Columns
A young conservationist’s ideas on keeping nests safe
July 24, 2025
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY
My grandkids from Kansas were visiting for the past couple weeks, and one of the highlights is having them join me for turtle patrol early in the morning. OK, it’s…
Fishing industry trade, from Guy Harvey to Strive rods, Daiichi hooks
July 24, 2025
Three generations sometimes together
I just attended the annual International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) in Orlando. My first observation is, may God help anyone driving…
EcoWatch: Oceans are becoming cesspools of the earth
July 24, 2025
Ocean pollution is a major global problem. It is growing and directly affects human health.
Philip Landrigan, epidemiologist, pediatrician
Many people have been to ocean and Gulf shores and ha…
How the island’s Sea Turtle volunteers work with Florida data
July 17, 2025
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY
The sea turtle nesting season is now in its 11th week on Gasparilla Island, nearly halfway through the 26-week season, which officially ends Oct. 31. Since May 1…
History: Service and civic clubs often come the rescue
July 17, 2025
What happened to Kiwanis on island?
BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTOR BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER
The Boca Grande Woman’s Club has been recognized for its many charitable and community-based contrib…
Get to Homosassa, Crystal River
July 17, 2025
Children are out of school. Experience something new together.
Options are almost infinite. Of course, cost and time might be factors. We have choices locally and beyond. There are still a few sh…
EcoWatch: Time for a good and bad news report as season warms up
July 17, 2025
The good news is that bad news can be turned into good news when you change your attitude.
Robert H. Schuller, American television evangelist, author
Sorry to say, this column will offer many…
Sea turtles have millions of years of nesting experience
July 14, 2025
Here we are at the top of another month so it’s time to look at how this sea turtle nesting season is progressing. As I noted in a previous article, this year’s nesting turtles are facing some uniqu…
First loggerheads, and an update on our nest adoption
July 2, 2025
BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY
Since my last article, we have started seeing hatches of our first loggerhead nests! Our first nests were documented on May 1, and with an approximate two-month in…
A wake of opportunity: Dolphins and the fishing boats they follow
July 2, 2025
We have a challenge to deal with; dolphin have mastered welfare.
Dolphins, aka Flipper, have developed into a significant problem; they have become dependent on us to fish for them. We exhaust th…