Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, News.
It has been more than seven months since the morning of January 16, when an F1 tornado swept the bottom of Cape Haze Peninsula, damaging more than two dozen mobile homes in Gasparilla Island Estates. You would think in that amount of time, certainly the damage was cleaned up and repaired. But time has been […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
Change can be difficult to accept, especially in the last few years when progress seems to be accelerating and changes are everywhere all over the Cape Haze Peninsula. One thing that has not changed – at least not yet – is a little family home at the back of Eldred’s Marina. You might have missed it all this time if you’ve only been to the main parking area, but when you see it, you’ll never forget it.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission FWC), cane toads are reddish-brown to grayish-brown, with a light-yellow or beige belly and can be uniform in color or have darker markings around the body. They have enlarged glands behind the eyes, which angle downward onto the shoulders. The glands secrete a potent milky-white toxin (bufotoxin) as defense against predators – including domestic pets. Cane toads generally range in size from six to nine inches in length. They can be confused with the native southern toad, however; adult cane toads are much larger than adult southern toads, which only grow to a maximum of approximately three or four inches. Cane toads do not have ridges across the head, as seen in the southern toad.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
May through October is the official sea turtle nesting season in Southwest Florida. During these months, adult female sea turtles make an amazing journey home to nest and lay eggs on the very beach where they were hatched 20 to 30 years before. Barrier Islands located in Cayo Costa, Don Pedro, Gasparilla and Stump Pass Florida State Parks are vital habitats for returning sea turtles to nest and lay eggs. Currently Cayo Costa State Park has 548 nests/16,132 hatchlings and Gasparilla Island State Park has 57 nests/1,563 hatchlings. The most common nesting sea turtle on the Southwest Florida coast is the loggerhead, but other, rarer species have also been documented, including Kemps ridley and the green sea turtle.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Ray grew up in Cuba in the 1950s and early 60s but was forced to flee the country as his father became more and more involved in the fight to bring freedom and prosperity to all the people of Cuba. Initially, this put him and his family in the crosshairs of Fulgencio Batista, and eventually in those of Fidel Castro, as well.
Written by Harry Kalajian, MDT on . Posted in Columns.
Some people will invest in books or DVD’s or go online to learn about training methods, and nice try, but that’s useless. They’ll learn generic methods that sometimes work but most of the time don’t. Why? The books or DVD’s don’t take into account your dog’s age, sex, breed, environment, character and temperament. The books and DVD’s are not designed to tell you which method would be suitable for your particular dog. Every dog is different, and lots of variables play a role in it. Maybe you have a dog that is shy, timid, fearful, or dominant or dominant-aggressive, and the list goes on … A professional trainer can asses which training method and/or sequence would be best. Books and DVD’s can’t.
They can give only broad generalizations. I can’t say often enough that owners MUST take the time to work with their dogs daily and follow the trainer’s instructions.
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
The December report listed the reason for the dragonfly joining the list of threatened species as follows: “The destruction of wetlands is driving the decline of dragonflies worldwide … Their decline is symptomatic of the widespread loss of marshes, swamps and free-flowing rivers they breed in, mostly driven by the expansion of unsustainable agriculture and urbanization around the world.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Some people who come to Boca Grande make a big impact on many, then fade into anonymity when they leave. That might be how Jane Moyer, former owner of Island Dog Boutique & Supply Co. wants it to be, but that is not going to happen on our watch. Jane has always had a soft […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History, News.
My cousin, Linwood Parrish, was living on a houseboat in the marina and working around with Daddy on the island, and Linwood went to see Farrel Davis and obtained a loan to build a new barge. He and Daddy built the barge from 3/4 inch plywood and pressure-treated lumber, then fiberglassed the bottom. They got an old Lyman lap strake boat for a tow boat, and they were back in business. Daddy got a little flat-fender Willys jeep, built a trailer to put behind it, and we were really uptown! No more carrying lumber by hand! Later they bought a military deuce-and-a-half from Englewood Water District, and then came forklifts, tractors and other equipment. Later we added more length to the barge, about 10 feet if I remember correctly.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Columns, News.
“We received a hotline report of a turtle nesting during the day, and it just so happened to be Flame Lily. This rare daytime encounter provided a clear look at this turtle and heightened our suspicions that she might be a hybrid,” said Kelly Sloan, coastal wildlife director and sea turtle program coordinator. New genetic results from the University of Georgia’s Dr. Brian Shamblin confirm that Flame Lily is in fact half hawksbill, half loggerhead. Flame Lily’s first nest last year produced 104 hatchlings.