Author: Guest Columnist

Help prevent water pollution

BY THE BARRIER ISLAND PARKS SOCIETY Marine pollution is an increasing threat to the overall health of Florida. It makes a negative impact in many ways, and it comes from many sources. Many types...

Of 83 eggs, 36 had hatched. The day was looking up: Turtle Watch

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Only 17 nests remain as of September 14! Of those, 14 are loggerhead and three are green turtle nests. Since September 8, we have seen eight nests either hatch or...

Survey of sea turtles on Don Pedro, Gasparilla

This essay is part of a mini-series of stories from Barrier Islands Parks BY THE BARRIER ISLAND PARKS SOCIETY May through October is the official sea turtle nesting season in Southwest Florida....

Still 25 active incubating nests remain: Boca Grande Sea Turtle Assoc.

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY As of September 7, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association’s (BGSTA) “completion countdown” is at 25 nests. 21 of those are loggerhead nests and four are green turtle...

1949: Boca Grande’s first newspaper, the Boca Grande Journal

BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTOR, BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER The year was 1949, when NATO was established, West Germany was created, the People’s Republic of China was formally proclaimed and the Soviet...

Three loggerhead hatches this week: Boca Grande Sea Turtle Assoc.

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY As of August 31, the BGSTA turtle patrollers have officially phased out of monitoring the entire length of each of our zones and will now only focus on the remaining...

Pace slows, no new crawls in 2024 season: Boca Grande Turtle Patrol

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY With no new crawls this past week, it is almost certain that we have seen the end of the nesting phase of the 2024 season. After a certain number of consecutive...

Rip currents are by far the biggest beach hazard

BY DR. JOHN FLETEMEYER You would think that the TV weather reporter, being the professional that they report to be, would know the difference between a rip current and rip tide, but often they don’t. As...

What to do if you encounter baby turtles: Boca Grande Turtle Patrol

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Even though Debby disrupted most of the incubating nests on the island, many of those that survived her onslaught are going about their business as usual. As of...

Jamaica bobsledder inspires backpack donations by Gasparilla Inn staff

BY COREY ANGLIN,THE GASPARILLA INN During our annual Management Training last summer, we had the pleasure of connecting with Devon Harris, one of the founding members of the Jamaica National Bobsled...