Adjoining Rookery Bay is a beautiful and natural barrier island known as Keewaydin. At it's southern terminus is where locals gather to enjoy some fishing, food, friends and frolicking. What makes this place such a perfect destination? There are no restrooms! No barbecue grills! No picnic benches! No cars! No potable water! No electricity and virtually no tourists!
It's a sliver of land between Naples and Marco Island without bridges and accessible only by boat. There are some private homes here yet only a few. At just over 8 miles in length there are about 2,000 acres of State owned natural preserve. You'll see eagles, osprey, pelicans, gulls, owls, hawks and an occasional falcon plus more. Sometimes there's an occasional sighting of deer swimming across from the Rookery Bay Estuarine Reserve to the island. Fox & raccoon visit often to gather some precious turtle eggs or hatchlings during summer. It's quite rare but the Florid panther has also been spotted here. Human visitors to the public beach can enjoy sunbathing, wildlife viewing, shelling, fishing, and camping in designated areas.
Keewaydin Island is the largest un-bridged barrier island in Florida and most notably a part of the largest and most pristine subtropical mangrove estuaries in the World. More than 100 species of birds and many threatened and endangered animals thrive in the estuarine environment, as well as the surrounding upland hammocks and scrub. In March 2012, The Trust for Public Land conserved a 4.6 acre parcel adjacent to the reserve to hrlp protects nesting grounds and habitat for many species, including Atlantic loggerhead turtles, indigo snake, and gopher tortoises.
When visiting, exploring and enjoying this fantastic public resource bear in mind to keep it as natural as you found it? Leaving no footprint is very difficult in it's sand, but try, PLEASE TRY? Call me when it's time for your GETAWAY?
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