It is a true wonder of nature.

Some call it a national treasure.

And it is certainly a place anyone who desires to learn about the ocean would be intrigued to learn about.

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS ) is one of 14 federally designated underwater areas protected by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “It is the only sanctuary site located in the Gulf of Mexico,” NOAA officials said.

Situated 70 to 115 miles off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, the Flower Garden Banks sanctuary includes underwater communities that rise from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico atop underwater mountains called salt domes.

According to NOAA the sanctuary actually protects three separate areas: East Flower Garden Bank, West Flower Garden Bank, and Stetson Bank. The reef caps at East and West Flower Garden Banks are about 13 miles apart, while Stetson Bank lies about 30 miles to the northwest of West Flower Garden Bank. The miles of open ocean between banks range in depth from 200 to 500 feet (61-152 meters). Each bank has its own set of boundaries.

“The Flower Garden Banks were discovered by snapper and grouper fishermen in the early 1900s. They named the banks after the brightly colored sponges, plants, and other marine life they could see on the colorful reefs below their boats.”

“Continued interest in the biological diversity and breathtaking beauty of the reefs at East and West Flower Garden Banks led to their designation as a sanctuary under the National Marine Sanctuary Act (NMSA) (160kb pdf) in 1992. The algal-sponge communities of Stetson Bank were added to the sanctuary in 1996.”

According to NOAA these banks, created by the uplift of the aforementioned underlying salt domes, rise from depths of over 330 feet to within 56 feet of the surface. They are relatively isolated from other Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico coral reefs.

“The nearest reefs are 400 miles away in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampico, and over 745 miles from the coral reefs of the Florida Keys.The complexity of habitats supports a diverse assemblage of organisms including approximately 250 species of fishes, 23 species of coral, and 80 species of algae in addition to large sponge communities The predominant coral species at the East and West Flower Gardens are massive, closely-spaced boulder and brain corals and mountainous star corals. Coral growth is relatively uniform over the entire top of both banks, occupying the bank crests down to about 50 meters. The prevalent species at Stetson Bank are smaller encrusting corals, such as fire coral (not a true coral) and green cactus coral.”

“The coral reef ecosystem at the FGBNMS has been described as being relatively pristine and thriving, as compared to other Caribbean reef systems, despite its location in the middle of one of the largest oil and gas fields in the world.”

The Flower Gardens are popular with divers and known as being the best diving location on the Texas coast and although I have never dove there, it is certainly in my future plans. Seeing Jacque Cousteau television programs as a child embedded in me a deep, enduring love of the ocean.

Be on the lookout for several articles on different aspects of the Flower Gardens in the coming months.

More people need to know about this “local” wonder of the Gulf of Mexico.

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To contact Chester Moore, email him at chester@kingdomzoo.com. You can hear him on “Moore Outdoors” Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.