The Rookery Bay NERR is located at the northern end of the 10,000 Islands on the Gulf Coast of Florida, one of the largest mangrove-forested regions in the new world.
Rookery Bay represents one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in North America.
Pristine mangrove forests surround shallow bay waters and the upland buffer consists of pine flatwoods and dry-zone scrub. The boundaries of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompass over 15,000 acres. The primary watersheds for the Rookery Bay NERR are Water Management District Number 6 and the Belle Meade Water Management District. The basin is a subunit of the South Florida Water Management District. Research facilities include a laboratory with hydrolab, spectrophotometer, balances, drying oven, muffle furnace, freezers, and glassware.