considerable interest in preserving this relatively unspoiled area. In an 

 attempt to save at least part of Rookery Bay, county citizens organized the 

 Collier County Conservancy in 1963 and, in cooperation with the Nature Conser- 

 vancy, purchased 2,000 ha (5,000 acres) of the coastal corridor just south of 

 Naples to create the Rookery Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Today, the Sanctuary 

 consists of 2,200 ha (5,400 acres) and is privately maintained by the Collier 

 County Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and the Nature Conservancy. In 

 addition, this area has been designated as the Rookery Bay Estuarine Sanctuary 

 by the Office of Coastal Zone Management of the National Oceanic and Atmos- 

 pheric Administration. This designation earmarks Federal grant money for the 

 acquisition of additional lands which may increase the area to well over 

 3,600 ha or 9,000 acres (U.S. Department of Commerce 1977). 



Studies conducted in 1967 and 1970-73 by the Conservation Foundation 

 supplied environmental baseline data for Rookery Bay and proposed recommenda- 

 tions for continuing management of the sanctuary and the adjacent land and 

 water areas. Baseline data gathered by that study included information on 

 ecosystem components and processes, and water quality. 



The three major water regimes of the Rookery Bay sanctuary are surface 

 runoff, underground flow, and estuaries. The water areas associated with land 

 drainage include cypress domes, sloughs, natural swales, marshes, creeks, 

 bays, and manmade drainage canals. Groundwater flow is generally assumed to 

 parallel surface flow moving to the southwest. Estuaries include wetlands, 

 bays, and all bordering areas of marshes, mangroves, and tidal flats. 



These water regimes help form habitats for a number of endangered spe- 

 cies, including the bald eagle, brown pelican, and the manatee. In addition 

 to endangered species, the Rookery Bay area provides excellent habitat for 

 many valuable species such as oysters, mullet, snook, snapper, redfish, and 

 spotted sea trout (See the Chapter on Commercial Fisheries for Collier County 

 marine landings statistics). 



Water quality in the sanctuary i$ generally good; it is relatively 

 unpolluted except for high concentrations of copper and intermittently high 

 col i form counts caused by sewage discharges. In fact, the bay was closed to 

 shellfishing (oysters, clams, lobster, and shrimp) by the State Water Pollu- 

 tion Board in 1970 because of the potential health hazard of pathogenic 

 organisms in shellfish (Clark 1974). The bay is still closed to shellfishing. 



High turbidity in Rookery Bay in recent years has reduced light penetra- 

 tion and photosynthesis of seagrasses and subsequently, their abundance and 

 distribution. The major source of these suspended particles is surface run- 

 off, especially near drainage canals, silt from dredging operations, and spoil 

 placement (Clark 1974). 



Another aspect of the sanctuary is the integrity of that system to func- 

 tion as an integrated unit. Water quality and circulation, vegetated estuarine 

 areas, nutrient sources, benthic composition, shellfish beds, and vital habi- 

 tat areas were assessed in studies to determine the ecological characteristics 

 of the sanctuary. Apparently flushing of the bay waters occurs only during 

 the wet summer months, consequently, in dry months a combination of low fresh- 

 water inflow and high industrial and municipal discharges substantially 

 increases the chances of pollution. 



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