San-Cap Nature Calendar for sale

The 36th edition of The Sanibel-Captiva Nature Calendar is available for purchase, as well as the spiralbound Blind Pass Tide edition that includes daily tide predictions for multiple spots and more

Publisher Jim Fowler explained that in addition to the same beautiful photographs and narratives, the limited edition contains the daily tide predictions for Blind Pass and conversion times for 24 other points along the Southwest Florida coast. It also includes selected sunrise and sunset times, moonrise and moonset times, and the four eclipses that occur in 2024

With a post-Hurricane Ian theme of “Sanibel Reborn,” this year's calendar includes 14 photos of some of the island's most iconic birds, animals and marine life Each month's photo is accompanied by a narrative discussing the effects of the storm and prospects of recovery The

Shocked

C: Y o u ’ r e f o r t u n a t e that we’re all here today W e j u s t i n t e r v i e w e d a n o t h e r a p p l i c a n t w h o k n e w e x a c t l y w h e n h i s appointment was As long as you’re here, can you tell the committee what your background is and what qualifies you?

Applicant: Well, I once planned a birthday party for my son I even put together a list of attendees, bought invitations and sent them out in the mail.

Committee: This experience you describe seems to be a bit of a stretch but we’ll give you every opportunity to convince us that you’re qualified to be a Sanibel planner Did the birthday party go off well?

Applicant: Well, to tell you the truth, I put the wrong date on the invitation I thought I wrote June 23rd but later I found out the printed invitation actually said July 23rd

C:Uh, oh Sounds like your planning wasn’t very good

A: Oh, but it worked out fine There was just a minor glitch. We were sitting at home on the afternoon of June 23rd waiting for the guests to arrive And not a single one did My son thought that he was being slighted by his friends and family and left home that evening He showed up in Tibet several weeks later We’re still trying to figure out how to get the monks to allow him to come home And while we were involved with the Tibetan monks to negotiate our son’s return, wouldn’t you know it that on July 23rd one hundred people showed up at our house to celebrate my son’s birthday We were totally unprepared but my planning skills came in very handy

C: What did you do?

A: I called Timbers and they sent over 3,000 shrimps and cocktail sauce They saved the day

C: Didn’t anyone ask where your son was?

A: They sure did and this is why I’m qualified to be on your planning commission because of how I think I told the guests that my son was out driving the new Lamborghini we had gotten him for his birthday and would return any moment

C: How old is your son?

A: He’s twelve but he’s always been fascinated by exotic cars

C: How did your guests react when your son never showed up?

A: I shrugged and told the guests that boys will be boys and that he had probably driven his new car all the way to Sarasota I asked one of my son’s friends to make the birthday wishes for him and to blow out the candles I then told all his friends to have as much cake as they wanted and forced Timbers shrimps down the throats of the adults No one knew that the actual birthday party had been scheduled for a month earlier and that I had put the wrong date on the invitation I call this big time planning

See APPLYING FOR POSITION, page 23 calendar's cover features a great egret with two chicks at A u d u b o n V e n i c e R o o k e r y P a r k , p h o t o g r a p h e d b y islander Kyle Sweet

“When I saw this image, I just knew it belonged on the cover of the first post-Ian calendar,” Fowler said in a prepared statement “There has never been a nesting great egret in the calendar It truly represents rebirth after a natural disaster It is such an iconic beautiful bird on these islands ”

On Sanibel, great egrets nest from February to August within Tarpon Bay on the aptly named Tarpon Bay Keys. During the 2022 nesting season, U S Fish and Wildlife Service biologists observed 10 great egret nests in April

See CALENDAR, page 23

Child resiliency psychologist Dr Geraldine Oades-Sese and J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Ranger Jess took Wellness Week to The Sanibel School with a Wildlife Education Boardwalk hike and reading of Oades-Sese's new book, “Melusine: Birds of Many Feathers.”

REFUGE/DDWS

Highlights from refuge's annual Wellness Week

The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge reported that a schedule of public activities and private outreach events brought a flush of wellness to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and participants with the second annual Wellness Week on May 3-9, held in coordination with National Mental Health Month Two keynote speakers drew crowds to learn more about the healing propensities of nature Child resilience psychologist Dr Geraldine V OadesSese and healing-through-nature advocate Dr Joe Blanda focused on rising from the storm, building resilience, and nature immersion to positively impact mental health Other activities ranged from mindfulness walks and Nature Bootcamp, to birding and biking tours and a meditative stroll through Florida Gulf Coast University's Food Forest “People protect the things they love and care for,” event organizer and refuge Ranger Jessica Barry said “The purpose of the refuge's annual Wellness Week was to offer healing, emotionally impactful experiences with the hopes of cultivating a community more deeply connected to and appreciative of the nature around them ”

The effects of the hurricane on the Tarpon Bay rookery has yet to be determined

Also in this year's calendar are six additional photos of chicks or juveniles All of the images show birds and other animals in different states of their lives on the wounded but recovering barrier islands

This year's featured photographers include Theresa Baldwin, Marianne Bargiotti, Cliff Beittel, Dick Fortune, Sara Lopez, Lisa M Stevens, Sweet and Don Thompson, along with first-timers Shane Antalick and Dr James Douglass Writers Betty Anholt and Charles LeBuff, as well as Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation shorebird biologist Audrey Albrecht, wrote the monthly photo narratives

“Created from an idea that took seed during my island experiences since I first came to Sanibel in the early seventies, I have tried every year to put together a calendar that truly shows the natural beauty of the islands,” Fowler said “It continues to be my goal each year to publish a calendar that not only is beautiful and useful, but also promotes wildlife conservation through interest, information and education.”

First published in 1988, the calendar is sold only in Southwest Florida Each photo includes subject information such as: description, nesting, breeding and feeding habits, range, habitat, status and health

Every fall a portion of the publisher's proceeds are donated to a regional conservation organization Last year, a donation of $1,000 was made to The International Osprey Foundation on Sanibel to help rebuild osprey nests destroyed in the hurricane To date, the publisher has donated about $27,689 to conservation organizations in Southwest Florida

Again this year, the calendar will be available, upon