NEW! Guided Kayak Tours

Join a Rookery Bay naturalist for a two-hour guided exploration of the bays and mangrove forests of Rookery Bay. Discover the unique plants and animals that make this coastal ecosystem so valuable. Tours are offered Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am – 12 pm (no tour on 11/29). Trip limited to 10 participants age 12+. Cost $35.00 ($30.00 FORB Members) Pre-registration required: click here or call 239-417-6310.

Florida Panther

Following recent panther deaths near East Tamiami Trail and Collier Boulevard, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is working with partners to get the word out to motorists and residents about Florida panthers in the area through signs and educational programs. Sightings and radio collar tracking data from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) over the past several years confirm an increase in panther use of Reserve lands west of Collier Boulevard. Florida Department of Transportation has just installed four panther crossing signs to alert motorists of panthers crossing Collier Boulevard to access the Reserve. As part of their monthly Brown Bag Lecture series, the Reserve hosted a presentation by FWC biologist Dave Oronato which informed nearly 100 attendees about panther movements in southern Collier County.

Created Exclusively for the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center Exhibit Kathy Spalding limited edition Giclee prints, posters and notecards, individually captured from the Continuum Watercolor that graces the Environmental Learning Center are now available.