Wednesday Update January 13, 2021 - SCCF
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Wednesday Update
January 13, 2021
Welcome to the first 2021 edition of the
Wednesday Update!
We'll email the next issue on Jan. 27.
By highlighting SCCF's mission to protect and care
for Southwest Florida's coastal ecosystems, our
updates connect you to nature.
Thanks to Frances Tutt for this photo of
American white pelicans (Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos) feeding.
DO YOU HAVE WILDLIFE PHOTOS TO SHARE?
Please send your photos to info@sccf.org to be
featured in an upcoming issue.
Marine Lab Monitoring Red Tide Around Islands
Today's daily sampling map from the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC), pictured here, shows
that a patchy bloom of the red tide
organism, Karenia brevis, persists in
Southwest Florida based on sampling
conducted over the past eight days.
This afternoon's mid-week update reported
that background to high concentrations of
K. brevis were detected in 42 samples over
the past week. Medium bloom
concentrations (>100,000 cells/liter) were
observed in 32 samples collected from Lee
and Collier counties, according to the
FWC.
As indicated by the dots on this map,
background to high concentrations were
recorded in Lee County in 24 samples, and
medium to high concentrations in and offshore of Collier County were observed in 17
samples.
Daily samples collected by SCCF's Marine Lab and Sanibel Sea School at local beaches
and back bay waters have ranged from high concentrations (>1 million K. brevis cells/liter)
to low (>10,000 cells/liter).
"Today we counted low levels mid-island on Sanibel and a high level at the
Lighthouse," said SCCF Research Scientist Rick Bartleson. "Recent counts at
Bowman's Beach have been medium, while counts at the Lighthouse and the
Sanibel boat ramp have been high recently."
Those counts and others are uploaded to the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing
System's (GCOOS) continually-updated Red Tide Respiratory Forecast. Once you open
the online tool, you can click on various beaches for updated conditions.
For instance, based on winds and K. brevis counts, today's forecast was for high
irritation at the South Seas beach on Captiva and for low to very low irritation on
Sanibel.
Click here for the GCOOS Red Tide Respiratory Forecast. Though experimental, it is
proving to be an effective way to avoid respiratory irritation.
LEARN MORE ABOUT RED TIDE
'Most Vertical Person on Earth' to Speak at Memorial Lecture
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan will talk about
her amazing career as “the most
vertical person on Earth” at the 3rd
Annual Paul McCarthy Memorial
Lecture on Feb. 4.
“We are honored to have Dr.
Sullivan share her fascinating story
of being the first person to both orbit
the planet and reach its deepest
point,” said SCCF CEO Ryan
Orgera.
Aside from her amazing
experiences of spending more than 500 hours in space and plunging seven miles down
into the depths of the ocean, Sullivan has held a variety of senior executive positions.
“Her presidential appointments to the National Science Board and as Chief Scientist,
Deputy Administrator and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) also give her a singular perspective,” said Orgera, who met
Sullivan on several occasions when he worked for the United States Senate.
A distinguished scientist, astronaut, and ocean explorer, Sullivan joined the NASA
astronaut corps in 1978 and holds the distinction of being the first American woman to
walk in space. Her submersible dive to the Challenger Deep in June of 2020 made her the
first woman to dive to full ocean depth.
The Paul McCarthy Memorial Lecture Series was conceived
by the Boler Family Foundation, which underwrites the
speaker fees and expenses, as a way to honor a dear family
friend, Paul McCarthy, founder of Captiva Cruises and an
active presence on the islands for years. Feb. 6 would have
been McCarthy’s 68th birthday.
This year, the lecture will be presented virtually through
Zoom. Unlike other SCCF presentations this year, the 45-
minute lecture will only be offered live at 5:30pm on
Thursday, Feb. 4. It will not be available for recorded
viewing.
Sullivan is also the author of Handprints on Hubble, An
Astronaut’s Story of Invention (MIT Press, 2019), which is
the January selection for SCCF’s nature-inspired book club,
The Green Readers. The discussion for the book will take
place the night before the lecture, on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
SCCF CEO Ryan Orgera will be joining our discussion. Links
to the discussion and more information coming soon!
Click here to register for the lecture. $20 for adults; $10 for
students.
REGISTER NOW
EAA Reservoir—The Keystone of Everglades Restoration
By James Evans, Environmental
Policy Director
On January 10, 2019, Gov. Ron
DeSantis issued Executive Order 19-
12, Achieving More Now for Florida’s
Environment. This executive order
outlines the governor’s priorities and
goals for protecting the state’s waters
and natural resources, which are the
foundation of Florida’s communities,
economy, and way of life.
Among the governor’s top priorities
for reducing the damaging
discharges from Lake Okeechobee
to the coastal estuaries was a plan to accelerate the construction of the Everglades
Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir. The EAA Reservoir remains a top priority for the
coastal communities and Everglades advocates because it is the only Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) project that will both reduce the damaging
discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries and restore freshwater flows to
the Everglades.
The EAA Reservoir was one of the original CERP projects, conditionally authorized by
Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 (SFWMD), and remains a
keystone of Everglades Restoration. The current project authorized by Congress in 2018
includes an above-ground reservoir capable of storing 240,000 acre-feet (~78 billion
gallons) of water, a 6,500-acre wetland stormwater treatment area (STA) to clean the
water, and infrastructure to convey water from Lake Okeechobee south to the Everglades
and Florida Bay.
It is estimated that in combination with previously authorized CERP projects, the
EAA Reservoir will reduce discharge volumes to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie
estuaries by 55 percent and reduce mean monthly high-flow discharge events by 63
percent (SFWMD 2018). At the same time, this project would almost double the
flows south to the central Everglades from 210,000 acre-feet (~68 billion gallons) to
370,000 acre-feet (~120 billion) (SFWMD 2018).
Recently, some lawmakers in Florida have raised concerns about the EAA Reservoir,
citing budget shortfalls related to the COVID-19 pandemic to justify halting the project.
The reality is that Everglades restoration is estimated to provide a 4:1 return on
investment. For each dollar spent on restoration, four dollars are generated to support
Florida’s economy (Mather Economics 2012).
Moreover, any delays in a project that has already broken ground will prevent critical
ecosystem restoration benefits from being realized for both the Everglades and the
estuaries and will ultimately cost Florida taxpayers more in the long term.
Now is not the time to delay funding for the EAA Reservoir. We need to stay the
course and continue to invest in Florida’s future.
Virtual Everglades Update to Address Importance of EAA
To learn more about the benefits of the EAA Reservoir project, please join us on Feb. 24
from 6-8pm for a panel discussion. SCCF, in partnership with the Everglades Foundation,
will be hosting a virtual Everglades Update.
The program will feature a panel discussion about the importance of the Everglades
Agricultural Area Reservoir. The panel will include:
Steve Davis, Ph.D., Senior Ecologist, Everglades Foundation
Capt. Daniel Andrews, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Captains for Clean
Water
Marisa Carrozzo, Everglades and Water Policy Manager, Conservancy of
Southwest Florida
James Evans, Environmental Policy Director, SCCF
The program will be moderated by SCCF CEO Ryan Orgera, Ph.D..
Registration will be opening soon.
Learn About Sand Dunes at
Next Evening at Homestead
Dr. Patrick Hesp, will present an
engaging and informative talk called,
Sand Dunes, A Global & Local
Perspective on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
Dr. Hesp will examine the major
coastal dune types that exist in the
world, how they are initiated, their
geomorphology, and their relationships to climate. Dunes typical of the Gulf and Florida
coasts will also be discussed, and their evolutionary paths as sea level rises will be
detailed.
Dr. Hesp is the former Head of Geography and Anthropology at LSU (Baton Rouge), and
currently the Strategic Professor of Coastal Studies at Flinders University in South
Australia. He is a world expert on coastal dunes, and has conducted studies on both
coastal and desert dunes all over the world. He currently has ongoing research in Poland,
W. Sahara, The Canaries (Spain), NW China and Tibet, New Zealand, and Australia.
The talk will be at 7pm via Zoom. It will also be archived on the SCCF YouTube Channel
if you are not able to attend. Click here to register.
Save the date for this upcoming Evening at the Homestead:
Tuesday, Mar. 9 at 7pm
Florida Needs Fire!, presented by Reed Noss, Florida Institute for Conservation Science
REGISTER NOW
A Different Journey: Hiking During Wet Conditions
The winter months invite increased visitation to the
island and more frequent use of SCCF’s hiking
trails. In recent years our trails, such as the Erick
Lindblad Preserve trails, were either dry or drying
out by January. However, as a result of the active
wet season of 2020, most of the trails are currently
impassable without waterproof boots and
expectations of getting muddy.
“Many people aren’t aware that hiking through
shallow puddles or muddy trails during non-dry
times can be quite enjoyable with the proper
footwear and clothing,” said Chris Lechowicz, Director, SCCF Wildlife & Habitat
Management. “Not only is it less crowded, but there are often different and increased
opportunities to see wildlife, especially species that you may not see otherwise, such as
river otters, freshwater fish, frogs, and aquatic reptiles.”
Florida is known for its vast wetlands, and wet
hikes are not uncommon. Some ecotour
companies offer guided wet hikes in areas such
as Big Cypress National Preserve.
If you are planning to embark on this type of
adventurous hike, wear rubber or waterproof boots
with long pants. When standing water is present,
mosquitoes are not far away, so long-sleeve shirts
are recommended, as well as sunscreen and
insect repellent.
A walking stick is recommended to help you maintain your balance and footing, and to feel
the depth of puddles in front of you before you walk through them. Please remember to
stay on the trails at all times.
Probing Mysterious Life Stages and Strandings of Sea Turtles
The SCCF sea turtle program is focused
on ensuring the survival of sea turtles
through nest monitoring, research,
education, training, advocacy, and habitat
protection. Achieving these goals is
becoming increasingly complex in the face
of coastal development, climate change,
ocean plastics, habitat loss, and a wide
variety of emerging and worsening threats.
In addition to the identifiable threats, there
are also some profound mysteries that
sometimes stymie sea turtle conservation
efforts.
“Our brief experience with them on the beach provides an important glimpse into their
lives, but relatively little is known about sea turtles from the time the tiny hatchlings enter
the open ocean until they return 25 to 30 years later to nest as adults,” said SCCFCoastal
Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan. “Where do they go when they leave? What route do they take
to get there? Where and when are human activities more likely to affect their survival and
their health?”
Understanding sea turtle behavior at each of their life stages is critical for ensuring their
survival. Satellite telemetry has been used widely to explore these mysteries by tracking
their movements at sea and has had profound impacts on in-water conservation efforts,
connecting life history, ecology, and hazardous intersections for turtles. SCCF staff
members have successfully deployed 17 satellite tags on loggerhead and green sea turtles
to help make these connections for the turtles nesting in Southwest Florida.
An unfortunate but important way to learn
more about the in-water threats they face is
by documenting the sources of morbidity and
mortality in strandings (sea turtles that are
found dead, sick, or injured). The Sea Turtle
Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) is a
cooperative effort comprised of federal, state,
and permitted private partners along the
entire coast from Maine to Texas. STSSN
participants report sea turtle strandings to a
centralized database so that trends and
emerging issues can be identified and
addressed.
In the decade preceding the 2018 red tide—from 2007 to 2017—an average of 31
strandings were reported annually by SCCF on Sanibel and Captiva. During the
catastrophic red tide event, that number skyrocketed to 205 (with an additional 51 reported
by CROW). In 2019 and 2020, our stranding totals were 55 and 41, respectively.
The species composition in 2020 was 23 loggerheads ( Caretta caretta), comprising 56
percent; 15 green turtles (Chelonia mydas), making up 36 percent, two Kemp’s ridleys
(Lepidochelys kempii), and one unidentifiable species due to its state of decomposition.
Boat strikes (13) and predation (15) represented the most significant source of mortality
last year. It is unknown if these injuries occurred pre- or post-mortem. In six strandings,
there were no obvious injuries, and the cause of death could not be determined using
external evaluation alone.
Each of these life-cycle puzzle pieces has guided strategic sea turtle conservation for
decades. We remain committed to collecting the data that build these national databases
to give turtles a brighter future.
SUPPORT SEA TURTLES
Viva Florida Grant Funds
Enhanced Wetland Garden
In May, the SCCF Native Landscapes and
Garden Center was awarded the Viva
Florida Landscape Demonstration grant
funded by the Florida Wildflower
Foundation. The grant funds were used to
enhance an existing demonstration garden
at the Bailey Homestead Preserve.
Stacey Matrazzo, program manager for the
Florida Wildflower Foundation, said
SCCF’s project was “only the second wetland garden ever proposed to the foundation.”
She added: “We saw it as an opportunity to showcase the beauty of wetland wildflowers
while demonstrating how they can be used in home landscapes. We have great
confidence in SCCF staff and volunteers to create and maintain a beautiful and beneficial
project.”
The wetland garden area was originally implemented in 2015 as a dry, wildflower meadow
demonstration garden. The following year, an irrigation system was installed in the retail
space adjacent to the site. Over the course of that year, the irrigation runoff from the retail
area began to settle in the lower-lying dry wildflower meadow, causing many of the plants
to gradually die off or become unhealthy. The Viva Florida grant allowed SCCF to address
drainage issues and introduce native wetland plants that were more appropriate for the
existing site conditions. The redesign and replanting vastly improved the aesthetics and
utility of the garden and the space now teaches visitors about the many benefits of wetland
(littoral) plants.
This summer, the Hammerheads, a group
of local volunteers, constructed an
elevated walkway through the center of
the garden that allows visitors better
access to the plants without getting their
feet wet. A drain was installed around the
perimeter of the garden to divert standing
water away from the main walkway.
Once the site preparation was finished,
SCCF Native Landscapes and Garden
Center staff planted about 30 different
species of wetland plants. The new
wetland pollinator garden currently
showcases native wetland shrubs, wildflowers, and groundcovers that local residents can
utilize in areas of their yard that hold water seasonally or year-round.
The Native Landscapes & Garden SCCF's Native Landscapes and Garden Center at
the Bailey Homestead is now open Monday through Thursday, 10am to 3pm. We will
also continue to offer contactless deliveries and curbside pickup. Simply place your
order online by midnight on Tuesday for pickup or delivery that Wednesday.
Please email our Garden Center Assistant Sue Ramos at sramos@sccf.org with any
questions or requests.
SCCF members will get their discount by entering this promo code: SCCFMBR10
SHOP FOR NATIVE PLANTS
“Natives in the Garden”
Exhibit Opens on Jan. 19
More than a dozen locally created 3D
works have been submitted for the joint
SCCF and Sanibel-Captiva Art League
“Natives in the Garden” outdoor exhibit at
the Bailey Homestead Preserve, opening
Monday, Jan. 19, 10am to 3pm.
The original works of weather-resilient,
outdoor art featured in “Natives in the
Garden” were created by members of the
Sanibel-Captiva Art League and SCCF, and 20 percent of the proceeds of works sold will
support SCCF’s mission. Pictured here is a piece submitted by Nancy Watkins.
“The “Natives in the Garden” exhibit offers the opportunity to expand upon our previous
collaborations with the Sanibel-Captiva Art League. We've been co-hosting indoor, 2D
exhibits over the past couple of years,” said SCCF Natives Landscapes & Adult Education
Director Jenny Evans. “This is a unique opportunity to display the artists’ works in our
gardens. We’ve received a great diversity of pieces that lend a bit of whimsy to our
outdoor spaces. We couldn't be more excited to have visitors discover the art.”
The exhibit runs through March 12.
Grow Your Own Mangrove Through
New Coastal Watch Initiative
Coastal Watch is hosting two “Back to Our Roots”
virtual workshops over the next week to help
participants gain a deeper understanding of the
biology of mangroves and their role in Southwest
Florida’s marine ecosystem.
Mangroves are a vital source of energy, provide
nursery habitats for juvenile fish, nesting habitat for
wading birds, stabilize shorelines by reducing erosion,
and are a buffer against storm damage. Many people
are familiar with these iconic trees, but few may understand how tightly linked they are to
the marine ecosystem in Southwest Florida.
Through this educational initiative, Coastal Watch is inviting the community to participate
by “adopting” their very own mangrove to grow and nurture so it can be planted at various
mangrove restoration sites around Sanibel and Captiva.
Workshop participants will receive a starter kit to grow their mangrove at home until
it is ready to be planted at a local restoration site during a community planting
event this fall. The virtual workshops are Saturday, Jan. 16 at 1pm and Thursday,
Jan. 21 at 6pm.
REGISTER NOW
Sea Level Rise: A Threat to Coastal Wildlife and Ecosystems
By Luke Miller, Environmental Policy Intern
Sea level rise is among the largest threats to
Florida’s coastal wildlife habitats. Many species
depend on valuable coastline for their nesting
sites, and the prospect of heightened sea levels
that could impact these habitats is certainly
cause for concern.
Florida in particular is especially vulnerable to
the effects of sea level rise. The Sunshine State
has more than 1,200 miles of coastline, almost
4,500 square miles of estuaries and bays, and more than 6,700 square miles of other
coastal waters. Many Florida ecosystems are highly susceptible to the effects of sea level
rise, including shorelines, barrier islands, bays, estuaries, lagoons, sounds, tidal salt
marshes and creeks, mangrove swamps, shellfish beds, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and
oyster bars.
Sea level rise and its related effects are already occurring, and they will continue to
accelerate under current environmental conditions. Scientists with the Southeast Florida
Regional Climate Change Compact have forecasted between 17 to 31 inches of sea
level rise by 2060, and up to 74 inches by 2100. For Sanibel, three feet of sea level rise
would leave almost all of our low-lying wetland habitats, which includes the vast majority
of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Tarpon Bay, Sanibel Slough, and the
bayous, completely underwater (NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer, 2020).
Such drastic changes to the island’s landscape would cause dramatic effects on the
wildlife species that make their homes along our coastlines. Among the species at highest
risk of extinction due to sea level rise are sea turtles and shorebirds that nest on sandy
beaches (Center for Biological Diversity, 2013). Habitat loss would force these species
to find homes elsewhere, and that transition could seriously reduce population numbers as
they are forced to relocate to suitable habitats.
Fortunately, there are ways we can combat sea level rise and its effects on our barrier
islands and coastal communities. Across Florida, municipalities are teaming up to form
regional climate compacts, which share resources and coordinate management efforts to
make our communities more resilient to sea level rise and the effects of climate change.
Locally, the Southwest Florida Regional Resiliency Compact aims to address these
challenges.
By sharing expertise, scientific data, and other resources, the region can maximize the
efficiency of its efforts against climate change. Coordinating efforts will put Southwest
Florida in a good position to qualify for state and federal funding for projects to mitigate the
impacts of sea level rise. Regional compacts also provide a mechanism for advocating for
policies that can help reduce greenhouse gasses, support cleaner energy (solar electricity,
wind power), and forest preservation to achieve regional carbon neutrality.
If Florida’s communities enact policies such as these, we will be in a much better
position to combat climate change and its associated effects on sea levels.
Sanibel Sea School
Thrilled to Offer One
Session of Winter Camp
Sanibel Sea School was excited to
offer one session of winter camp,
themed “New Year, New Ocean,”
during the last week of December.
In order to keep campers, employees,
and the community safe, the staff at
Sanibel Sea School implemented
several COVID-19 safety procedures throughout the week. The camp was limited to 20
participants that were split into smaller, separate groups, and masks, social distancing,
and frequent hand-washing were incorporated throughout the week. With these
precautions, the education team was able to pull off a successful and safe winter camp.
The camp’s theme celebrated getting back to nature after a challenging year for all. In
addition to enjoying the beautiful Sanibel outdoors, counselors shared the importance of
environmental conservation, and held a camp-wide “bioblitz” to teach about the creatures
that are all around us. The campers cataloged all of the plants, animals, and shells that
they encountered on the East End of Sanibel.
“It was so nice to get back to a small sense of
normalcy because we weren’t able to hold our
summer camps this year,” said Sea School
Director Nicole Finnicum. “We were thrilled to
have campers back in our building and to get
back to our favorite activities, like surf
paddling.”
Campers also participated in Sanibel Sea
School’s annual “Give Your Worries to the
Sea” ceremony. “Each camper writes down
what’s been troubling or worrying them over the past year and then we burn the papers in
a small campfire,” said Education Programs Manager Shannon Stainken. “Then we head
to our favorite beach, and each camper throws a pinch of ashes into the sea, allowing the
ocean to wash our worries away.”
After a successful week of winter camp, Sanibel Sea School hopes to implement
these procedures during its 2021 summer camp. Registration will open in February;
details will be announced later in January.
Outdoor Classes Focus
on Freshwater Habitats
The Sanibel School’s fourth-grade
classes recently visited SCCF’s
Pick Preserve, located directly
across the street from the school,
for a Habitat Study Field Trip.
Led by SCCF Educator Richard
Finkel, students in Julie Wappes’
and Daryl Peters’ classes observed
and recorded the defining plant life
within the interior of Sanibel.
“Discovering the diversity of life found within the ecosystem clearly revealed the
importance of freshwater habitats for the students,” Finkel said. “Students enjoyed the
outdoor classroom and writing about their observations and excitement into descriptive
narratives in the Pick Preserve’s gazebo.”
Roskamp Red Tide Project: Slots
Filled for Mobile Lab on Sanibel;
Seeking More Volunteers
More than 50 residents of Sanibel and Captiva
responded to the call for participants to volunteer
for a clinical study by the Roskamp Institute in
Sarasota that is investigating whether red tide has neurological impacts on humans.
"All of our slots filled up two weeks ago for our mobile lab on Sanibel this Saturday," said
study leader David Patterson. "But we still need more people for the study, especially right
now while there's an active red tide bloom."
The mobile lab will be parked in the Sanibel Public Library parking lot from 9am to
2pm on Saturday, Jan. 16, to take blood and urine samples from those who have
signed up for the study.
The project, which is the first step in establishing a potential medical diagnosis, is still
looking for more volunteers to participate at the Roskamp Institute's lab in Sarasota.
“The response has been tremendous. We have people from 30 to 90 years of age signed
up. Some say they don't feel anything from the current red tide bloom and others say they
can't leave the house,” said Patterson. “It’s about a 90-minute drive and we really
encourage people to volunteer. We need a robust group of volunteers to fulfill the critical
goals of this research.”
Watery eyes, sneezing, coughing, and a red tide “tickle” in the throat are associated with
the aerosolized brevetoxin, though many people have also reported headaches, dizziness,
confusion, nausea, and disorientation during active blooms.
This is the first human trial of its kind to investigate whether exposure to red tide toxins can
contribute to dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological issues, or impact differentorgans, by gathering data on the presence of antibodies and biomarkers in individuals.
“Until a study such as this one is done, you can’t get a medical diagnosis because there
have not been any human trials documenting impacts,” said Patterson. "Some people
have called looking for a diagnosis and decide not to take part when they realize it's not a
doctor's appointment."
To sign up for the study, call David Patterson at (941) 256-8018, ext. 3008. The
Roskamp Institute is located at 2040 Whitfield Ave. in Sarasota.
In case you missed us on ABC-7/NBC-2...
On Jan. 8, SCCF Environmental Policy Director James Evans explained how onshore
winds impact the release of neurotoxins from red tide blooms. Click here to watch.
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