Egg hunt

Also, there will be “golden eggs” to locate that hold coupons for a chocolate bunny or local businesses

Outfitters, Island Pizza, MacIntosh Books and Paper, MudBugs Cajun Kitchen, The Shack of Sanibel, and Whitney's Bait and Tackle donated the coupons

“The golden eggs are the ones that have the exclusive coupons,” she said

Angeles noted that it also helps the participating businesses with their post-storm recovery

“It helps push foot traffic through their doors and gets the community to visit their online businesses,” she said Families will also have the opportunity to take holiday photos

“We'll have somebody dressed up as the Easter Bunny,” she said “So people can take pictures ”

Attendees can decorate holiday cookies with AIP Outfitters

“They will be Easter themed,” Angeles said “The rec center will supply bunny face painting for the

Manatee deaths

county go into effect beginning on April 1 The FWC recently approved the count y ' s y e a r - r o u n d m a n a t e e z o n e f o r t h e Roosevelt Channel, and signs will soon go up

Last year, there were 800 manatee deaths statewide recorded by the FWC Lee County had the second-most manatee deaths with 82, behind only the 346 mana t e e d e a t h s d o c u m e n t e d i n B r e v a r d County

Lee County is on pace to surpass last year’s figures Based on a lack of testing and necropsies by the FWC, most of the causes of death for manatees are never recorded

Leading causes for manatee deaths historically are boat strikes and starvation. The loss of seagrass in Florida waters due to pollution from a wide variety of sources has been a leading cause for their starvation figures Lee County was hit with a l a r g e r e d t i d e s p i k e i n J a n u a r y a n d

February

In 2021, there was a record 1,100 manatee deaths recorded in Florida The pace of their deaths could end up putting

If you go

kids,” she added

The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District will bring its truck for families to tour, and crew members will help to hide all of the eggs, with the district to call the start of the hunt The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum and St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church will also provide activities to enjoy

“It's going to be arts and crafts,” Angeles said Located near Fort Myers within Lee County, Beyond The Pack Animal Rescue Team and Sanctuary will bring live animals for attendees to see, including bunnies and ferrets, and offer information

“They'll talk about bunny adoptions on Easter and educate about that,” she said Light snacks and refreshments will be available.

Along with the city, CECI and Sanibel fire district, additional sponsors and partners include The Sanibel School's Parent Teacher Association, IntuneHealth and Wellcare

The community is welcome to come on out

From page 1

What Community Egg Hunt

When

April 8 from 9 to 11 a m

Where

The Sanibel School, 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel Details

Free and open to the public

“Enjoy the free event with friends, family and neighbors, and they'll have the opportunity to support our local businesses by finding those golden eggs,” Angeles said “It'll be an all-around fun time ”For more information, contact the rec center at 239-472-0302 or 239-3951860 spring begins, the FWC stated

The Sanibel School is at 3840 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel.

Since manatees can be difficult to see since they largely stay just under the surface of the water, the FWC urges boat operators to go slow and to wear polarized glasses to look out below. A visible snout or large circles on the water are indicators that manatees are below the surface, the FWC stated

Manatee protection zones are marked by waterway signs and maps of manatee protection zones are available online at M y F W C c o m / M a n a t e e b y c l i c k i n g o n

“Data and Maps ” From April 1 through Nov 15, seasonal manatee zones require boaters to slow down in certain areas to prevent manatees from being injured or killed by motorboats or personal watercrafts

Lee County had the second-most manatee deaths in Florida last year and through the end of February had the most in the state this year back the marine mammal back on the endangered species list Manatees were taken off in 2017 by the U S Fish and Wildlife Service after decades of being considered among the most endangered species Estimates on their current popula- tion are believed to be about 5,000 for Florida

“Spring is a particularly important season for boaters to go slow and lookout below for manatees as the slow-moving mammals naturally disperse from their winter refuges, traveling to other parts of the state and beyond,” the FWC stated in its announcement Manatees need warm water to survive the winter and will travel in the spring from their winter refuges as water temperatures rise. They are more likely to be found in rivers, canals and nearshore waters as the

Mail service

“Boat strikes continue to be a major threat to Florida manatees FWC law enforcement officers are on patrol in state waters to inform boaters of the seasonal manatee speed zones and take appropriate enforcement actions Boaters are reminded to abide by the regulatory signs they s e e o n t h e w a t e r , ” t h e F W C s t a t e d “Manatees are a protected species and it is illegal to feed, harass or harm them ”

Physically handling a distressed or stranded manatee can cause additional harm to the animal Report injured, distressed, sick or dead manatees to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888404-FWCC (3922) so trained responders can assist

From page 1

“The people that no longer have a p h y s i c a l d w e l l i n g o r s t r u c t u r e o n t h e island, we are holding their mail right now,” she said “There aren't too many of them anymore ”

Due to space constraints at the temporary facility, those who do not have a d w e l l i n g o r s t r u c t u r e o n S a n i b e l a r e encouraged to forward their mail to a P O Box or the address where they are staying

“ T h e y s h o u l d n ' t r e a l l y c o n t i n u e t o come in here and pick up their mail,” Althouse said P O Boxes were still available at the temporary facility as of last week

“We have a few, but not too many,” she said Whether in a mailbox or at the temporary facility, uncollected mail will be returned after 10 days.

“If they're not picking up their mail after 10 days, we are going to have to return it to the sender,” Althouse said “Or they can put their mail on hold We can hold mail for up to 30 days ”

People can visit online or any post office to place a hold on their mail

As for the Sanibel Post Office, there is no estimated reopening date as of yet to share

“The building is actively being worked on every single day,” she said, explaining that they have a great contractor and great project manager on it “The inside of the building is progressing at a rapid pace ”

Althouse also thanked the community for being wonderful during the recovery period

“My staff and I appreciate everybody's patience as we're transitioning to this next phase,” she said “We're very happy to back on the island again, seeing our customers and delivering their mail.”

F o r q u e s t i o n s , c o n t a c t A l t h o u s e a t tirzah j althouse@usps gov