a beach project. Areas under control of the National Park Service include: Big Cypress National Preserve, near Lake Okeechobee Biscayne National Park, in Miami-Dade County south of Miami Canaveral National Seashore, near Titusville Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, in St. Augustine De Soto National Memorial, in Bradenton Dry Tortugas National Park, at Key West Everglades National Park in Southern Florida Fort Caroline National Memorial, at Jacksonville Fort Matanzas National Monument, in St. Augustine Gulf Islands National Seashore, near Gulf Breeze Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, in Jacksonville Areas under the control of the USDA United States Forest Service include: Apalachicola National Forest along the east bank of the Apalachicola River, Choctawhatchee National Forest near Niceville, Ocala National Forest in Central Florida, and Osceola National Forest in Northeast Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Ocean Service is responsible for one sanctuary: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Biodiversity Florida is a biodiverse state, with 3,500 native vascular plants and 1,500 vertebrates, a higher number than all but three other states. A 2003 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization study stated that the Florida Straits had the highest biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean, and were the home to 25 endemic species. Flora In 2005 Red tide was an issue on the southwest coast of Florida. While there has been a great deal of conjecture over the cause of the toxic algae bloom, there is no evidence that it is being caused by pollution or that there has been an increase in the duration or frequency of red tide outbreaks. Prior to instituting controlled burns, the state forests and pastures burned for months during the dry season. From the 1940s to the 1970s, the state and federal government assumed control of burning that largely prevented uncontrolled fires. In 2010, the state burned a record . Fauna Endemic species in Florida include the Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri), Okaloosa darter (Etheostoma okaloosae), and Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium). Florida is a popular destination for birdwatching, because of the many species that can be found in the state at various times of the year. The Florida Ornithological Society maintains the official state list of the birds of Florida, which currently contains 498 species. A study published in 2003 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission documented 196 species of birds which were confirmed to breed in the