Resources

Links to area hotels, attractions and organizations are provided as a service to persons interested in heritage and nature-based opportunities in and around Estero Island. Inclusion of information and/or links to the services found within this Site does not imply promotion of one provider over another by the Town of Fort Myers Beach. Links Florida Museum of Natural History With the ultimate goal of understanding the emergence of social and political complexity in precolumbian south Florida, Dr. William H. Marquardt has directed a study in southwest Florida, the heartland of the Calusa Indians (present-day Lee, Charlotte, and Collier counties). The Southwest Florida Project is interdisciplinary, and makes use of documentary and archaeological resources in reaching an understanding of cultural changes before, during, and after European contact. Lee Island Coast There are many destinations within the Lee Island Coast, each offering a variety of natural and historical attractions as well as endless sports and recreation. This page and its links describe much that awaits you in Florida's Florida. Turtle Time, Inc. Turtle Time, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the continued survival of marine sea turtles. Established in 1989, the group is permitted by the State of Florida to monitor sea turtle activity on Fort Myers Beach, Big Hickory Island and Little Hickory Island. Turtle Time believes it is possible for humans to share the beaches and oceans with sea turtles. Their fate depends on all of us. Residents and visitors alike must share the responsibility for making our beaches turtle-friendly! Suggested Reading and Other Resources "Florida's First People", R. Brown "The Material Culture of Key Marco Florida", Marion S. Gilliland "Key Marco's Buried Treasure", Marion S. Gilliland "Missions to the Calusa", John Hann "Culture and Environment in the Domain of the Calusa", William H. Marquardt "Indian Art of Ancient Florida", Barbara Purdy "Florida Indians and the Invasion from Europe", Jerald Milanich "Archaeology of Precolumbian Florida", Jerald Milanich "Key Dwellers Remains on the Florida Gulf Coast", Cushing "The Nature of Florida's Waterways." Catz, Cathie. Atlantic Press, Florida, 1996. "Life Along the Mangrove Shore." Marsh, Alex G. and Leni L. Bane. Florida Classics Library, Florida, 1995. "The Young Naturalist's Guide to Florida." Lantz, Peggy Sias , Wendy A. Hale and the Florida Audubon Society. Pineapple Press, Florida, 1994. "Southwest Florida's Wetland Wilderness." Ripple, Jeff. University Press of Florida, 1996. "Matanzas Pass Wilderness Preserve."(a handout) Gressman, Lois and Neil Wilkenson. Lee County Schools Environmental Education Program, Florida. "History of Fort Myers Beach, Florida." Schell, Rolf F. Island Press, Florida, 1980. "The Underwater World of Florida's Seagrasses." (handout) Florida Department of Natural Resources. "Aquatic Preserves." (handout) Department of Environmental Protection. Florida Museum of Natural History products may be purchased through IAPS Books, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800. They include: "The Domain of the Calusa" (video), S. Brown "Fisherfolk of Charlotte Harbor, Florida", Robert Edic "New Words, Old Songs: Understanding the Lives of Ancient Peoples in Southwest Florida Through Archaeology", Blanchard "Sharks and Shark Products in Prehistoric South Florida", Kozuch "Culture and Environment in the Domain of the Calusa", Marquardt