Rookery Bay Reserve, Florida

Resource Management

The reserve’s stewardship activities were initiated in 1990 and a formal staffed program was developed in 1993 to address the stewardship, restoration and land acquisition needs for the reserve. Since that time, this program has worked effectively to maintain the ecological integrity of the reserve to provide a stable environment for research and education consistent with the National Estuarine Research Reserve System mission. Key elements of the Rookery Bay Reserve resource protection strategy include:

• Facilitating public acquisition of key lands associated with the Rookery Bay and Ten Thousand Islands ecosystems to help ensure long-term preservation of resources
  
• Identifying essential habitats within Rookery Bay Reserve
  
• Working in cooperation with federal and state agencies to protect listed species such as the West Indian manatee, American crocodile, Florida scrub jay and loggerhead sea turtle
  
• Working with the regulatory and development community to address potential impacts associated with planned development projects within the watersheds of the reserve
  
• Designing and conducting restoration of disturbed wetlands, altered watershed inflows and plant communities infested with invasive non-native plants
  

The reserve's resource management program is responsible for implementing science-based management strategies to conserve natural biodiversity while protecting natural resources. Identification and documentation of cultural and historical sites within the reserve and a comprehensive prescribed fire program developed to maintain the natural fire regime are two examples of these ongoing efforts.