Mangrove Restoration Transforms Former Hotel Site into Paddler's Paradise

Mangroves and surrounding coastal waters are the lifeblood of the Collier County community, providing important nesting and resting areas for birds, excellent fishing grounds, and miles of mangrove-fringing waterways just begging to be explored. This year, staff at Rookery Bay Reserve made the waterways around Johnson and McIlvane Bays more accessible to the community in a way that is very compatible with the environment.

After years of planning and a lengthy search for state and federal funding, a restoration plan was devised, permits issued, clean-up performed, and now infrastructure is being installed for the new Isles of Capri Paddlecraft Park.

• More about the Isles of Capri Paddlecraft Park ...

Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas

The Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas manages more than 4 million acres of the most valuable submerged lands and select coastal uplands. The Office manages 41 aquatic preserves and, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, three National Estuarine Research Reserves and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas
3900 Commonwealth Blvd., MS 235
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000
(850) 245-2094
FloridaCoasts@dep.state.fl.us