Located at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America. The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Office in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
An amazing world exists within the 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest, uplands and protected waters of Rookery Bay. Where rivers and streams meet the sea, a unique habitat is formed. A myriad of wildlife, including 150 species of birds and many threatened and endangered animals, thrive in the estuarine environment and surrounding upland hammocks and scrub found within the Reserve.
Environmental Learning Center
The Environmental Learning Center, located at 300 Tower Road in Naples, is a 16,500 square-foot facility with four research laboratories, classrooms and 140-seat auditorium, and two story visitor center. The visitor center offers a variety of hands-on experiences, including 2,300-gallon aquarium and interactive exhibits addressing research and stewardship efforts ongoing within the Reserve, as well as a nature store, gallery and picnic area. The Environmental Learning Center is also designated as a Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center!
Boat Tours at Rookery Bay
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is an irreplaceable natural treasure. You can now explore this unique ecosystem via small boat tours that offer an up-close and personal experience. With a maximum of six passengers these on-the-water adventures are the only Rookery Bay tours actually conducted by Reserve staff. The relaxed pace and emphasis on learning is designed to help visitors develop a true sense of place and a deeper connection to this unique coastal wilderness. Several different trips are available, each with a different theme.
All tours provide a chance to see a diversity of native wildlife and offer a comfortable platform for photography. Tours include free admission to the Environmental Learning Center on day of trip and proceeds support the non-profit Friends of Rookery Bay, Inc. Tours are offered seasonally from November through April. All boat tours cost $109 per person ($99 for Friends of Rookery Bay members).
Kayak Tours at Rookery Bay
Two-hour guided kayak tours of Rookery Bay and surroundings provide an up-close and personal experience of this irreplaceable national treasure. Paddle lazily through the shallows and mazelike mangrove tunnels while learning about your surroundings from an experienced guide and naturalist. Tours are offered from November – May. Cost is $69 ($59 for members) and includes a kayak, all equipment, paddling instruction and admission to the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. Watch the video below to see what your kayak tour experience with Rookery Bay Reserve could be like!
Keewaydin Island
Key Island, locally known as Keewaydin, is a special place. It serves as a sanctuary for wildlife and a recreational destination for local residents and tourists. The 8-mile-long island is one of southwest Florida’s largest unbridged barrier islands. Least terns and loggerhead sea turtles use the island’s pristine beach as a vital nesting ground. People also enjoy the island, which provides a great opportunity to experience Florida’s natural coast. Thousands of boaters visit the island each year, boosting our local economy through rentals and purchases of boats, fishing tackle, and fuel. Since 1980, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has worked with local partners to protect wildlife and habitat on the island while providing a wilderness recreation experience for people.
If you have access to a boat or paddlecraft, we HIGHLY suggest you check out this special gem of an island. Keewaydin is our favorite place in Southwest Florida!
Nature Trails
Located near the end of Shell Island Road, the “Trails Through Time” is a series of four trails each approximately ¼ mile long. Botanical signage has been installed along the trails to assist visitors in identifying various native trees.
The Shell Mound Trail starts at the RBNERR field station. The trail follows a mangrove fringing shoreline adjacent to pre-Calusa midden sites, historical sites and an active habitat restoration project in progress. Visitors can learn about native peoples and pioneers who previously lived in the Rookery Bay area, as well as the role of the local community in establishing the Reserve, through self-guided interpretive signs.
Monument Point Trail begins near the end of the Shell Mound Trail at the Shell Island Road boat ramp and leads visitors to the Children’s Monument on the bank of Henderson Creek. The monument recognizes the efforts of school children involved in helping to raise initial funds for purchasing core lands around Rookery Bay in the 1960’s. This trail is frequently used by visitors to access recreational fishing on the creek.
The new observation bridge, half-mile “Snail Trail” and viewing platform are now open to visitors during ELC hours. Guided tours/Nature Walks are scheduled several days a week. Beginning from the mezzanine of the exhibit hall’s second floor, the Observation Bridge transports pedestrians across the creek. From the bridge it’s possible to see manatees, tarpon, and even sharks when conditions are right. As the bridge begins to slope down to meet the ground visitors experience a brief trek through tangled mangroves, palms and oaks. Resurrection ferns, bromeliads, and even orchids can be seen growing along the furrowed cracks of oak tree bark. The trail winds past an old homestead dating back to post-Civil War times when squatters began to farm this rugged terrain. Among other evidence of their existence here, a cement rainwater storage cistern can be seen, still intact. The cistern collected rainwater running off the old home’s roof and stored it through the dry winter months, when it could be used for cooking and watering livestock. A ½-mile walking trail with surface suitable for strollers and wheelchairs, the snail trail invites visitors to explore the mysteries of mangroves and pine flatwoods.
History
Thousands of years ago, indigenous people called the Calusa inhabited much of coastal Southwest Florida. The Calusa culture was a complex society that thrived on the bounty of the estuary as opposed to agriculture, which was the primary means of subsistence for many other early American people. Numerous Calusa settlements were developed along the Collier County coastline and were occupied from 400 to 2,500 years ago.
Changing their landscape on many fronts, the Calusa people left behind traces of their way of life on the shell mound complexes they built. The size and locations of the settlements, many of which are in the Ten Thousand Islands, indicate that large communal groups flourished on the abundance of coastal resources with fish and shellfish accounting for up to 70 percent of their diet.
Several Calusa mound complexes are protected within the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s 110,000 acres. These cultural resources belong to the people of Florida, and their continued existence is instrumental for future research and education.
Usage Fees:
Admission to the Environmental Learning Center is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12, and children under the age of 6 are free. There are additional fees for boat and guided kayak tours. Please visit the site for more information.
icon. Then scroll down and click 