Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Paulee Bowin met Boca Grande shell enthusiast George Melissas five years ago, while the two were in an art studio in Clearwater Beach. Bowin has been creating shell art for years, and when she shared her passion about shells with him, the master shell collector gave her a variety of shells […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY SUE ERWIN – Green sea turtle nesting is happening later into the season than usual, but Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association volunteers are hopeful there are still a few more new nests before the season officially closes on October 31. As of August 31, the Association reported 709 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
STAFF REPORT – Despite the red tide situation, sea turtle nest numbers are continuing to grow, hatchlings are making their way to the sea, and nest counts are up from this time last year. As of August 24, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported 687 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on the island. There […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
STAFF REPORT – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has temporarily made snook and redfish catch-and-release only from the northernmost point of Anna Maria Island in Manatee County to Gordon Pass in Collier County. This was done through an executive order in response to the red tide bloom in Southwest Florida and is […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN With a primary election right around the corner, this might actually be a year when people sit up and take notice of one hot topic in particular – clean water. While the Boca Beacon does not endorse candidates for any election, but knowing that people feel very strongly about water quality […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The Charlotte County Boca Grande Street and Draining Advisory Board met on Monday, Aug. 20 to discuss a variety of items on the agenda. The first topic addressed: Exotic animal control. United States Department of Agriculture employee Samantha Rushing is an iguana technician who is contracted through the county to do […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Contractors working for Lee County have removed more than 1,400 tons of fish from Lee County beaches and waterways since beginning work on Aug. 2. That total doesn’t include fish collected by Lee County Parks & Recreation staff before the contractor began work, fish collected from Boca Grande or fish collected by […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE This year’s Island School students gathered in their classrooms on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 8 to prepare themselves for the upcoming 2018-19 school year, which begins this Friday. Head-of-School Jean Thompson said the school is at a maximum enrollment of 60 again this year, and a lottery was held for the second […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Despite the effects of red tide, sea turtle nests numbers are continuing to grow, hatchlings are making their way to the water and excavations are being done by patrol members on a consistent basis. As of July 27, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported 636 Caretta caretta (Loggerhead) turtle nests […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: We are regular visitors to Boca Grande from England and are horrified by what is happening with the red tide this year. It was bad enough when we were there in February/March, but we understand from friends who are part-time residents that it is now far worse! We have seen a couple […]