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Gary Lytton - Gary.Lytton@dep.state.fl.us,
Manager
300 Tower Road
Naples FL 34113
239-417-6310
239-471-6315 FAX
8:00 – 5:00 M-F
Rookery Bay
is nationally recognized as one of the few remaining undisturbed
mangrove estuaries in the United States. As one of only 25 National
Estuarine Reserves, it serves as an outdoor classroom and
laboratory for students and scientists. The bay provides habitat
for recreationally and commercially important fish and shellfish.
Dolphins, manatees, and birds use the shallow waters for feeding.
The seclusion affords recreational opportunities for canoeists,
bird watchers and boaters.
Rookery Bay
NERR established in 1978 through the Coastal Zone Management Act.
The reserve
is located in Collier County between Naples and Marco Island. Water
access is via the Inland Waterway. Road access is via Tower Road
(Headquarters) and Shell Island Road (Field Lab & Classroom),
both roads intersect SR 951 just south of US Route 41.
The core of
the reserve is currently 12,500 acres of open water, mangrove
wetlands, and pine and oak uplands. The state’s Rookery Bay
Aquatic Preserve and Cape Romano / Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic
Preserve are also managed by the Reserve, bringing the total of
state lands and water managed by the reserve to 112,000 acres.
The primary
watersheds are Water Management District No. 6 and Belle Meade
Water Management District (Henderson Creek Basin)
Twelve
habitats occur in the Reserve and adjacent lands, these are: 1)
Pine/Cabbage Palm/Oak, 2) Pine Flatwoods, 3) Coastal Xeric Scrub,
4) Cypress Dome, 5)
Freshwater Marsh, 6) Coastal Hammock, 7)
Saltwater Marsh, 8)
Mangrove
Forests, 9) Coastal Strand, 10)
Vegetated Bottom, 11) Non-vegetated Bottom and 12) Open Water.
Rookery Bay
is located in the West Indian Biogeographic Region, and represents
a nearly pristine mangrove estuarine system. Rookery Bay is part of
the Ten Thousand Islands, one of the largest mangrove-forested
regions in the New World.
Rare / Endangered
Species
Rare /
Endangered Species List of Rookery Bay
The Rookery
Bay and Ten Thousand Islands estuarine ecosystem contains bays,
interconnected tidal embayments, lagoons and tidal streams. Sources
of freshwater drainage include sloughs, strands, a series of tidal
creeks and channels, surface and sub-surface sheetflow and canals.
A unique
upland feature of the Rookery Bay NERR and adjacent region are
shell mounds. These are mostly kitchen middens and refuse sites
used by aboriginal Indians. The mounds form prominent topographical
features above the low-lying contiguous tidelands of the Reserve.
Recreational:
Tourism is a mainstay of the Naples area economy. The estuarine
environment provides an ideal setting for a variety of recreational
activities, including sportfishing, boating, hiking, sailing, bird
watching and other nature study.
Commercial:
Commercially valuable fishes and shellfish total 16 species, with
mullet the principle finfish, and blue crabs and stone crabs the
major shellfish. Ecotourism is also a growing industry in the area.
Research:
The research program at Rookery Bay is focused on supporting the
preservation, protection, and understanding of the ecological
integrity of the Rookery Bay system. One of the highest priorities
of the program is to promote research that leads to improved
knowledge and understanding of our nation’s estuarine resources.
Education:
Rookery Bay NERR is used for research and educational purposes at
all academic levels, from elementary school to post-doctoral.
Reserve staff are responsible for promoting estuarine research and
education activities.
The program’s goal is to enhance
the ability of citizens and officials to make informed coastal
decisions. The education program specializes in interpreting
coastal management information and results from coastal research to
adult audiences. It is closely integrated with the resource
management and research programs.
Adjacent land use:
Rookery Bay is located south of Naples in Collier County, on the
southwest coast of Florida. Collier County is the second largest
county in the State. Over 49% of this area has been set aside under
pubic or private ownership for conservation purposes. These areas
include: Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park,
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve,
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Ten Thousand Islands
National Wildlife Refuge, Collier Seminole State Park and Delnor
Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area.
Collier County has one of the
highest metropolitan growth rates in the United States. The
population in 1995 was 197,400 and is projected to be 260,100 in
the year 2000, an increase of 32%. During the winter season, it is
estimated that an additional 8,600 seasonal residents and 2,737,600
tourists visit the area.
Rookery Bay
is a National Estuarine Research Reserve, which was established to
provide opportunities for long-term estuarine research and
monitoring, estuarine education and interpretation, and to provide
a basis for more informed coastal management decision-making.
Rookery Bay NERR is managed by the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Designated as an EPA Gulf of Mexico
Ecological Management Site
The key elements of resource
management are land acquisition and boundary consolidation, habitat
and hydrologic restoration at altered sites, control of adverse
impacts associated with consumptive resource use, and reduction of
adverse impacts associated with land use of the watershed.
Management
Plan, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida
Department of Environmental Protection
Florida’s Endangered Species,
Threatened Species and Species of Special Concern, Official Lists.
Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. 1996. |
About the Rookery Bay Preserves
