Preserving Paradise

SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

SCCF sea turtle research moves over to FGCU

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that its sea turtle team did not skip a beat conducting its research. Before Hurricane Ian, some lab equipment and materials were moved to The Water School at the Florida Gulf Coast University, where they were more likely to be out of harm’s way. It included sea turtle blood samples, which must be kept at -80 degrees C (-112 degrees F).

Since the hurricane, sea turtle research technician Jacob Wozny has been using lab space generously provided to the SCCF by FGCU’s Dr. Hidetoshi Urakawa to continue working on a long-term study investigating differences in sea turtle hatch success on Sanibel versus Captiva beaches.

See SEA TURTLE RESEARCH, page 11

The freezer where the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation blood samples were originally being kept on Sanibel ended up being flipped over and destroyed by flood water.

REFUGE/DDWS

DDWS provides update on future of The Roost

The “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge reported that as Hurricane Ian hit on Sept. 28, the building of The Roost outdoor education pavilion was well underway at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

The $1 million project was to serve as an outdoor classroom for visiting school and other groups. The DDWS envisioned creative uses to reflect the refuge’s arts legacy and experiential mission, including music and artist events, puppet shows, lectures, mindfulness classes, and culture-driven programs.

Along with other refuge facilities, Ian blew away most of the progress on The Roost construction, but not the dream and vision.

“The refuge has okayed the recommencement of construction as soon as its facilities are in a position to support it, ” DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller said. “The refuge staff understands the importance of an outdoor facility such as this to the community, as well as the refuge, in these times. ”

The hurricane setback and subsequent impact on construction costs ups the price tag on The Roost’s completion, and the DDWS is seeking an additional $125,000 to complete the project. To donate, visit https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E 54182&id=12 and designate The Roost in the form’s notes or contact Miller at 239-292-0566.

SFWMD extends deadline for public comment on draft plan

The South Florida Water Management District reported that due to H u r r i c a n e Nicole, the deadline to submit public comments on the 2022 Draft Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Science Plan has been extended to Nov. 18. The draft plan is available for public and peer review at SFWMD.gov/ASR. To submit public comments, email ASRWells@sfwmd.gov. For more information about the ASR, visit https://www.sfwmd .gov/ourw o r k / a l t e r n a t i v e - w a t e r supply/asr?utm _ medium=email&ut m _ source=govdelivery.

The SFWMD and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed the draft plan to address uncertainties identified in the National Research Council's review of the ASR Regional Study Final Technical Data Report. It shall serve as an update to the inaugural 2021 Science Plan.

SCCF discusses environmental policy at meeting

Sanibel-Captiva C o n s e r v a t i o n F o u n d a t i o n E n v i r o n m e n t a l Policy Director Matt DePaolis was the featured speaker for Lee County Chapter of The Climate Reality Project's recent monthly meeting. He talked about areas of policy concerns for the SCCF, including water management, development and more. To watch his Zoom presentation, visit https://us02web . z o o m . u s / r e c / share/RHspOVW358Va _ eeBPLyf hamOUnUyOBBUe _ FmEI1Tb8c6

Sanibel Sea School continues teaching post-storm

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that every school year, the Sanibel Sea School provides classes to groups of home-schooled children as part of its “Homeschool at Sea” program.

With the courses already scheduled and paid for before Hurricane Ian — and with the Sanibel Sea School facilities non-useable and the island’s natural habitats unsafe — staff had to get a little creative to deliver the same level of education this season.

Classes have recently been held off-island at parks and preserves around Southwest Florida, where children ages 4-13 have explored topics including shark biology, bird anatomy and habitat, history of the Calusa, and changes to wildlife after the storm. They have taken hikes at the Three Oaks Park, learned about the Koreshan community at the Koreshan State Park, mastered how to use binoculars at the Wild Turkey Strand Preserve and more. “We wanted to still meet the needs of our homeschool groups who were interested, despite not being able to enjoy the beach as we normally do in these courses, ” Director Shannon Rivard said. “Getting back out there and doing our jobs as marine science educators has been a great stress reliever for our staff. ” It is unknown when the Sanibel Sea School will reopen for its normal operations, as the SCCF is still assessing and repairing damages to the two buildings on Periwinkle Way. The main building experienced about 2 feet of flooding, with nearly all contents a loss, as well as major tree damage. The back building had 2 feet to 3 feet of flooding that submerged the electrical panel and caused the wooden floors to buckle, one window was broken, and the fence surrounding the outdoor teaching area was destroyed. “We look forward to the day when kids are back on our campus discovering Sanibel’s unique marine habitats, ” Rivard said. “For now, we’re lucky that you don’t need buildings to teach about nature and conservation. ” To support the Sanibel Sea School, visit https://www.sanibelseaschool.org/support-the-cause.

SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Sea turtle research From page 10

“(The multi-year project is) taking a deeper look into how physical properties of the incubation environment may interact to impact hatch success, such as temperature, moisture and sand grain size, compaction, color and bulk density, deep where eggs would be laid — for 60 nests, the team also installed probes in each nest to record the temperature, moisture and groundwater level every 15 minutes throughout incubation. Now that the field work is completed, Wozny has been using a specialized machine to separate the sand samples by particle size.

“The sand on Sanibel has some differences from the sand on Captiva, which has added nonnative sand to its beaches as part of ongoing beach renourishment projects, ” he said.

Coastal Wildlife Director and Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Kelly Sloan said that the data may provide insight into why Captiva has had historically lower annual hatch success — the proportion of eggs producing live hatchlings — than Sanibel.

“Captiva's hatch rate this year was only 31 percent, which is alarmingly low compared to nearly 49 percent and 61 percent on Sanibel east and Sanibel west, respectively, ” she said. “We're hoping this project will help us learn more about the factors that could be contributing to low productivity on these beaches.