President Theodore Roosevelt put a feather in his cap just over 100 years ago by signing into law the establishment of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge.</p><p>Roosevelt created the refuge Aug. 8, 1908, in response to the burgeoning fashion trend of adorning ladies' hats with the feathers of colorful migratory birds. The practice had such a negative impact on various species' populations that Roosevelt was forced to protect and preserve the birds' breeding grounds.</p><p>"This was one of several refuges, about 20, he established during his administration, a number of which were in Florida in the first part of the century," National Key Deer Refuge Manager Anne Morkill said.</p><p>Morkill says in 1903, an ounce of bird feathers was worth more than $32 -- twice the price of gold. Adult birds were hunted, resulting in abandoned nests and destroyed eggs of snowy egrets, herons, pelicans and many others.</p><p>One of four refuges in the Keys, the Key West National Wildlife Refuge today serves as habitat for more than 250 bird species, as well as endangered marine turtles and the rare Miami blue butterfly.</p><p>The refuge has boundaries 10 miles wide and 25 miles long and covers 206,289 acres of state waters managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.</p><p>Refuge staff and volunteers will host a daylong celebration, including a visit from "Teddy Roosevelt" himself, of the centennial anniversary from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West.</p><p>"We've got a number of different groups and partners that are going to have information booths," Morkill said. "We also have a series of speakers talking about the work being done in the refuge."</p><p>The first 300 families attending this free celebration will receive a custom tote bag with turtle patch, pin and puppet. Twenty organizations are scheduled to participate in an environmental fair with booths representing various segments of the Florida Keys and Florida’s natural environment. One booth will offer fish printing on the tote bags. The Key West Post Office will commemorate the anniversary with a custom one-time cancellation.</p><p>A costumed Theodore Roosevelt teddy bear and a blue goose – the symbol for the National Wildlife Refuge System – will roam the grounds.</p><p>There will be continuous showings throughout the day of three special multimedia presentations: </p><p><li> “Wild About Teddy,” animated cartoons of Theodore Roosevelt and his actions in establishing refuges.</p><p><li> A series of photographs of Keys wildlife</p><p><li> Photographs of the ecotour that was awarded to the winner of the essay contest.</p><p><b>Among the day’s highlights:</b></p><p><li> 11 a.m. to noon — A dedication ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary. The Steel Your Heart band and the Bahama Village Choir will play and sing the national anthem. A plaque will be unveiled by Anne Morkill, Mayor Morgan McPherson will read a proclamation, and dignitaries will be invited to say a few words. Even President Theodore Roosevelt may have something to say. The winner of a junior high school essay competition will read his essay on the importance of protecting our marine waters.</p><p><li> Noon to 1 p.m. — The Gerald Adams Steel Your Heart steel drum band.</p><p><li> 1 p.m. — A children’s reading of “She Has a Dead Bird in Her Hat” </p><p><li> 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Speakers will provide presentations to the public about various wildlife and their habitats in the Florida Keys.</p><p><li> 7 p.m. — The refuge’s friends group, Friends And Volunteers Of Refuges, will host a showing of the Al Gore award- winning “Inconvenient Truth” at the Eco-Discovery Center.</p><p>For more information, contact the National Key Deer Refuge Visitor Center at 872-0774 or e-mail the refuge at keydeer@fws.gov.