Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association reported the latest numbers for sea turtle nests on Friday, July 1, 2016. As of July 1, there were 474 loggerhead (caretta caretta) turtle nests and 4 green sea (chelonia mydas) turtle nests on the island. Also, 634 false crawls (turtles that emerge on to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN After decades of searching for shells on the beaches and at the sandbar in Boca Grande, Gay Weisenthal finally found one that she’s been coveting for years: the junonia. Scaphella junonia, or Juno’s volute, is a species of large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Volutidae. This species […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: Hello to you. My husband, Mick and I have been coming to the Island for over the past seven years, We live in the UK and regularly visit Boca Grande, This year on Father’s Day we decided to spend the day at the beach and we headed for 13th Street. We arrived […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE The Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority has now entered into two different agreements with local agencies regarding allowances to waive weight restrictions on the Boca Grande Causeway, as of their quarterly board meeting on Tuesday, June 28. Representatives Bill Caldwell and Bonnie Pringle from the Gasparilla Island Water Association came to the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ STAFF REPORT The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association would like to remind everyone to be cautious this Fourth of July weekend regarding the sea turtle nests and potential hatchlings on the beach. Fireworks and other lights on the beach can disorient nesting adults and hatchlings, and beach trash can interfere with a hatchling’s journey from […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ STAFF REPORT The Barrier Islands Parks Society (BIPS) has obtained a commercial building permit from Lee County for the Gasparilla Island Light, and now the last step will be a final NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) review. This can take up to two weeks, but according to BIPS Executive Director Sharon McKenzie, “The Coast […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The slamming of thick steel doors, locking them shut behind armed officers in green uniforms, is enough to ensure cooperation from most visitors who enter the halls of the Charlotte County Jail. “Welcome to the rock,” said Captain Norm Wilson to a group of local media representatives during a tour of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Richard Anderson spent a considerable amount of time in Boca Grande beginning in 1988, when he worked as a planner for Lee County. When he first arrived on the island, he met Robert Johnson, the harbor pilot for Boca Grande. “That was back when Florida Power and Light used to be […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ STAFF REPORT Recent media reports on the news and on Facebook have given way to more worries for people who love to swim in the Gulf and leave them wondering: Is it safe to go in the water? According to local officials, if you don’t have open wounds and a compromised immune system, you […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: As everyone is aware, on the afternoon of Saturday, June 18, the Boca Grande Fire Department responded to a call for a missing swimmer at the Range Light. With other similar calls worked into the mix, the operation ended up being extended over the next several days. The Department would like to […]