What’s NEW at Rookery Bay!
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is OPEN on Saturdays from October through April!
Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center is open 9 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday from October through April. Enjoy the air-conditioned two-story visitor center, marine life touch tanks, art gallery, gift shop, as well as nature trails with viewing platform and more! Themed naturalist programs are offered daily on topics such as manatees, sharks, sea turtles, marine life and more. Learn more and register for tours and events at rookerybay.org/calendar.
ROOKERY BAY NATURALIST
Guided Boat and Kayak Tours Begin for the Season!
Experience the nature of Rookery Bay Research Reserve up-close and personal with one of our naturalist-guided kayak or boat tours. These much anticipated tours run November through April. The relaxed pace and emphasis on learning is designed to help visitors develop a true sense of place and a deeper connection to this unique coastal wilderness. Several different trips are available, each with a different theme and location. All tours provide a chance to see a diversity of native wildlife and offer a comfortable platform for photography. Pre-registration required. Visit
Rookerybay.org/calendar for dates, times and themes.
Adventure Race & Fun Run
December 1, 2018 • 9:30 – 11:30 am
$35 – $50 (kids race free)Registration is required https://rookerybay.org/support/fundraisers/adventure-race.html
Enjoy a 3k kayak or Stand Up Paddle along Henderson Creek and a 5k trail run at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. All participants will receive a t-shirt, giveaways, post-race refreshments and free admission to the Environmental Learning Center after the race. Plus, kids 8 years old and under can compete in a fun 100 yard dash! Awards will be presented to the top finishers in each category: men, women, individual, relays, tandem-teams, Kayak Run, SUP Run, Fun Run, and Kid’s Race.
Essentials of Digital Photography
December 10, 2018 • 9:30 am – 12:30 pm
$55 Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar
If you want to get the best pictures possible, and truly understanding your camera’s features, this camera workshop is for you. The class covers the essentials of your digital camera. You will learn how to use your camera’s shutter, aperture, ISO control and the drive modes to create images with impact and creativity. Sonny Saunders has over 35 years of experience in photography and instruction and is renowned for his ability to communicate to a wide variety of students.
Birds of the Beach
December 15, 2018 • 8 am – 12 pm
$40 Registration is required www.rookerybay.org/calendar
Southwest Florida is a critical stopover site for thousands of migrating and wintering shorebirds. In this class, Adam DiNuovo of Audubon Florida will discuss the life history of these birds and the amazing journeys many of them make annually. Winter shorebirds are notoriously difficult to ID, so practicing the skills learned in this class is essential. You will learn how to use plumage, size, and behavior to help with identification. The classroom session will take place at the Rookery Bay Field Station on Shell Island Road. It will be followed by a trip to Tigertail Beach, one of the most important winter shorebird sites in Florida, where we will see many of the birds discussed. Be prepared to wade in water up to your knees, with adequate footwear that will protect your feet (no flip flops). Collier County beach parking fee applies ($8, free with sticker). This class is geared toward those with some birding experience. If you are new to birding, we recommend taking the Birding Basics class first.
Lunch & Learn Lecture: Rookery Bay through the Eyes of the Pioneer Family
December 18, 2018 • 12 – 1 pm
$15, includes lunch. Registration is required
Please join us for the second in a series of six lectures in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Rookery Bay Research Reserve -Rookery Bay through the Eyes of the Pioneer Family. Ray Carroll, Local Historian, will present about the trials and tribulations of early Florida pioneers living along Henderson Creek and in the Rookery Bay Reserve area. Lunch will be provided. The 2018-19 lecture series will focus on the history of the Rookery Bay area and the establishment of the Research Reserve. Lectures by staff and volunteers will describe 3,000 years of use of the estuary, the grassroots movement to save the bay, fisheries research, the establishment of the Research Reserve and Environmental Learning Center, as well as some of the more recent accomplishments and notable events in the Reserve’s timeline.
Birding Basics
December 21, 2018 • 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
$40 Registration is required
Enjoy this fun and informative class designed to help you identify birds around you. Oriented toward the beginning birder, the classroom session explores how to use birds’ plumage, shape, behavior and habitat to recognize various species. It also covers the effective use of binoculars and field guides. During the second part of the class you will learn more tricks of the trade during a fieldtrip to a nearby park where you can enjoy practicing new skills.
Celebrate Winter Solstice
December 21, 2018 • BOGO Admission! No registration necessary
You’ll get more than your money’s worth out of the shortest day of the year with a buy one get one free entrance to the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.
