city, county reopen Turner Beach access post-storm

The city of Sanibel and Lee County reopened beach parking at Turner Beach on Captiva on April 7.

The city reported that Turner Beach has been closed since Sept 29, after Hurricane Ian made landfall The beach is owned by the county, but it is managed by the city through an interlocal agreement

Lee County Department of Transportation and Sanibel Public Works staff worked in collaboration to repair damages to the facility The restrooms at Turner Beach remained closed; however, the county has staged portable toilets at the site for public use.

Turner Beach features 25 parking spaces, plus two handicapped spaces The cost to park is $5 per hour; those with a Lee County Regional Parking Permit or a Sanibel Beach Parking Permit park for free

The city noted that the fine for illegal parking at Turner Beach and all Sanibel Beach Parks is $150 In addition, people cannot park their vehicles on city streets; violators will be fined $150

To learn more about the city's hourly Mobile Pay system, visit https://www mysanibel com/content/download/31156/file/Parking Mobile Payment System pdf

Turner Beach is at 17200 Captiva Drive, Captiva.

TBE resumes tram tours at Sanibel refuge

On April 4, Tarpon Bay Explorers resumed its tram tours through Wildlife Drive at the J N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian

“It is a great step in the right direction,” managing partner Wendy Schnapp said “Not only do we get to provide visitors a fun and informative way to explore the refuge, but we also get to hire back one of many staff members that was laid off after the storm.”

TBE experienced severe damage to a variety of its equipment that was onsite at the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area The three trams were stored at the refuge's maintenance facility on Sanibel-Captiva Road, where the storm surge was not as severe Staff retrieved them a couple of weeks after the hurricane and, with great luck, all three trams started

Months went by while clean up took place not only at Tarpon Bay, but the paths, buildings and roads within the refuge Wildlife Drive experienced severe erosion, washout and vegetative damage Rangers worked tirelessly to get it back to a new version of normal that is safe for visitors. The biggest obstacle was figuring out how to navigate traffic at the end of the drive that neighbors a residential community whose bridge collapsed days after the storm

“Essentially, a one-way road became a two-way road We had to assess the traffic at the combined part of Wildlife Drive to make sure we could conduct the tram tours safely,” Schnapp said “We found that our larger trams would not fit safely due to tight corners and resulting blind spots Luckily, our smaller tram fits safely and will be used until the bridge is repaired ”

TARPON BAY EXPLORERS

Tram tours educate visitors about the J N “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and wildlife that inhabits conserved lands, such as s p o o n b i l l s , a l l i g a t o r s a n d m o r e , t h r o u g h a trained naturalist

TBE's smaller tram seats 23 passengers

Tours are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a m and 1 p m

Reservations are recommended.

For more information or reserve a spot, visit www tarponbayexplorers com or call 239-472-8900

Tarpon Bay Explorers is at 900 Tarpon Bay Road, Sanibel