Cypress Cove Landkeepers is a 501c3 nonprofit based in Naples, Florida. Originally called “Cypress Cove Conservancy,” the organization changed its name in 2020 to better reflect its focus on conserving critical habitat for threatened and endangered species. The founding of this organization and its first property acquisition – the Gore Nature Education Center - was inspired by Dr. Robert H. Gore III, a Naples-based conservationist dedicated to preserving wild spaces for future generations.
The Gore Nature Education Center is the fulfillment of one man’s dream to protect the beauty of Olde Florida and inspire children to appreciate the natural world. Seeing his childhood neighborhood laid to waste by developers inspired Dr. Gore to make a difference. "Instantly, I became an environmentalist, and my life's direction was forever changed," Gore wrote. "I vowed that if I ever found another hammock like the one from my childhood, I would own it and protect it from all comers."
Dr. Gore earned his PhD in marine zoology from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, worked for the Smithsonian Institution at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce and later was employed by Collier County's Natural Resources Department. It was on one of his trips into the field for his county job that he discovered the hammock that would become his home.
Dr. Gore began purchasing land in the eastern area of Collier County known as Golden Gate Estates in the 1980’s. Over two decades, he accumulated 71 parcels, mostly contiguous, amounting to 180 acres and built a stilt home on a central nine-acre parcel. Dr. Gore named the preserve Naithloriendun, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the "Lord of the Rings" fantasy trilogy. This property served as an “Olde Florida” preserve where native plants and animals thrived and children learned the importance of protecting the environment until 2009 when Dr. Gore developed health issues.
Just before his passing in 2017, friends and fellow conservationists, led by Bobbie Lee Davenport, established Cypress Cove Conservancy to save Dr. Gore’s beloved sanctuary from development. With the support of many local wildlife and environmental conservation experts, they were instrumental in Conservation Collier’s decision to purchase the additional 171 acres that Dr. Gore had acquired, now named the Dr. Robert H. Gore III Preserve in his honor. In 2019, Cypress Cove Conservancy acquired the central nine acres of Dr. Gore’s preserve, including his home which now serves as the Gore Nature Education Center. These two purchases ensure that the entire Gore property will remain protected for generations to come.
The Gore Nature Education Center is the fulfillment of one man’s dream to protect the beauty of Olde Florida and inspire children to appreciate the natural world. Seeing his childhood neighborhood laid to waste by developers inspired Dr. Gore to make a difference. "Instantly, I became an environmentalist, and my life's direction was forever changed," Gore wrote. "I vowed that if I ever found another hammock like the one from my childhood, I would own it and protect it from all comers."
Dr. Gore earned his PhD in marine zoology from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, worked for the Smithsonian Institution at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce and later was employed by Collier County's Natural Resources Department. It was on one of his trips into the field for his county job that he discovered the hammock that would become his home.
Dr. Gore began purchasing land in the eastern area of Collier County known as Golden Gate Estates in the 1980’s. Over two decades, he accumulated 71 parcels, mostly contiguous, amounting to 180 acres and built a stilt home on a central nine-acre parcel. Dr. Gore named the preserve Naithloriendun, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the "Lord of the Rings" fantasy trilogy. This property served as an “Olde Florida” preserve where native plants and animals thrived and children learned the importance of protecting the environment until 2009 when Dr. Gore developed health issues.
Just before his passing in 2017, friends and fellow conservationists, led by Bobbie Lee Davenport, established Cypress Cove Conservancy to save Dr. Gore’s beloved sanctuary from development. With the support of many local wildlife and environmental conservation experts, they were instrumental in Conservation Collier’s decision to purchase the additional 171 acres that Dr. Gore had acquired, now named the Dr. Robert H. Gore III Preserve in his honor. In 2019, Cypress Cove Conservancy acquired the central nine acres of Dr. Gore’s preserve, including his home which now serves as the Gore Nature Education Center. These two purchases ensure that the entire Gore property will remain protected for generations to come.
Naithloriendun, the name Dr. Robert Gore gave to his land, is a Celtic word meaning 'a place between two woods.' Renamed the Gore Nature Education Center in his honor, the property is now owned and managed by Cypress Cove Landkeepers. Photos above capture the sanctuary property as it once looked and Dr. Gore’s home prior to its recent renovation. New boardwalks, trails and other amenities await visitors interested in exploring this unique Olde Florida preserve.