Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Timeline

1964	Concerned citizens block "Road to Nowhere."
1965	The Collier County Conservancy is formed and $300,000 raised to begin purchase of the Rookery Bay properties
1967	The Conservancy purchased an additional $150,000 of Rookery Bay property and deeded it to the National Audubon Society. They loaned money to buy one mile of beach near Wiggins Pass until the State could purchase it.
1968	Acquired entire western boundary of Rookery Bay for $240,000 and received from the Collier families a gift of 390 acres of islands guarding south entrances
1969	Purchased 2,000 acres in the Ten Thousand Islands area for $245,000 and presented the land to the state for protection. Area designated as Cape Romano - Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve. Also bought 40 acres of land and buildings on Henderson Creek and used the purchase to establish a Marine Research Facility at Rookery Bay
1971	Raised $800,000 in eight weeks to pay for past and future land purchases. Acquired Shell Point for $235,000, completely enclosing Rookery Bay.
1972	Continued making purchases around Rookery Bay
1974	Obtained 258 more acres near Rookery Bay.
1975	Persuaded the state to buy a large portion of Cape Romano
1976	Won a three-year battle to deny permits to Deltona Corporation which would have destroyed 3,200 acres of Marco wetlands
1977	Completed work to get Rookery Bay declared National Estuarine Research Reserve
1984	Orchestrated land exchange after 14 years of negotiations with Deltona. Deltona swapped 13,000 acres of wetlands and islands surrounding Marco for equally valuable uplands.
1988	Conservancy efforts led to acquisition of Cannon Island by the State of Florida.
2000	95 percent completion of CARL identified properties surrounding Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Effort underway to expand boundaries of RBBNERR to include the Cape-Romano - Ten Thousand Island Aquatic Preserves and all CARL, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and Conservancy acquisitions