Misplaced Pages

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Rookery Bay) "Rookery Bay" redirects here. For the point on South Georgia Island, see Barff Peninsula.
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Misplaced Pages's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.
Find sources: "Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve protects 110,000 acres of coastal lands and waters at the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands on the gulf coast of Florida, representing one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.

Its ecosystem is a prime example of a nearly pristine subtropical mangrove forested estuary. It is located in the West Florida subregion of the West Indian Biogeographic Region.

History

A 10-mile loop road through Rookery Bay was proposed in 1963 ehich would have facilitated vast coastal development around Rookery Bay. The Collier County Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, the Collier Audubon Society, and a number of private investors, began a grass roots effort which resulted in the purchase of 3,362 acres which eventually became the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Sanctuary, with official designation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1980. Shortly thereafter, the name was changed to Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Aerial view of an island in Rookery Bay

Activities

Friends of Rookery Bay is a non-profit organization that supports the reserve's fundraising goals. Many of Rookery Bay's research and resource management projects are completed by volunteers. Team OCEAN is a volunteer partnership between Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Florida Sea Grant and other community contributors that follows the model set at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The Team OCEAN volunteers frequently visit areas in the Reserve where people make recurring visits, ensuring that boaters practice ethical procedures and are aware of "Leave-No-Trace" guidelines. Volunteers also clean waste where needed. Rookery Bay teaches approximately many students each year through field trips. Estuary Explorers is a program organized for fourth-grade students and Rookery Bay Survivors is organized for seventh-grade students. Reserve resource managers facilitate land acquisition, conduct habitat and hydrology restoration projects, eradicate and control invasive plants and animals, protect listed species, respond to marine mammal strandings, manage important habitats and conduct prescribed fires to sustain native biodiversity. The reserve also offers seasonal guided boat and kayak tours. Researchers from a wide array of wildlife specializations study at Rookery Bay and the reserve uses the scientists' information to oversee its resources.

See also

References

  1. It is managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Coastal Office in cooperation with NOAA. National Estuarine Research Reserve System overview of Rookery Bay, website accessed on 4 Nov 2006
  2. Team, RGB. "Volunteering". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  3. Carney, Brooke. "Team OCEAN". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  4. Team, RGB. "Students & Teachers". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  5. Team, RGB. "Natural Resources Management". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  6. DELETE, DO NOT. "Guided Nature Tours". Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  7. Team, RGB. "Research". Retrieved 28 September 2016.

External links

25°58′18″N 81°44′06″W / 25.971621°N 81.7350°W / 25.971621; -81.7350

National Estuarine Research Reserves of the United States
Protected areas of Florida
Federal level
National parks
National memorials
National monuments
National seashores
National forests
National
wildlife refuges
Other national
protected areas
National Marine Sanctuaries
National Estuarine Research Reserves
National Wild and Scenic Rivers
State level
Parks
Botanical garden parks
Lakes, rivers
and springs parks
Recreation areas
Museums, historic sites,
and archaeological sites
Preserves and reserves
State trails
State forests
Local level
Preserves and reserves
Categories: