Columns
And then there were 10: Turtle patrol winding down nest checks
September 26, 2024
And then there were ten. Yes, the BGSTA turtle patrollers are down to the last ten incubating nests on the island. Eight loggerhead and two green turtle nests. The last observed hatch was weeks ag…
Tanks for the Memories: The evolution of water storage on the island
September 26, 2024
BY KAREN GRACE
The late Capt. Fred Futch once said that although many people say the biggest change to the island came from the building of the bridge, he thought it was the formation of the wa…
Help prevent water pollution
September 26, 2024
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 type…
EcoWatch: News reports ignore perinatal manatee deaths
September 19, 2024
“Consider the number of manatee deaths so far this year. Redesignating the manatee as endangered, which provides for the highest levels of federal protection and conservation efforts, is critical….
We were once among America’s greatest fisheries
September 19, 2024
Please consider that water quality issues have reduced fish stocks, and the significant influx of residents and visitors has reduced water quality. Businesses are eager to grab all this easy-growt…
Of 83 eggs, 36 had hatched. The day was looking up: Turtle Watch
September 19, 2024
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 …
Survey of sea turtles on Don Pedro, Gasparilla
September 19, 2024
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 Flori…
EcoWatch: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
September 12, 2024
“Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the air and drink the water. Don’t sit this one out. Do something. You are not here by accident of fate, alive at an…
Still 25 active incubating nests remain: Boca Grande Sea Turtle Assoc.
September 12, 2024
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 tu…
1949: Boca Grande’s first newspaper, the Boca Grande Journal
September 12, 2024
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 So…