There exist several brackish lagoons near upper Key Largo that contain certain mineral salts -- some of which have interesting medicinal and nutritional properties. The above image is a scene within a lagoon called “Hidden Lake” that becomes almost fresh water in the rainy season from June to October.
Many Florida manatees visit this lagoon area to bottom feed and drink fresh rain water. Although manatees are plant-eaters that eat the local sea grasses, they seem to be always feeding for certain unique mineral elements that makeup the muddy clay bottom of these lagoons.
The natural water basins of this area of Key Largo used to retain much more fresh rain water than it does today -- however, some seventy years ago a government marine highway project called the Inter-coastal Waterway cut through the area and destroyed the natural hydrology, which now allows contained fresh rain water to leak out into the salty waters of Florida Bay. Such marine construction projects would not be allowed today because of the wholesale destruction to the environment it would pose.
Leading into and out of Hidden Lake from Tarpon Basin are small creeks that manatees use to access the lake.
For over twenty years an old man by the name “Red Brown” -- who some believed to be over ninety years old, lived on his boat along one of these creeks until several feet of rain water fell in June ‘02 and sank his boat. There exist a state law that nobody can tie-off in the mangroves, but Red Brown could because he was there before the law was created.
A wonderful place is the “Love-tunnel” where full tree shade can be found along one of these creeks.