Rookery Bay Research Reserve was honored to take part in a special panel discussion on mangroves at the Naples Baker Museum, alongside representatives from the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and artist Nathalie Alfonso, whose work is currently featured in the Entangled in the Mangroves exhibit.

TBAP staff and interns worked on some preparations of buoy moorings that had been damaged by last year’s hurricanes to be sure that the new rookery island buffer buoys will be securely anchored. This work is ongoing, along with post-rainy season assessments of volunteer work needs on islands near each rookery island.

The new “fall” instead of “spring” cleaning trend sweeping the nation has caught on at Rookery Bay this month. The Environmental Learning Center is closed while staff undertake many maintenance and cleaning projects. This includes organizing closets of outreach materials, buffing floors, power washing, weeding, steam cleaning and dusting the 20 ft. tall mangrove.

On Saturday, May 3, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve welcomed more than 1,000 community members for the 2025 Rookery Bay Community Day, an event dedicated to celebrating the vibrant connection between people and the coastal environment.

There are some natural places on this planet that automatically calm you. When you visit these places, you catch yourself breathing deeper, listening more and smiling deeply. The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) is just such a place. Our staff at RBNERR pride ourselves in doing good rigorous science to management of all the natural resources found within our 110,000 acres.