Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Nothing spoils your happy vacation mood like arriving at a beautiful beach house with an overstuffed trash receptacle at the end of the driveway. If you are a regular renter on the island and find you are consistently dealing with full garbage containers when you arrive at your rental, there is a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Sea turtle nests are continuing to hatch at a fast rate on the island, and more than 80 new nests have been recorded this week. As of July 13, the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA) reported 495 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on the island. There were 511 reported false […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff released a subadult Kemp’s ridley turtle on Friday, July 13, from Anna Maria Island after it recovered from entanglement in fishing gear. The rehabilitation and release of this turtle, nicknamed “Gazpacho,” is of special importance because Kemp’s ridleys are federally designated as endangered. Gazpacho […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Boca Grande residents who were concerned about the closing of My Halo, worry no more. Tim Beach and Stuart Christensen recently purchased the company, and they plan to continue to offer all levels of service that the former owners offered. Beach and Christensen currently own a business in Sarasota called Help […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN It’s baby sea turtle time. The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported the first hatch from zone five on Monday, July 9. This was the second hatch of the season and there were several more during the week. Patrol members said all of them oriented perfectly with the direction of the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
A juvenile green sea turtle suffering the effects of red tide and rescued in Boca Grande was released July 11 at Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach. According to Executive Director Suzi Fox of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, the turtle was brought north to be released where there is less red tide. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported the first known hatch of the season on Tuesday, July 3. The nest was laid on May 7, so it incubated for 57 days. “The hatchlings were disoriented, but some did make it to the water safely,” said BGSTA Board Member Mel Csank. “We’ve […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, News, Opinion.
■BY MARCY SHORTUSE Since the recent mass shooting at a newspaper office up north, I have seen some really callous and negative comments about the media in response to the tragedy. “They’re all hacks. Who cares?” “It’s all fake news anyway.” Good to know community newspapers get so much support, right? After all, we’ve got […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: Marcy, I really enjoyed your article, “Where is our clean water?” Thank you. But the assertions about the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow contradict facts I’ve gathered from ornithologists, USGS, DOI/US Fish & Wildlife, ACOE, and SFWMD. Not looking for retraction or clarification, but wanted to let you know what I’ve found. Biologists […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News, Obituaries.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE It’s very hard to put into words what Isabelle Joiner meant to the heart and soul of Gasparilla Island. She didn’t just live on the island, and she wasn’t just raised on the island. She truly was the island. On the morning of June 20, 2018, when she passed away, a tangible […]