Skip to main content
Aquatic Preserves

Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve

NEWS     |     RESOURCES     |     CALENDAR

The Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve is situated on the Gulf Coast, at the southern end of Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR). Naples is located to the north of the preserve, while Everglades National Park borders the preserve to the southeast.

HISTORY

In the 1960s, residents of Collier County began to notice that the once-pristine bays and estuaries were deteriorating due to development upstream. This growing environmental awareness led to a wave of conservation efforts across the region. Organizations such as the Collier County Conservancy, the National Audubon Society, and The Nature Conservancy rallied community support to purchase 3,362 acres of threatened uplands. This land would eventually become part of the Rookery Bay Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, protection of submerged lands progressed along a different but parallel path. In 1970, the waters surrounding Cape Romano and the Ten Thousand Islands were officially designated as the Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve, safeguarding the ecologically rich estuarine and marine environments from development. As an aquatic preserve, this designation focused exclusively on submerged lands, not requiring land purchases to ensure protection.

In 1971, the movement to protect Rookery Bay’s uplands continued, and portions were conveyed to the State of Florida. Around the same time, 40 acres of upland and buildings on Henderson Creek were acquired to serve as the foundation for what would become the Rookery Bay Marine Research Facility—now a cornerstone of scientific research and stewardship in the area.

By 1977, federal and state efforts culminated in the designation of Rookery Bay as a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Over the next decades, the Conservancy and its partners continued to expand protection of surrounding uplands. While the NERR and AP overlap in many ways, the aquatic preserve designation specifically protects the submerged lands of Cape Romano and the Ten Thousand Islands—an essential complement to the research and conservation work based in Rookery Bay.

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer Opportunities

Hundreds of volunteers play a vital role in the preservation, restoration and management of the preserve. Opportunities include aquarium assistance, elementary education, docents, beach clean-ups, mangrove island clean-ups, butterfly garden help, facilities workers, trail guides, visitor services, special events, Team OCEAN, fisheries research, outreach, administrative assistance and more.

Team OCEAN is a highly trained and dedicated group of “on the water” volunteers with a main mission of outreach and education for boaters, beachgoers and people fishing in preserve waters, especially about the importance of retrieving fishing line, not disturbing nesting birds and “Leave-No-Trace" boating. Team OCEAN volunteers also provide assistance with clean-ups and marine debris removal and report locations of large pieces of marine debris to be removed after a storm.

Other volunteers play a large role in assisting scientists in the preserve’s water quality monitoring, fisheries research, sea turtle nest monitoring and shorebird monitoring.

To become a volunteer, please fill out a volunteer form and join us for a volunteer orientation. 

Events

Please visit the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center to learn about all the special events and educational programs including yearly lunch & learn series, art reception nights, Festival of Birds, Rookery Bay Community Day, Wildlife and Watercolors Class, Birding with Biologists class, Photography Class, Forest Bathing and much more. The Friends of Rookery Bay offers guided-eco tours to get out on the water by boat and kayak.

Educational Opportunities

Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve offers educational opportunities for adults and local students. Rookery Bay partners with the Collier County Public School System for educational fields trips for students in grades 3-12. Students learn about the water, fish and research happening at Rookery Bay through a variety of hands-on activities. Community members can learn about this aquatic preserve by experiencing it first-hand with the Friends of Rookery Bay’s eco tours out on the water via boat and kayak.

There is also an Environmental Learning Center that visitors can come to and learn about the aquatic preserve and RBNERR through exhibits, the “Estuary Encounter” touch tank and docent-led programs.

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

The Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve, like the surrounding RBNERR, contains numerous prehistoric shell mound sites. These sites, dating back approximately 4,000 years to the Late Archaic period, offer a glimpse into the lives of early inhabitants, including the Muspa and Calusa peoples. Archaeological investigations have revealed artifacts like shell tools, pottery and remnants of settlements, suggesting the presence of complex communities.

In the early 1880s, the Little Marco Settlement was established between Naples and Marco Island. Located along the banks of Henderson Creek and Hall Bay, dozens of homesteads formed this waterfront community that pre-dated the City of Naples. People primarily made a living off the richness of the estuary, catching fish, harvesting shellfish and also growing small plots of winter vegetables.

Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve, situated on Florida's Gulf Coastal Lowlands, exhibits a diverse geological history influenced by fluctuating sea levels and the underlying Tamiami Formation. This formation, dating back to the late Miocene to Pliocene, forms the bedrock of the region. During the Pleistocene era, sea levels repeatedly rose and fell, leaving behind remnants of ancient shorelines known as terraces. Two prominent terraces in Collier County, the Talbot and Pamlico, provide evidence of these past sea level stands. The Talbot terrace, formed when sea levels were significantly higher, is evident in the higher elevations of the county. The Pamlico terrace, formed at a slightly lower sea level, also contributes to the county's unique topography. These terraces, along with the Tamiami Formation, shape the landforms and habitats found within Rookery Bay Aquatic Preserve.

Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve is characterized by a unique blend of habitats, including mangrove forests, uplands and protected waters. The convergence of rivers and the sea creates an estuarine environment teeming with life, providing a home for a wide array of wildlife. This biologically rich environment supports over 150 bird species and various threatened and endangered animals. The mangrove forests, acting as natural filters, help maintain water quality and provide crucial nursery grounds for many fish and shellfish. The uplands, encompassing hammocks and scrub, offer shelter and foraging opportunities for terrestrial wildlife. This intricate web of habitats contributes to the overall health and resilience of the Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve ecosystem.

Wildlife Habitat and Ecosystem Type
This aquatic preserve is part of RBNERR’s 110,000 acres of land and water. It encompasses one of the only pristine, mangrove-forested estuaries in the United States. It also has marshes, open water and upland habitat.    

Nesting and Migrating Birds
American kestrel, osprey, bald eagle, turkey vulture, black vulture, short-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, merlin, cooper’s hawk, swallow-tailed kite, red-shouldered hawk, anhinga, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, white ibis, little blue heron, tricolored heron, yellow-crowned night heron, wood stork, roseate spoonbill, brown pelican, American white pelican, green heron, laughing gull, least tern, American oystercatcher, sanderling, black skimmer, royal tern, magnificent frigatebird, mangrove cuckoo, belted kingfisher

Mammals
Black bear, bobcat, bottlenosed dolphin, eastern cottontail rabbit, Florida panther, West Indian manatee, river otter, wild pigs (invasive), white-tail deer

Reptiles
American alligator, American crocodile, southern black racer, cane toad (invasive), diamondback terrapin, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, yellow rat snake, eastern indigo snake, Florida box turtle, Florida softshell turtle, gopher tortoise, green anole, green iguana (non-native/invasive), green tree frog, mangrove water snake, loggerhead sea turtle, green sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle

Fish
Atlantic spadefish, barbfish, bighead sea robin, black drum, code goby, crested goby, gambusia, giant rays, goliath grouper, goldspotted killifish, gulf flounder, hardhead catfish, inshore lizardfish, lane snapper, lined seahorse, lionfish (non-native/invasive), lookdown, orange filefish, pipefish, polka-dot batfish, pygmy sea bass, spotfin jawfish, smalltooth sawfish, lemon shark, bull shark, nurse shark, smooth butterfly ray, snook, southern stargazer, southern puffer, striped burrfish

Shells and Mollusks:
Banded tulip, fighting conch, horse conch, oysters

Crustaceans:
Blue crab, calico crab, common snapping shrimp, ghost crab, giant hermit crab, mantis shrimp, spider crab

Other Invertebrates:
Brown spiny sea star, horseshoe crab, moon jelly, nine-armed sea star, pygmy sea cucumber, sand dollar, tri-colored anemone, upside-down jelly, variegated sea urchin

Conservation Efforts

Rookery Bay Research Reserve is here to protect 110,000 acres of land and water in Collier County for future generations to enjoy and experience. As one of the last remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America, Cape Romano-Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve will remain a wellspring of life and a source of inspiration for the community and visitors to Naples through the reserve’s conservation efforts including research, education, conservation and coastal training for decision-makers, community members and local professionals.

  • Research: This aquatic preserve is leading the way for innovative conservation and land management practices — crucial for adapting to constantly changing environments.
  • Monitoring: Water, weather, plant and animal monitoring helps scientists and government leaders detect differences before they become problems.
  • Rookery Bay’s Education Program: The program inspires students and teachers to be stewards of the coast and educates 50,000+ adults each year through the Environmental Learning Center and various programs. Also, Rookery Bay Coastal Trainers educate community leaders, business owners and elected officials about connections between coastal science, management and the local economy.
  • Sea Turtle Conservation: Every summer, conservation staff members work to protect hundreds of sea turtle nests from predators, and also work on land to eradicate non-native, invasive plants and animals threatening Florida’s beautiful native wildlife.

Ongoing Research

  • Water Quality: Rookery Bay Reserve has five water quality stations. Deployed data sondes monitor salinity, pH, temperature and other important factors, while monthly grab samples are uses to monitor factors including nutrients and chlorophyll-a.
  • Sea Turtle Nesting Monitoring: Resource management specialists work in cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Collier County Natural Resources and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to preserve these threatened species. With much assistance from volunteers and summer interns, staff patrol the beaches of Cape Romano, Kice Island and other islands in the Ten Thousand Islands five days a week during the nesting season.
  • Cultural Resource Management: Reserve staff document and protect cultural resources, including prehistoric and historic artifacts and settlement sites. Research examples include the recent survey of the northern half of the reserve and the creation of a new cultural resource database.
  • Fisheries monitoring: Scientists are analyzing 20-year fish trawl dataset and conducting an acoustic monitoring study of commercially relevant fish.
  • Shorebird Nesting Monitoring: At Rookery Bay Reserve, least terns (Threatened) and black skimmers (Species of Special Concern) nest in mixed colonies along our beaches but are disturbed by beachgoers and their pets. During nesting season, colony sites are visited weekly for counting.
  • Marine Mammal Monitoring: Many members of the Rookery Bay staff are active, trained participants in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network — Southeast region.
  • Sentinel Sites: The purpose of the NERR System SSAM-1 at RBNERR is to monitor changes in local sea level and inundation patterns and the related responses of coastal vegetation.
  • Mangrove Research and Monitoring: RBNERR, The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the City of Marco Island recently completed a project to restore more than 200 acres of dead and damaged mangrove forest in Collier County. The project on Fruit Farm Creek in Rookery Bay Research Reserve took two years to complete and is considered the largest mangrove restoration of its kind in Florida history. Construction of the road between Marco Island and the neighboring town of Goodland decades ago cut off natural waterflow and impounded wetlands, resulting in the loss mangrove forest. As part of the project, tidal flow was restored and culvert pipes installed under the road to reconnect natural hydrology, enhance water-carrying capacity and access for fish and wildlife. Stressful growing conditions were relieved for mangroves and seedlings will sprout to naturalize barren areas. Healthy mangrove forests contribute to productive fisheries and have the added benefits of flood protection for residents and greater resilience against sea level rise.
  • Seed Banking with Naples Botanical Garden: The Naples Botanical Garden and Rookery Bay have partnered for several years to collect local plant material, well-adapted to Southwest Florida conditions, that can be used for restoration of degraded habitats in the region and seed banking. Hurricane Ian in particular showed the importance of using a diverse set of locally adapted species of dune plants to stabilize beaches in urban dune plantings. By partnering on this project, the Naples Botanical Garden and Rookery Bay hope to provide a source of plants for dune restoration in the wake of future hurricanes and intense storms.

Highlights

Oct. 1, 2024
Great Season for Beach Nesting Birds at Rookery Bay

The summer shorebird beach nesting season was quite successful this year on Rookery Bay Research Reserve’s “Second Chance” Island, a Critical Wildlife Area. Avian biologists reported an increase in both Least Terns and Black Skimmers nests and birds on the island from prior seasons. Located in the southern part of the Reserve’s waters, Second Chance is closed to the public March 1-Aug. 31. The island plays a huge role in the survival and successful breeding of endangered migratory beach nesting birds including Wilson’s Plovers, terns and Black Skimmers.

This season biologists counted 290 adult Least Terns, 168 nests and about 100 chicks that reached maturity and took flight. These birds have all migrated south for the winter season. The Black Skimmers had 223 nests from 618 adults and about 150 chicks. Unfortunately, close to 100 nests and some chicks were lost due during Tropical Storm Debby.

Once again, these great nesting numbers proves the importance of closing Second Chance each breeding season. Rookery Bay works together with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Audubon Florida to protect this nesting habitat and to make the public aware of the closure of the island. Barrier islands and sandbars (including Second Chance Island) offer birds and chicks an extra layer of protection from land predators including racoons, disturbance from people and domestic animals (such as unleashed dogs).

Frequently Asked Questions

Year-round

Yes. Please visit the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center to learn about all the special events and educational programs including yearly lunch & learn series, art reception nights, Festival of Birds, Rookery Bay Community Day, Wildlife and Watercolors Class, Birding with Biologists class, Photography Class, Forest Bathing and much more. The Friends of Rookery Bay offers guided-eco tours to get out on the water by boat and kayak.

Yes. Aquatic preserves often are adjacent to other conservation areas that may have nesting birds or other easily disturbed wildlife. Please do not let your pet run free in areas not designated for pets, and please pick up after your pet to avoid hazardous pathogens in our coastal waters. In some areas, dogs are not allowed in Shorebird Nesting Sites in breeding season.

Follow current FWC saltwater fishing regulations.

Follow current FWC boating regulations.

Seagrass is protected within aquatic preserves; avoid shallow waters and raise motor if over seagrass. Damage to seagrass can result in a fine up to $1,000. 

Call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).

ADA accommodations are specific to each access point and the managing entity for that site. 

Yes, there are fees associated with Collier County managed access points. The RBNERR does not charge access fees and donations are accepted through the Friends of Rookery Bay.

To become a volunteer, please fill out a volunteer form and join a volunteer orientation. 

Partner Groups

  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • National Audubon Society
  • Friends of Rookery Bay
  • Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  • Collier County
  • Florida International University
  • Naples Botanical Garden
  • University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
  • United Arts Council of Collier County
  • Paradise Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Collier County Public Schools
  • Conservancy of Southwest Florida
  • Florida Forest Service
  • Conservation Collier
  • Florida State Parks and National Parks
  • Naples Chamber of Commerce
  • Marco Island Chamber of Commerce
  • WGCU Media
  • Tourism Publications of Southwest Florida
  • Florida Gulf Coast University