poaching, polluting, and living their lives without any regard for marine life or the environment. This lack of regard was a strong motivational factor for me.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

DD: As law enforcement, we have an obligation to hold accountable those individuals who criminally offend the resources and the environment. It’s our job to prevent and stop poaching; it’s our job to prevent and stop polluting. We are obligated by our oath and the trust of the people around us. 

KV: What are some of the affiliations and connections that help in your work to protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

DD: Partnerships with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Key West Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations. However, our most important partners are the residents of the Keys.

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

DD: I am blessed to do what I do. My wife and daughter help to keep me focused. My band is another focal point. Even if it’s only a few hours each week and a couple gigs per month, doing music keeps me energized.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

DD: Our work will never stop, so there is always opportunity to make a difference — even if it’s just a small difference.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

DD: Be kind to one another. Be respectful to one another. A few mistakes and a few bad decisions, and your life could quickly be very different. Also when you’re out on the water, if you see something, say something.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

DD: I have the greatest respect for the Conch Republic Marine Army, a very simple organization that just wants a cleaner, healthier Florida Keys. So, they volunteer time, put a little gas in their boats, go out and clean up … everything! They may very well be the model of how we all should care about our Florida Keys.

Kyle Stuart brings his famous drag character Deja to life nightly in the “Sushi and the 801 Girls” show at Key West’s 801 Bourbon Bar. When he’s not entertaining audiences with his over-the-top costumes and makeup, he loves to be out on the water fishing and diving — even spearfishing and targeting lobsters.

Kyle admits he’s not shy when it comes to fishing. In fact, he’s known to “catch them, clean them and cook them.”

I managed to “catch” Kyle himself the other night between drag performances to get the 4-1-1 on his life in Key West — and his beloved alter ego, Deja.

Keys Voices: When did you become a Key West resident — and why?

Kyle Stewart: I came to Key West for Fantasy Fest in 2005 … and met a local who really charmed me. Afterward, he visited me up in Fort Lauderdale where I was living. He told me that he needed help running his business and asked if I would like to come back to Key West for a week to help him out. After making the trip back and forth several times, I decided to move here and, by February 2006, I was a Key West resident.

KV: When did your drag career begin, and why did you choose “Deja” as your stage name?

KS: I did drag for the first time in 1998 with a group of friends for Halloween. I think I took it a bit more seriously than them because, shortly after that, I was competing in amateur nights and got bookings at clubs in the Orlando, Florida, area. The name Deja came from the movie “Higher Learning” with Omar Epps and Tyra Banks. Tyra’s character in the movie was named Deja, and I really liked the sound of the name!

KV: What were some of your inspirations for becoming a drag performer?

KS: I was very lucky as a young drag queen living in Orlando, because I was surrounded by some of the most amazing entertainers in the industry. Nazhoni was the fiercest club kid and most stunning diva I had ever seen, and she became my drag mother. Others that I looked up to and learned from were Carmella Marcella Garcia, Danielle Hunter, Page King, Cezanne and Tasha Long, to name a few. Unfortunately some of those beautiful people are no longer with us, but knowing them changed my life.

KV: Tell me about the “Sushi and the 801 Girls” show?

KS: The show in the 801 Cabaret was started by Sushi about 27 years ago. There are two shows every night at 9 and 11 p.m. Usually, there are three to four girls in each show doing anywhere from three to six numbers each per show. There’s also a different hostess for each show who orchestrates how the show runs and does the most interacting with the audience.

KV: How many costumes do you own — and do you have any favorites?

KS: I probably have between 75 and 100 costumes. I put them on a seasonal rotation, so it looks like I get new stuff all the time. I don’t particularly have a favorite costume — however, there are a few that get the most response from the audience when I walk out on stage. That’s what makes a costume a favorite.

KV: What do you think makes Key West a premier destination for LGBTQ travelers?

KS: They call Key West “paradise” for a reason. It is so beautiful and charming to visit here. Also, there are a lot of gay-owned or very gay-friendly businesses here, so LGBTQ visitors don’t have to feel uncomfortable when visiting the tropics and wanting to do fun things like boating, fishing, diving or sailing.

KV: Besides being an exceptional performer, what are your other talents?

KS: I wish I could say I was some sort of genius in costume design. I am, however, an amazing cook, and I grow a lot of my own vegetables. I managed to put together four rather large gardens in my yard, which was no easy task because we live on a coral rock island.

KV: You’ve lived in Key West for 16 years now; what is it about the island that keeps you here?

KS: I have been blessed with a job doing what I love that affords me a living in Key West. I have also been here so long now that friends have become family!

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Ken Nedimyer, an Upper Keys–based director of Reef Renewal Foundation International, is globally recognized as a father of reef restoration, creating strategies and techniques to rebuild coral reefs around the world.

The organization oversees restoration efforts in the Caribbean nations of Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Vincent and the Cayman Islands. It also supports Pacific nurseries in Hawaii and French Polynesia, as well as Australia’s first offshore coral nursery.

Today, Ken assists Reef Renewal USA, a local chapter of Reef Renewal International, through mentoring, technical training and fundraising.

Ken oversees three regional coral nurseries in the Florida Keys: off Tavernier, Big Pine Key and Marathon. The three nurseries house 21 coral species with 1,000 genotypes.

The regional nurseries, and a network of temporary “pop-up” nurseries, provide coral for restoration projects at reef sites stretching from Eastern Dry Rocks to Carysfort Reef in the 2,900-nautical-square-mile Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Reef Renewal USA is one of many partners working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 20-year, $100 million Mission Iconic Reefs to restore seven Keys reef sites. This year, Ken is planning educational coral propagating workshops to be open to the public to engage Keys stakeholders such as retirees, students and residents.

“We’re super-efficient and cost-efficient; lean, mean and effective,” Ken said. “We want to get locals involved so they can develop a sense of ownership of the reef.”

Ken grew up in Titusville, Florida, and earned a biology degree at Florida Atlantic University. Initially working in tropical aquaculture, he later developed his own tropical fish wholesale business. Ken also created robust fisheries management plans for the state of Florida and federal fisheries.

His perspective from 49 years of diving on more than 20,000 dives provides a unique knowledge of Keys reefs and their status.

Ken was named a CNN Hero in 2012 for conservation innovation and efforts as founder of the Coral Restoration Foundation. Through his passion, he hopes to develop new restoration techniques and strategies to bring hope for future reefs in the Florida Keys.

Keys Voices: When did you first come to the Florida Keys and why?

Ken Nedimyer: November 1969 to snorkel and dive with family at Bahia Honda State Park. I was in heaven. I’ve been in heaven since then.

KV: What aspects of the Keys environment or way of life matter most to you?

KN: I obviously love the underwater world of the Keys, from the mangroves to the deep reefs. Getting out on the water, away from the crowds, is my escape and passion.

KV: Who or what inspired you to become passionate about respecting and protecting the Keys’ natural world?

KN: I was fortunate to dive and fish in the Keys when the reefs were still healthy and the fish were abundant. Seeing the decline caused me to rethink how I was spending my time and energy.

KV: How does that passion influence your work or profession?

KN: My work is a labor of love, so it’s easy to give 110% all the time. Most people get up in the morning and say, “I have to go to work today.”  Me, I get up and say, “Oh good, I get to go to ‘work’ today.”

KV: What are some of the ways, personally or through your work, that you connect with and/or help protect the local environment and unique lifestyle?

KN: When I saw fish disappearing and the coral reefs dying, I started getting involved in things that might make a difference. I got involved with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and have served there since 1998. I also formed the Coral Restoration Foundation in 2007 and ran it for 10 years before leaving to form Reef Renewal Foundation International. 

KV: What keeps you energized, challenged and focused on your path?

KN: The urgency of solving problems facing coral reefs. We’ve lost so much in just my lifetime, and if we don’t act now, we will not have any hope of restoring it. I’m energized by our successes and by the growing support we are receiving to expand our efforts.

KV: What’s your favorite natural or eco-friendly activity in the Keys?

KN: I love watching sunrises over the water every morning.

KV: What do you hope your positive environmental actions will accomplish?

KN: To inspire others not just to want to restore coral reefs, but to care about the future of the world’s oceans and seas. If people would unplug from their world of entertainment and plug into a life that has meaning, big changes could happen.

KV: What message do you want your actions and example to communicate to people you encounter?

KN: There is hope, and one person can make a difference — especially to inspire others to make a difference with their lives.