Education and Training

Rookery Bay Research Reserve education staff works to educate residents and visitors from “Pre-K to Gray” in a variety of ways about the value of this special place. Spending time in a classroom is one way to learn, but smelling, hearing and feeling the subject is a very successful experiential learning approach. Roughly 3,000 students are immersed in the Rookery Bay estuary every year through field trip and on-site programs such as the Estuary Explorers fourth-grade program, Rookery Bay Survivors seventh-grade program and field-based estuarine studies for high school and older. Many adult learning opportunities are offered through educational programs at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center as well as through a variety of naturalist-guided tours.

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The Rookery Bay Coastal Training Program serves as a forum for Southwest Florida professionals working to resolve environmental issues of local significance. Through training, field education and networking, professionals benefit from science-based information plus access to technology and partnerships. The Coastal Training Program's mission is to encourage decision-makers to take actions that promote the environmental and economic health of human and natural communities. A range of services are available and are aimed at a wide variety of professions.
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