Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge is a protected group of islands in the Matlacha Pass estuary northwest of Fort Myers in southwest Florida. Established on September 26, 1908, when President Theodore Roosevelt reserved the islands as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds, it became an early federal bird sanctuary. The refuge now includes 23 islands covering about 538 acres within the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its mangrove-dominated estuarine landscape supports tropical coastal plants and provides habitat for threatened or endangered species including the West Indian manatee, crocodile, eastern indigo snake, wood stork, and bald eagle.