GoodDeeds: Environmental groups at work on, around AMI

Let’s celebrate!

April 22 marks the 53rd year of Earth Day and the birth of the modern environmental movement.

The massive support for the first Earth Day moved the public on environmental issues and moved Congress to action, resulting in lasting environmental legislation.

What might be the results of support for Earth Day 2023?

GoodDeed-doers seeking to celebrate Earth Day and join local environmental organizations on and around AMI might connect with:

• All Clams on Deck, allclamsondeck.org. Their mission is “restoring seagrass and high-density clam sites while creating avenues for commercial fishing communities to become more involved with environmental restoration.”

• Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, islandturtlewatch.com. Their mission is to coordinate “with county, state and federal efforts to conserve sea turtles — particularly loggerheads” — the most frequent nester on AMI.

• Bradenton Beach ScenicWAVES, cityofbradentonbeach.com. The mission is to advise on beautification, landscaping and scenic highway improvements in the city.

• Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, fishcortez.org. Their mission is “the promotion, education and preservation of Cortez and Florida’s commercial fishing and other traditional maritime cultures.”

• Holmes Beach Parks and Beautification Committee, holmesbeachfl.org. The mission is to advise on parks, beautification and other improvements in the city.

• Holmes Beach Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee, holmesbeachfl.org. The vision is to “ensure waters will meet the designated human uses for drinking, shellfish harvesting or swimming and fishing, while sustaining healthy natural ecosystems that support natural processes and resilient native plant and animal communities..

• Islanders 4 Clean Water, holmesbeachfl.org.

Their mission is to “bring attention to issues that contribute to the quality of our waters.”

• Keep Manatee Beautiful , manateebeautiful. com. The mission is to bring “together volunteers, businesses and local governments to provide grassroots solutions to littering, illegal dumping, solid waste disposal, recycling and beautification.”

• Manasota-88, manasota88.org. The mission is to protect “the public’s health and preservation of the environment.”

• Manatee-Sarasota chapter of the Sierra Club, sierraclub.org/florida/manatee-sarasota. The mission is to “enjoy and protect the natural places in our community, teach others to understand and respect the fragile environment in which we live and promote the responsible use of Florida’s ecosystems and resources.”

• Manatee County Audubon, manateeaudubon. org. Their mission is to “protect, preserve, and restore the natural environment by creating an awareness and appreciation of birds, wildlife, and our native habitat

Early hurricane forecast: below-average season

By lisa Neff islander Editor

Researchers at Colorado State University are predicting a slightly belowaverage Atlantic hurricane season in 2023.

Earth Day 2023

They cited the likely development of El Nino as a primary influence in the forecast released April 13.

The CSU prediction is one of several forecasts The Islander looks for ahead of the season that runs June 1-Nov. 30.

CSU researchers said, “Current large-scale conditions and forecasts indicate that a transition to El Nino is relatively likely in the next several months. However, there is considerable uncertainty as to how strong El Nino would be if it does develop. El Nino tends to increase upper-level westerly winds across the Caribbean into the tropical Atlantic. The increased upper-level winds result in vertical wind shear, which can tear apart hurricanes as they try to form.”

However, eastern and central tropical and subtropical Atlantic surface temperatures are much warmer than normal, while Caribbean surface temps are near long-term averages.

Anomalously warm eastern and central tropical and subtropical Atlantic tend to favor an abovenormal season.

“Given the conflicting signals between a potentially robust El Nino and an anomalously warm tropical and subtropical Atlantic,” the CSU team stressed there is more uncertainty with the outlook.

The researchers predicted 13 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season.

Of those, they expect six to become hurricanes and two to reach major hurricane strength, with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.

The forecast is based on modeling that looks at conditions and factors for 25-40 years of historical hurricane seasons.

The 2023 hurricane season is exhibiting characteristics similar to 1969, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2015.

“Our analog seasons exhibited a wide range of outcomes, from below-normal seasons to hyperactive seasons,” Phil Klotzbach, CSU research scientist, said in a news statement. “This highlights the large uncertainty that exists with this outlook.”

The team predicts that 2023 hurricane activity will be about 80% of the average season from 19912020.

By comparison, 2022’s hurricane activity was about 75% of the average season.

The 2022 season produced two devastating major hurricanes:

• Fiona, which brought massive flooding to Puerto Rico before causing significant surge, wind and rain impacts in Canada as a post-tropical cyclone; in Manatee County and the surrounding areas.”

• Ian, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in southwest Florida, causing more than 150 fatalities and $113 billion in damages.

As always, the researchers cautioned coastal residents to take proper precautions.

“It takes only one storm near you to make this an active season for you,” CSU professor Michael Bell said.

In another projection, AccuWeather predicted an average Atlantic hurricane season for 2023, with 11-15 named storms.

• Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium , mote.org. Their vision is to “be a leader in nationally and internationally respected research programs that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, healthy habitats and natural resources.”

• Sarasota Bay Watch , sarasotabaywatch.org. Their mission is to “initiate innovative and effective action … to assure the sustainability of Sarasota Bay, its stakeholders and all its inhabitants.

• Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, sarasotabay. org. Their mission is to “improve the health of Sarasota Bay and enhance the area’s natural resources for public benefit.” There also is a Tampa Bay Estuary Program at tbep.org.

• Surfrider Foundation Suncoast Chapter, suncoast.surfrider.org. Their mission is the “protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network.”

• Suncoast Waterkeeper, suncoastwaterkeeper. org. Their mission is to “protect and restore the Florida Suncoast’s waterways through enforcement, fieldwork, advocacy and environmental education for the benefit of the communities that rely upon these precious coastal resources.”

The Center of Anna Maria Island — centerami. org — also operates a green initiative and the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department — mymanatee.org — conducts many volunteer programs, workshops and tours at preserves.

The Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge —mooselodge2188.com — and Anna Maria Island Privateers — amiprivateers.wildapricot.org — also lead cleanups on AMI.

Do’s and don’ts for sea turtle nesting season

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends people follow these guidelines for sea turtle safety: report sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline, 1-888404-3922, #FWC or *FWC on a cellphone or text Tip@MyFWC.com.

• DO turn off or adjust lighting along the beachfront to prevent nesting sea turtles from becoming disoriented and moving toward the glow of light on land, instead of natural light reflecting on the surface of the water. indoor lights should be turned off, with curtains closed after dark and outdoor lighting should be turtlefriendly bulbs. Use fixtures low to the ground and shielded from view at the shoreline.

• DON’T use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night. They can distract nesting sea turtles and cause them to return to the water.

• DO clear the way at the end of the day. Nesting female sea turtles can become trapped, confused or impeded by gear left on the beach at night. remove items such as boats, tents, rafts and beach furniture and fill in holes or level sand castles before dusk. Holes trap turtles and can injure people.

Call code enforcement to report unattended property or large holes on the beach.

City of Anna Maria code enforcement — 941-708-6130, ext. 139 or ext. 129.

City of Bradenton Beach code enforcement — 941-778-1005, ext. 280.

City of Holmes Beach code enforcement — 941-778-0331, ext. 260.

For more information, contact Kristen Mazzarella annamariaturtlewatch @gmail.com or 941-232-1405.