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Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center

Rookery Bay Environmental
Learning Center
(Just 15 minutes from downtown Cool Off at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center
th
Naples 5 Avenue area) When the temperature rises, there is no better place to chill out than the
300 Tower Road, Naples, FL Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. The 16,500 square foot two-story
RookeryBay.org
239-530-5972 nature center is fully air-conditioned and has something for everyone!
Rookery Bay Guided Kayak There are hands-on experiences at the marine life touch tanks and interesting
and Boat Tours exhibits about the birds, animals and fish that call Rookery Bay’s 110,000 acres
239-530-5972 of coastal land home.
Open • Hold a sea star in your hand or touch a lightning whelk
Tuesday - Saturday • Stroll through the Art Gallery Scan the QR code to see the dashboard.
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Shop the Nature Store
Tickets
$10 for adults • Enjoy beautiful views upstairs of surrounding waters
$5 for children ages 3-12 • Check out interactive exhibits about indigenous
people and rugged pioneers

Rookery Bay Research Reserve’s Wildlife in the Summer

– Some Lay Low and Some Stay Very Busy!

o you ever wonder how the wildlife in Naples stays Even the Rookery Bay biologists and interns who monitor
cool and deals with the hot, humid summer months? Sea Turtles and beach nesting birds are most active in the early
D Loggerhead Sea Turtles and endangered beach nesting hours. Each day, the Sea Turtle monitoring team begin their
birds (like Black Skimmers, Least Terns and Wilson’s Plovers) work by boat at close to 6 a.m. looking for Sea Turtles nests on
don’t have much of a problem with the extremely warm Gulf the beaches of the Reserve - from south of Marco Island all the
waters or hot beaches. This is their nesting time of year, and they way to the Ten Thousand Islands, bordering Everglades National
are busy! Sea Turtles come ashore at night to dig nests and lay Park. Once a nest is discovered, it is GPS coded so the team can
eggs in the shell strewn sand, and birds line beaches sitting on return in approximately 60 days to see if a nest has hatched and
fragile eggs to offer protection from the heat. When they hatch, take data on the number of hatchlings.
these beach nesting birds keep their tiny chicks close until they This data is shared county and statewide to monitor the
are ready to take flight. health and resilience of Sea Turtle populations. The public is
For the other animals of Rookery Bay, summer is a much invited to follow along by checking out Rookery Bay’s realtime
less active time. Mammals like deer and raccoons are rarely seen Sea Turtle monitoring dashboard at RookeryBay.org. It shows the
during the day, enjoying the shade of upland brush habitat and number of nests and hatchling baby turtles.
resting, only to be seen at dusk and dawn. Indigo and rat snakes
the temperature is dramatically cooler. But, just like their human Visit RookeryBay.org
The reserves all share the same
spend their days beneath the ground in tortoise burrows where
mission of long term protection
counterparts, some animals will try to beat the heat by staying in and preservation of these coastal to learn more about upcoming
events and programs at the
the water. Alligators and crocodiles tend to spend more time in treasures through scientific Rookery Bay Environmental
ponds and lakes, and less along the mud banks. research, monitoring, education Learning Center. Also,
and training. Naturalist-led boat and
kayak eco-tours are available
all summer long!

Life in Naples | April 2024 79