Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Coughing and sneezing due to red tide is annoying enough … but as dead fish piled up on island beaches this week, the stench in the air certainly added to the unpleasantness. One thing is for sure, you have the beaches pretty much to yourself now. Boca Grande continues to be […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN So far this season, there are far fewer sea turtle nests on Gasparilla Island when compared to last year. The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported 281 Caretta caretta (loggerhead) turtle nests on the island. There were 352 on June 23, 2017. No Chelonia mydas (green) turtle nests have been discovered […]
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 […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE UPDATE: Gov. Rick Scott has now issued an emergency order to allow water from Lake Okeechobee to be discharged to the south, into the Everglades, instead of directing runoff primarily east and west. The governor’s order calls for the suspension of rules and modification of permits to allow water to move […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Four young girls spent a recent Sunday afternoon raising money and awareness for local wildlife. Leslie Foxworthy, Dulse Foxworthy, Addison Miller and Tiffany Foxworthy decided to set up a lemonade stand on Little Gasparilla Island on a warm and humid afternoon … but not to earn money for themselves. “We decided […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Zachary Lozano is the new Gasparilla Island State Park manager, but he is certainly not new to Boca Grande. Zac worked at the park several years ago before advancing his career in several other parks around the state. He started out with Florida State Parks in 2011 as a part-time ranger […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■BY MARCY SHORTUSE They came out in the night like beautiful alien stars, all along the Florida coast. People from Indian River, Melbourne and Gulfport to Naples were starting to whisper fervently sometime on Monday. “They’re coming,” they said. The night-blooming cereus, a vining flower that blooms only once a year, all came out Wednesday […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT Summer weather is in full swing and the island is getting quieter, but this is actually the busiest time of year for the Boca Grande Historical Society. As members prepare for a new season, help is needed to discover new and interesting facts about our island’s history, and you can even assist […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Peggy Seawert knows a lot about how to make things grow. As president of the Boca Grande Garden Club, she has invited some very experienced speakers to come and give lectures about gardening in Boca Grande. “We bring in people from literally all over the United States,” she said. One year […]