Rookery Bay Reserve, Florida

Rookery Bay Reserve

Law Enforcement Officials
Learn about Cultural Resource Protection

The Rookery Bay Reserve, in Florida, provided law enforcement officers with a Coastal Training Program on the protection of cultural resources. An expert in the field of archeology led a field trip at an approximately 3,000 year old shell mount built by the Calusa Indians. Law enforcement officers ranging from Department of Environmental Protection Park Patrol to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are responsible for land use activities. During the training, they learned about the protection of archeological resources, why shell mounts where built and the importance of leaving them undisturbed. This Coastal Training Program helped law enforcement officials do their job better, and better protection of natural resources aids the abilities of anthropologists to interpret history.

For more information contact CTP@noaa.gov