‘Protecting Paradise’ features champions of the environment in the Keys

Who protects paradise?

These people.

A new television special on Florida Keys features those who are dedicated to protecting the unique environment of the island chain.

“Florida Keys: Protecting Paradise” will debut on the Discovery Channel at 8 a.m. eastern time on Dec. 29..

“I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life exploring this 125-mile-long chain of islands, and the Florida Keys truly are one of America’s great natural wonders,” said Chad Crawford, the program’s host.

Crawford said the show introduces people like flats fishing guide Will Benson and the owner of the first electric solar-powered charter boat, Captain Billy Litmer to discover how locals and visitors connect with the environment.

After it airs on the Discovery Channel, the program is scheduled to be broadcast on Destination America, WGNA, Fox Sun Sports and several streaming services, according to the Florida Keys News Bureau.

Those familiar with the Keys will recognize several of the environmentalists interviewed in the special.

The Turtle Hospital in Marathon will be represented by its founder, Richie Moretti, and its manager, Bette Zirkelbach. They will show how they rehabilitate sea turtles and release many of them back to the ocean.

Also featured are Lower Keys naturalist Bill Keogh, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s superintendent Sarah Fangman, and Roxane Boonstra, the volunteer coordinator for the Coral Restoration Foundation.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.