Rookery Bay hosted Fabien Cousteau, third-generation ocean explorer, for a brief site visit and press conference about the importance of mangroves on Tuesday in partnership with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Coastal Resources Group.  Mr. Cousteau visited the Isles of Capri Paddlecraft Park, where a community mangrove planting event that took place in 2010 is taking root and will soon be open for the public to enjoy as a kayak launch.

Following that they visited Fruit Farm Creek, the site of a large-scale mangrove die-off near Marco Island.   Restoration scientist Robin Lewis with Coastal Resources Group explained that once they are able to get the water right, mother nature will begin to fill the area in with new mangroves seedlings within a matter of months.  Mr. Cousteau spoke to the press about the importance of being good stewards to the land and investing in the future health of our coastal economy, which is the basis for his foundation www.plantafish.org

Staff with Rookery Bay Reserve have been monitoring the die-off area over the past decade, and has spearheaded several efforts to bring key players to the table.

"Providing funding for research to investigate the causes of the die-off, mapping the expanding area with GIS technology, hosting a two-day hands-on restoration training, and securing the USFWS grant with the help of Coastal Resources Group are all key steps in this process," said Rookery Bay Reserve director Gary Lytton. "No single agency or organization has the resources to accomplish this alone, so we are pleased to see other players stepping up to assist in this effort," he added.