Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Naples, FL)
Below are some interview questions that didn't make it into a podcast episode but still highlight some of the great work of the NERRS! The link to the reserve website is listed at the bottom of this page for further reading.
(interviewing Keith Laakkonen, former Director/Reserve Manager and NERRA President)
A great way to learn more about the estuary is by taking a kayak or boat tour offered by the reserve. What kinds of wildlife could visitors potentially spot on their guided trip?
Keith: We have a lot of incredible wildlife at Rookery Bay, things that some of us may take for granted. There's pretty much not a time that you can't go out on a boat where you're not guaranteed to see bottlenose dolphins, osprey, great blue herons, great egrets, brown pelicans, lots of other birds. Even birds which are really exotic, such as the magnificent frigate, are very common in Rookery Bay. If you slow down a little bit, you can see other wildlife such as the Florida Manatee and even rarities sometimes pop up in the reserve. This winter we actually found an American Flamingo in the Ten Thousand Islands. So there's a lot of wildlife out there and a great opportunity to see it close up at Rookery Bay.
Rookery Bay monitors shorebirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and a number of other threatened and endangered species. What organizations does the reserve partner with to help conserve and study these animals?
Keith: I think what you said there is really important. Who do we partner with? And one thing that we have learned in the world of natural resource management is it's not just one agency. It's not just one group. It's not just one organization that can get together and protect all these species. We are really lucky that we have great partners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Audubon Florida, Audubon of the Western Everglades, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and so many others who've worked with us in so many different ways to help protect and manage these species, so that they'll be here far into the future.
Beyond the staff at Rookery Bay, there's also a lot of volunteers that help out around the reserve. What do Team OCEAN and the rest of the reserve's volunteers do to support the research, education and outreach going on?
Keith: Team OCEAN is a really great example of how citizens can get directly involved in conservation and stewardship. Team OCEAN? OCEAN is actually an acronym that stands for Ocean Conservation Education Action Network. And these Team OCEAN boats, which have this big logo that says "Team OCEAN" on it, are populated by volunteers that we train up to be captains and crew and they will take our boats out and they will basically interact with the public and they make sure that the public understands why maybe some of these areas are closed protect birds, and that people can understand on the water how they can have a better part in protecting Rookery Bay. It's great for Rookery Bay staff and state employees to go out there and you know, talk to the public, but I think it makes a much bigger difference when a fellow citizen talks to another citizen about how they are involved in protecting Rookery Bay and how other folks can get involved too.
What issues are currently of the greatest concern to Rookery Bay and how is the reserve working to address them?
Keith: So probably our greatest concern right now is how we continue to be resilient to climate change and storms now and into the future. Certainly looking at sea level rise and how it is impacting the reserve and how it's impacting South Florida. We are starting to see some changes in mangrove distribution and lots of other changes along the coastline. And so we want to understand how these ecosystems can be resilient over time, which is a big question right, because we're working in a space that nobody's ever worked in before. But the research that the reserve does with our visiting researchers and our investigators are also giving us a better understanding of how our ecosystem is responding to the stressors and how they can bounce back from impact and also how we can play a role as resource managers to help protect these systems.
Absolutely. What makes Rookery Bay different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves? Do you have a favorite Rookery Bay memory?
Keith: Well, I'm a little biased with Rookery Bay, so I'll say that. I think it's a pretty special place. But Rookery Bay Reserve was established due to its pristine mangrove ecosystem, which is precisely what makes us different from other reserves. And the reason for our designation, looking at this incredible mangrove ecosystem in southwest Florida, and having Rookery Bay represent that and seeing how a lot of mangrove research that really started around the world may have had a lot of genesis in what happened at Rookery Bay, especially in the Western Hemisphere. A lot of groundbreaking work initially was done at Rookery Bay, which has contributed to our understanding of mangroves. I have a lot of really cool memories. Probably my favorite one is ... the first time I saw an American crocodile was actually at the reserve, and I had done some work at the University of Florida with American alligators before, so I thought I would have an understanding of what to expect with a crocodile. And I remember peeking through these cattails and it's about a 15-foot crocodile about 100 feet away from me. And the crocodile just saw me and instantly bolted into the water. And so it's amazing, this absolutely massive crocodile larger than any alligator I've ever seen was that shy of a human being, compared to an alligator, which will pretty much stare right back at you and won't even flinch. But I remember seeing that American crocodile and it's still crystallized in my mind as probably one of my favorite moments.
How has the reserve evolved since its conception?
Keith: So Rookery Bay was initially protected due to the efforts of local concerned citizens. The citizens were really worried about this literal possible road to nowhere and how it might impact Rookery Bay. So these citizens got together and helped support the purchase of the first 3500 acres of the reserve back in the 1970s. Since then, we've grown to over 110,000 acres or over 40% of Collier County's shoreline. And to give you a better idea of what that is, Collier County is bigger than the state of Delaware. So we definitely have grown quite a bit over last 44 years.
Clean water, healthy habitats, informed citizens and prepared communities are at the core of what the reserve system works for. The latest news related to reserves meeting these goals nationwide are shared on the NERRA website. Do you have any favorite recent stories from other reserves?
Keith: Oh, can't make me choose like this! With all the reserves, we do such amazing work and you know, the strengths of the reserves is really how place-based we are. We were really set up to understand that these different local places have different environments, have different economies and also have different local communities. So I'm just always inspired by what other reserves are doing in the space that we have, and you definitely can't match the spirit of the reserves for what we do and how we do it in this national network that we get together, of these NERRds who are protecting places like Rookery Bay. There's been some incredible work. Gosh, you know, you look at some of the stakeholder interest in eelgrass and oyster beds from our Virginia reserve. There's some really cool stuff. You can go to our NERRA website about "Storm stories", which is using some of that SWMP data to tell a virtual story about hurricane impacts, which is of course something we think a lot about South Florida.
Rookery Bay was recently featured in NERRA news. Could you tell me a little bit about the recent mangrove project at the reserve?
Keith: Sure. So this is the Mangrove Coast Collaborative, and this really grew out of a story of two reserves and two hurricanes in the 2017 hurricane season. September 10, which is just over a week ago in 2017, category 3 Hurricane Irma made landfall in Rookery Bay. Just a few weeks later, category 4 Hurricane Maria obviously devastated parts of Puerto Rico. And as we got together with Jobos Bay, you know, we start to ask ourselves, how are these ecosystems going to recover? What are they going to look like? Because sea level rise obviously is different now than it used to be. We have a pretty good handle on historically how mangroves have responded to hurricanes in the past, but obviously times are different. And so we get together with Jobos Bay Research Reserve, folks at Florida International University, and other researchers to try to answer those questions. And so out of that grew this project called The Science Collaborative. And this is a piece of funding that goes to the National Estuarine Research Reserves to help answer these questions. And these questions are very important ecologically and socially as well so people can understand how these hurricanes impact their mangrove ecosystems, which impacts their communities. Cause clearly, mangroves, these coastlines are important to the communities. People would not be thriving and moving here if it wasn't for the healthiness of these systems. And so what we hope to gain out of this is we hope to be able to see what the trajectories of recovery are in these ecosystems over time. And if there is a role that we can play as resource managers, or if there's a role we shouldn't play, because that's a question that I think is overlooked. Sometimes, you know, where do we let nature take care of itself? And when and how should we step in to sort of help nature out?
What advice do you have for aspiring scientists?
Keith: I have definitely been there. It feels like not that long ago, maybe 22 years ago, that I was one of those folks and so I would say, for aspiring scientists, it's really important to not only, of course, get your degree which is going to be important, but also to find a way to connect with some of the work being done on the ground. Getting that first internship, getting a technician job, even volunteering with a local organization is going to be really critical. Just to get that experience different places to understand what's going on is great. There's definitely nothing that can replace that on-the-job, in-the-field work: getting muddy, getting dirty and doing some of that hard work to initially get in the door after you finish your degree.
(interviewing Keith Laakkonen, former Director/Reserve Manager and NERRA President)
A great way to learn more about the estuary is by taking a kayak or boat tour offered by the reserve. What kinds of wildlife could visitors potentially spot on their guided trip?
Keith: We have a lot of incredible wildlife at Rookery Bay, things that some of us may take for granted. There's pretty much not a time that you can't go out on a boat where you're not guaranteed to see bottlenose dolphins, osprey, great blue herons, great egrets, brown pelicans, lots of other birds. Even birds which are really exotic, such as the magnificent frigate, are very common in Rookery Bay. If you slow down a little bit, you can see other wildlife such as the Florida Manatee and even rarities sometimes pop up in the reserve. This winter we actually found an American Flamingo in the Ten Thousand Islands. So there's a lot of wildlife out there and a great opportunity to see it close up at Rookery Bay.
Rookery Bay monitors shorebirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and a number of other threatened and endangered species. What organizations does the reserve partner with to help conserve and study these animals?
Keith: I think what you said there is really important. Who do we partner with? And one thing that we have learned in the world of natural resource management is it's not just one agency. It's not just one group. It's not just one organization that can get together and protect all these species. We are really lucky that we have great partners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Audubon Florida, Audubon of the Western Everglades, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and so many others who've worked with us in so many different ways to help protect and manage these species, so that they'll be here far into the future.
Beyond the staff at Rookery Bay, there's also a lot of volunteers that help out around the reserve. What do Team OCEAN and the rest of the reserve's volunteers do to support the research, education and outreach going on?
Keith: Team OCEAN is a really great example of how citizens can get directly involved in conservation and stewardship. Team OCEAN? OCEAN is actually an acronym that stands for Ocean Conservation Education Action Network. And these Team OCEAN boats, which have this big logo that says "Team OCEAN" on it, are populated by volunteers that we train up to be captains and crew and they will take our boats out and they will basically interact with the public and they make sure that the public understands why maybe some of these areas are closed protect birds, and that people can understand on the water how they can have a better part in protecting Rookery Bay. It's great for Rookery Bay staff and state employees to go out there and you know, talk to the public, but I think it makes a much bigger difference when a fellow citizen talks to another citizen about how they are involved in protecting Rookery Bay and how other folks can get involved too.
What issues are currently of the greatest concern to Rookery Bay and how is the reserve working to address them?
Keith: So probably our greatest concern right now is how we continue to be resilient to climate change and storms now and into the future. Certainly looking at sea level rise and how it is impacting the reserve and how it's impacting South Florida. We are starting to see some changes in mangrove distribution and lots of other changes along the coastline. And so we want to understand how these ecosystems can be resilient over time, which is a big question right, because we're working in a space that nobody's ever worked in before. But the research that the reserve does with our visiting researchers and our investigators are also giving us a better understanding of how our ecosystem is responding to the stressors and how they can bounce back from impact and also how we can play a role as resource managers to help protect these systems.
Absolutely. What makes Rookery Bay different from other National Estuarine Research Reserves? Do you have a favorite Rookery Bay memory?
Keith: Well, I'm a little biased with Rookery Bay, so I'll say that. I think it's a pretty special place. But Rookery Bay Reserve was established due to its pristine mangrove ecosystem, which is precisely what makes us different from other reserves. And the reason for our designation, looking at this incredible mangrove ecosystem in southwest Florida, and having Rookery Bay represent that and seeing how a lot of mangrove research that really started around the world may have had a lot of genesis in what happened at Rookery Bay, especially in the Western Hemisphere. A lot of groundbreaking work initially was done at Rookery Bay, which has contributed to our understanding of mangroves. I have a lot of really cool memories. Probably my favorite one is ... the first time I saw an American crocodile was actually at the reserve, and I had done some work at the University of Florida with American alligators before, so I thought I would have an understanding of what to expect with a crocodile. And I remember peeking through these cattails and it's about a 15-foot crocodile about 100 feet away from me. And the crocodile just saw me and instantly bolted into the water. And so it's amazing, this absolutely massive crocodile larger than any alligator I've ever seen was that shy of a human being, compared to an alligator, which will pretty much stare right back at you and won't even flinch. But I remember seeing that American crocodile and it's still crystallized in my mind as probably one of my favorite moments.
How has the reserve evolved since its conception?
Keith: So Rookery Bay was initially protected due to the efforts of local concerned citizens. The citizens were really worried about this literal possible road to nowhere and how it might impact Rookery Bay. So these citizens got together and helped support the purchase of the first 3500 acres of the reserve back in the 1970s. Since then, we've grown to over 110,000 acres or over 40% of Collier County's shoreline. And to give you a better idea of what that is, Collier County is bigger than the state of Delaware. So we definitely have grown quite a bit over last 44 years.
Clean water, healthy habitats, informed citizens and prepared communities are at the core of what the reserve system works for. The latest news related to reserves meeting these goals nationwide are shared on the NERRA website. Do you have any favorite recent stories from other reserves?
Keith: Oh, can't make me choose like this! With all the reserves, we do such amazing work and you know, the strengths of the reserves is really how place-based we are. We were really set up to understand that these different local places have different environments, have different economies and also have different local communities. So I'm just always inspired by what other reserves are doing in the space that we have, and you definitely can't match the spirit of the reserves for what we do and how we do it in this national network that we get together, of these NERRds who are protecting places like Rookery Bay. There's been some incredible work. Gosh, you know, you look at some of the stakeholder interest in eelgrass and oyster beds from our Virginia reserve. There's some really cool stuff. You can go to our NERRA website about "Storm stories", which is using some of that SWMP data to tell a virtual story about hurricane impacts, which is of course something we think a lot about South Florida.
Rookery Bay was recently featured in NERRA news. Could you tell me a little bit about the recent mangrove project at the reserve?
Keith: Sure. So this is the Mangrove Coast Collaborative, and this really grew out of a story of two reserves and two hurricanes in the 2017 hurricane season. September 10, which is just over a week ago in 2017, category 3 Hurricane Irma made landfall in Rookery Bay. Just a few weeks later, category 4 Hurricane Maria obviously devastated parts of Puerto Rico. And as we got together with Jobos Bay, you know, we start to ask ourselves, how are these ecosystems going to recover? What are they going to look like? Because sea level rise obviously is different now than it used to be. We have a pretty good handle on historically how mangroves have responded to hurricanes in the past, but obviously times are different. And so we get together with Jobos Bay Research Reserve, folks at Florida International University, and other researchers to try to answer those questions. And so out of that grew this project called The Science Collaborative. And this is a piece of funding that goes to the National Estuarine Research Reserves to help answer these questions. And these questions are very important ecologically and socially as well so people can understand how these hurricanes impact their mangrove ecosystems, which impacts their communities. Cause clearly, mangroves, these coastlines are important to the communities. People would not be thriving and moving here if it wasn't for the healthiness of these systems. And so what we hope to gain out of this is we hope to be able to see what the trajectories of recovery are in these ecosystems over time. And if there is a role that we can play as resource managers, or if there's a role we shouldn't play, because that's a question that I think is overlooked. Sometimes, you know, where do we let nature take care of itself? And when and how should we step in to sort of help nature out?
What advice do you have for aspiring scientists?
Keith: I have definitely been there. It feels like not that long ago, maybe 22 years ago, that I was one of those folks and so I would say, for aspiring scientists, it's really important to not only, of course, get your degree which is going to be important, but also to find a way to connect with some of the work being done on the ground. Getting that first internship, getting a technician job, even volunteering with a local organization is going to be really critical. Just to get that experience different places to understand what's going on is great. There's definitely nothing that can replace that on-the-job, in-the-field work: getting muddy, getting dirty and doing some of that hard work to initially get in the door after you finish your degree.
Rookery Bay Website rookerybay.org/
NERRA Website www.nerra.org/