Photo contest winners

From page 1 this photo,” contest judge and refuge Ranger Jessica Barry said “During a dark time of Sanibel, to me this photo signifies hope and a new beginning ”

In second place was Scott Becque, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, with a photograph of an anhinga titled “Azure Eye Ring.”

“The gleam of his striped feathers caught my eye first,” judge Carrie Harmon, executive development and outreach assistant for the DDWS, said “The longer I looked, the more the bouquet of black and white feathers he was so carefully preening seemed to come alive with color I could see the rainbow in the small feathers atop his head This photo spoke to me of the nuances of nature and what you can find when you look a little closer ”

Scott Davidow, of Bayside, New York, took third place with “The Whimsical River Otter ”

“The otter is posing for the picture and does not seem afraid or wary of the photographer,” DDWS business office manager and judge Joy Robertson said “I believe our animal friends will allow us into their environment if we show respect and patience ”

The winners received cash awards from the DDWS: $300 for first place, $225 for second place and $175 for third place Each honorable mention winner received a $25 award, which reflects a refund of the contest entry fee.

The honorable mentions included:

∫ Tamara Barry-Peebles, of Vancouver, Washington, for “Turtle Trio”

∫ Constance Bauer, of Sanibel, for “Sunshine on a Cloudy Day”

∫ Calum Bruce, of Glasgow, Scotland, for “Mellow Yellow”

∫ Rebecca Clemens, of Sanibel, for “Spotted!”

∫ Heidi Dirkse, of Wolverine, Michigan, for “The Strike”

∫ Paul Harmon, of Sanibel, for “Restful Pondering”

∫ Linda Normoyle, of Fort Myers, for “Silky”

∫ Conrad Peloquin, of Walnut Creek, California, for “Tip Dip”

∫ Fred Ryckman, of Sanibel, for “Sipping in the Afternoon Sunshine”

∫ Jeanne Tunnell Swope, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, for “Struttin' My Stuff”

Once the refuge's Visitor & Education Center reopens, the winners and honorable mention award photographs will be on display throughout the year

To view all of top-ranking entries, visit dingdarlingsocie t y o r g information on the 2023 photo contest The deadline for submissions will be Sept. 15.

ABOVE: Second place winner “Azure Eye Ring ”

SCOTT BECQUE

LEFT: Third place winner “The Whimsical River Otter.”

SCOTT DAVIDOW

The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District assisted the Captiva Island Fire Control District with a structure fire on Feb. 16 at 16898 Captiva Drive, Captiva.

Busy week

From page 1

The crews remained on scene for three hours to ensure it was out

No injures were reported

There was damage to the exterior and interior wall The crew had to knock out the AC unit

“Our guys acted really quickly The whole restaurant was really smoked out,” Pawul said “The damaged was contained to the storage room, and Jerry's was able to reopen the next day ”

The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation “

I t ' s m o s t l i k e l y u n i n t e n t i o n a l a n d e l e c t r i c a l i n nature,” he said

Assisting agencies included the Iona McGregor Fire District and Sanibel Police Department

Three days later, crews from Sanibel were assisting with another fire this time on Captiva

The Captiva Island Fire Control District responded to a structure fire on Feb 16 at about 8:30 a m at 16898 Captiva Drive, Captiva Fire Chief Jeff Pawul reported that when his crews arrived, they found a generator on fire It was placed on a platform that had been attached to the south side of the residence.

“It was fully engulfed,” he said, adding that crews could see the black column of smoke while driving along the 'Tween Waters stretch “The amount of smoke and flames coming off the side was a lot ”

It only took a couple of minutes for the crews to extinguish the flames

They also remained at the scene longer to ensure the

Fire Was Out

Pawul reported that when the initial call came it, there was one person inside of the home and one person outside However, both occupants and a dog were outside when the crews arrived

No injuries were reported

There was damage to the generator, platform and south side of the residence. He noted that the homeowner was lucky the structure is made of concrete and not a lot of combustible materials If the residence had been a wood-frame building, the fire would have quickly gotten into the interior

The cause of the fire in unknown and under investigation

“Most likely due to electrical,” Pawul said

W e e k o f W e d n e s d a y , F e b r u a r y