Stewardship activities at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) began in 1990 and a formal staffed program developed in 1993 to address stewardship, habitat restoration and land acquisition needs for RBNERR. Since that time, this program has worked to maintain the ecological integrity of RBNERR to provide a stable environment for research and education. The other management programs - Ecosystem Science, Education and Outreach, and Public Use - provide guidance and support.

Key components of the RBNERR resource protection strategy include:

• Public Land Acquisition
  Eighty-five percent of the key land and water resources for RBNERR have been purchased, providing long-term protection for the watershed.
• Essential Habitat Identification
  Staff have used GIS to identify key habitats and help direct management decisions for restoration, prescribed burns, stewardship and land acquisition projects.
• Protection of Listed Species
  Staff work in cooperation with federal and state agencies to protect listed species such as the West Indian manatee, American crocodile, gopher tortoise, Florida scrub jay and loggerhead sea turtle.
• Restoration of Natural Communities
  RBNERR is designing and conducting restoration of disturbed wetlands, altered watershed inflows and plant communities infested with invasive non-native plants.