Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area

 wetland, nature conservation park / area, wildlife management area

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The Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area is a 28,760 acre conservation area in southwestern Palm Beach County. It contains nearly 20 percent of the original sawgrass marsh of the Everglades. Rotenberger is bordered by the Everglades Agricultural Area to the north and one of the water conservation areas to the south.

Here you can view numerous wading birds and hunt for deer, feral hog, and water fowl. Although airboats and tracked vehicles are necessary to reach the interior, the extensive network of levees and canals constructed for flood control and water supply affords opportunities for fishing, frogging, hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing. However, the levees and culverts bordering the WMA means that the soil is not as wet as it was historically, especially during the rainy season.

The area was named for Ray Rotenberger who constructed a small camp and airfield there during the late 1950s or early 1960s. The first portion of the area (6,300 acres) was purchased by the state under the Environmentally Endangered Lands Act in 1975. In the late 1950s or early 1960s an exploratory oil well was drilled near the south central boundary. A 2-acre support pad and access road were constructed.

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