Water World

An age-spanning group — some visitors from northern climes, some Marco Island residents — has come to the lagoon at the tip of Shell Island Road in search of an outdoor adventure. The whizzing traffic of U.S. 41 couldn’t feel further away from the end of this 3.5-mile road, where the pavement quickly gives way to gravel. It’s an easy-to-overlook gateway into the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and the launching pad for twice-weekly kayak tours, led by the reserve’s staff and volunteers since November 2008.

Under a clear, blue sky, Education Coordinator Susan Cone instructs the kayakers in the basic strokes needed for navigation, and then the laid-back paddle begins — a two-hour tour around mangroves, under archways of branches and across shallow stretches of the bay.

Informative tidbits about the local ecosystem are an integral part of the trips, allowing Cone’s background as a middle school science teacher to shine: “Oysters are an essential component of the estuarine habitat,” she notes, pointing out the clusters of shells clumped around some red mangrove roots. “They provide habitat for myriad creatures that live in the crevices of the oyster beds, such as crabs, shrimp, sea stars, tunicates; even juvenile fish. And each individual oyster filters 10 gallons of water a day, filtering out pollutants and sediments, cleaning the water.”

In-between eco-highlights, Cone encourages paddlers to enjoy the solitude. Most of the time, the only sounds are birdcalls, wind rustling the mangroves and the occasional splash of a jumping mullet. “I feel like my ears get a massage,” she says.

The Shell Point Canoe Trail, created by the nonprofit community organization Friends of Rookery Bay, covers two miles — only a drop in the bucket considering the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses 110,000 acres. Managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it’s one of 26 reserves nationwide focused on the protection and research of estuaries. Its boundaries stretch from the northern tip of Keewaydin Island to the northwest edge of Everglades National Park.

This merging of freshwater from inland streams with the salty Gulf of Mexico creates a healthy haven for nearly 200 species of fish, endangered Florida manatees, mangrove tree crabs and more than 150 species of birds, both local and migratory. The rookeries of Rookery Bay — mangroves where birds cluster for nesting and roosting — are a birdwatcher’s dream, a multi-species mix of herons, egrets, ibis, cormorants, frigate birds and pelicans. Bald eagles and osprey often soar over the paddling trail.

“It (the kayak tour) is not just a ride,” says Renee Wilson, project greenscape coordinator for the reserve. “It’s an educational experience where people can see firsthand why this area is so valuable and important to be protected.”

The area’s rich history dates back 3,000 years to the Calusa Indians, who built villages on flat-topped mounds of discarded shells and traveled the estuary in dugout canoes; the plentiful fish, oysters and birds’ eggs provided ample sustenance. Yet, this vital area could have vanished just like those early coastal dwellers.

In 1964, a road was proposed to connect Naples and Marco Island — right through Rookery Bay. Area residents, who formed the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, with the Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society, raised more than $300,000 to purchase land slated for construction and thwart this habitat destruction. The story of the conservation efforts is on display in the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, a two-story, family-friendly exhibit hall, with a 2,300-gallon aquarium and working lab that sits just off U.S. 41, between Naples and Marco Island.

The center, which opened in 2004, serves as a valuable resource for students of all ages; about 1,100 fourth-graders visited on field trips during the 2008-09 school year. “There are so many aspects to our reserve that you can’t get to,” Cone says. “It’s a wilderness and it’s very remote. Our learning center is set up to be a way to see what the different habitats are in the reserve and what kinds of animals live there.”

Little has changed from the days of the Calusa, in that watercraft are needed to truly experience the area’s wild beauty. Boaters are welcome to use the Shell Island Road access point, and fishing is allowed throughout the reserve, in compliance with local, state and federal laws. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida runs seasonal trips from January through April on the pontoon boat Good Fortune through Rookery Bay’s mangrove-lined channels — including a sunset cruise to see hundreds of birds settle in for the evening on the island rookeries.

“That’s really why we set up the kayak trips,” says Cone. “People would come to our center and learn about what Rookery Bay is and the estuary and they’d want to get out in it.”

It’s hard to imagine a more intimate way to view this watery maze of mangroves, mud flats and oyster beds, and the guided tours typically book up quickly. “It was wonderful,” says Nancy Wierenga, who divides her year between Marco and Michigan and kayaked for the first time on one of the Rookery Bay tours. “It was easier than I thought it would be and I learned so much.”