Rookery BAY national estuarine research reserve project description the rookery BAY national estuarine research reserve (rbnerr or reserve) was designated in 1978 and is located on the southwest coast…

The Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR), administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), has been awarded a $1,258,525 Cooperative Agreement under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves program (CFDA 11.420). The funding will support RBNERR's operations, research and monitoring, education, communication, training, and stewardship activities from July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2025. Key objectives include managing coastal lands, enhancing connections between people and resources, bridging science and community involvement, and driving informed stewardship through the value of coastal environments. The award will continue implementation of the Sentinel Site Program to monitor wetlands and water levels. FDEP will provide $377,558 in matching state funds for this project.

Rookery BAY national estuarine research reserve project description the rookery BAY national estuarine research reserve (rbnerr or reserve) was designated in 1978 and is located on the southwest coast of florida. Rbnerr is administered by the florida department of environmental protection (DEP) submitting this application for 2024 funds to support operations, research and monitoring, education, communication, training, and stewardship activities from july 1, 2024, through december 31, 2025. DEP is requesting $880,967 which will be matched by $377,558 (state salaries). During the july 2024 through december 2025 period, rbnerr operations will focus on the following goals: managing coastal lands to ensure their health and serve as a model of appropriate land stewardship to other organizations, understanding and enhancing connections among people and resources within the reserve; bridging the GAP between science, management and community involvement to lead to resilient natural and human communities, and driving informed stewardship actions through the value of coastal environments in the community. Tasks identified in this application are tied to the 2022-2027 rbnerr management plan. For this grant award, rbnerr will continue implementation of the sentinel site program (previously named sentinel site application module 1 [ssam-1], now named wetlands and water levels [wlwl] as of the 2023 nerrs annual meeting; simply referred to as sentinel sites going forth).