Hurricane Irma 2017

Molasses Keys 2016 before Irma. The larger island was very lush with full grown mangrove canopies. The shoreline was rugged or thick with red mangrove roots leaving little access to the island. The pelican and cormorant rookeries were large in number and inhabited the NW corner of the island where the tallest and largest portion of the red mangrove forest existed. Many other bird species nest on t

Molasses Keys 2017 after Irma. The larger island suffered the majority of it's old growth mangrove forests washing away not only the trees but the earth as well. The old growth black mangrove trees stood strong but eventually died off from the trauma. The small island was split in two and the beautiful crescent beach area as well as the majority of the forested area completely washed away. The bir