Fall on Big Pine Key: A Moonlight Paddle, a Key Deer Pop-Up, and the Flea Market's Return

Drive Key Deer Boulevard at dusk and you can count deer yourself, one at a curb and two more in a side yard. Officially, nobody has counted them in years. Since 2019, staffing shortages at the National Key Deer Refuge have prevented the collection of population census data, Keys Weekly reported in July. Much of what's on the island's late-fall calendar ties back to that gap. Several dates between now and Thanksgiving week ask the people who live with the herd to help keep an eye on it. The rest are good reasons to be out on the same roads and water anyway.

The count stopped, and the county noticed

On July 15, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to send more funding to the National Key Deer Refuge so it can start collecting population data again. Keys Weekly reported that the refuge used to provide annual population surveys, mortality summaries and scientific analysis. Mortality data has kept coming in, but without population census numbers the county has been limited in completing the monitoring reports required under federal endangered species protections.

Monroe County Mayor Michelle Lincoln put it plainly in the same Keys Weekly story: "Reliable scientific data is essential to protecting this endangered species and helping make informed decisions about conservation and responsible growth." The county's Planning & Environmental Resources Department is listed as the contact for more information.

For anyone who lives here, this matters because the deer really are found only in the Lower Keys. Key deer are a federally endangered subspecies of white-tailed deer that face ongoing threats from habitat loss, vehicle collisions, entanglement and disease. The same July report notes that feeding Key deer is illegal, and harmful because it lessens their fear of people and concentrates them in one spot, which helps parasites and disease spread.

Where the volunteers come in

The refuge hasn't been waiting on the funding. In September 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched the Key Deer Research and Response Program, Keys Weekly reported. Its purpose is to increase capacity to monitor the population, respond to injured and entangled deer, and improve public awareness. Volunteers are trained to help with field observations, data collection, public outreach and response to wildlife incidents.

This fall, the program, known locally as KDRR, has two dates on the calendar:

• Saturday, Oct. 24: Community Herd Health Pop-Up at Eden Pines. KDRR staff and volunteers will run a station on herd health monitoring and responsible wildlife interactions. They'll demonstrate safe ways to observe deer, answer neighbors' questions, and encourage residents to join the community science herd health scat-collection project. The listing doesn't give a start time.
• Tuesday, Oct. 27: KDRR volunteer recruitment session, 6 to 8 p.m. The listing doesn't name a venue yet.

Both are listed on the Florida Keys Wildlife Society events calendar, which is the best place to check for a time and location as the dates get closer. When the program launched, Keys Weekly named Kevin Kalasz as the contact for more information, at 305-872-0774. The pop-up suits neighbors who are curious but not ready to sign up for anything. The Oct. 27 session is for people who want training.

The same refuge, from a kayak seat

On the evening of the Eden Pines pop-up, the Florida Keys Wildlife Society is running one of its Full Moon Kayak Tours. It goes from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 24 and leaves from Old Wooden Bridge Marina at 1791 Bogie Road. The route crosses the water around the National Key Deer Refuge toward No Name Key and north. Captain Bill Keogh of Big Pine Kayak Adventures sponsors the series.

The practical details from the listing:

1. Call or text 305-872-7474 first to reserve a spot.
2. A $30 donation covers the kayak, gear and experienced guides. You can pay it through the Full Moon Kayak Excursions page.
3. Plan to arrive about 30 minutes early and bring water. No experience is needed.
4. There are no refunds unless the Florida Keys Wildlife Society cancels the trip.

Pair the morning pop-up with the evening paddle and you've spent a full Saturday in and around the refuge without leaving the island.

Smaller dates around the refuge

The wildlife calendar keeps going after the paddle. On Friday, Oct. 30, from 2 to 3 p.m., a program called "Bones!" is listed at the Big Pine Key Branch Library, 213 Key Deer Blvd. Two weeks before that, the same library hosted a hands-on "Skins and Skulls" presentation for a homeschool meetup, using pelts and skulls to teach species identification. Check the calendar for the details of "Bones!" before you go.

For photographers, the Florida Keys Wildlife Society Photo Club has a meeting listed for Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuges Nature Center, 30587 Overseas Highway. That's the same Nature Center where the KDRR program held its first volunteer open house in 2025. The club's own description still shows an older schedule, so confirm the date on the calendar before heading over.

The refuge's guided walks are also worth knowing about once you're on the calendar. Ranger Katy led a free morning birding and nature walk on the Jack C. Watson Wildlife Trail on Oct. 15. Walkers met at the parking lot off Key Deer Boulevard that serves the Watson trail and the Frederick C. Mannillo, Jr. Nature Trail. Watch the same calendar for the next one.

Nov. 14: the weekend routine changes

Mid-November is when Saturday and Sunday on Big Pine Key start to feel different. The Big Pine Key Flea Market lists its opening day as Nov. 14, 2026. It's at 30250 Overseas Highway.

If you haven't been since last season, the market says it has fully renovated its bathrooms, added new tents and canopies for all seasonal vendors, and improved the grounds. The fish fry is back too. Ice cream, mini donuts, pastries and fresh produce are also among the food listed.

If you'd rather be behind a table than in front of one, the vendor page lists weekend spaces at $50 for open-air and $70 for tented, plus seasonal spots. The season dates printed on that page don't line up, so ask the market directly about end dates and current hours before you plan around them.

The week before Thanksgiving, at Community Park

November ends with two back-to-back evenings at Big Pine Key Community Park, both part of the Keys' America 250 programming.

Monroe County and the Tourist Development Council are holding commemorative events through November, including the Tunnel to Towers "Never Forget" traveling 9/11 exhibit. The Founders Park celebration in Islamorada on Nov. 17 includes a U.S. Army Knights paratrooper drop-in and a drone show. Big Pine Key Community Park gets its own evening of patriotic programming on Friday, Nov. 20, according to Visit Florida Keys. No start time has been posted yet.

The next morning, Saturday, Nov. 21, at 9 a.m., the Tunnel to Towers 5K runs at the same park. Nicole Gerrard, Naima Thomas and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation are hosting. The foundation supports fallen and catastrophically injured first responders, military heroes and their families. Registration is open on the race's RunSignup page, and questions go to [email protected].

Late October through November, in order

Out of all of these, the Eden Pines pop-up on Oct. 24 is the one that does the most to keep track of the herd, at a time when nobody is counting it on a regular schedule.

I'm in Summerland Key, just across the bridge, and Big Pine's deer, trails and Saturday market are part of my own week too. If you have a question about the island, or want to talk through what living here or selling here looks like, in English or Spanish, reach out to Natallie M Liz. Let's Connect.