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. 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 AquaticPreserve are also managed by the Reserve, bringing the total of state lands and water managed by the reserve to 112,000 acres.
For more information: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/rookery/info.htm