‘Protect and Preserve’ Archives
Panther or Bobcat?
PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com If you are fortunate to see an elusive Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryii), the first thing you will remember and describe is the long, long, large tail! Many people may think they have spotted a Panther, but it is a probability that a Bobcat (Felis rufus) was [...]
WATCHABLE WILDLIFE: Let’s respect what we have
PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com Located on the edge of the Everglades and surrounded by Rookery Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands’ unique mangrove and estuarine environment, Marco Island’s subtropical climate and diverse habitat allows many wildlife species encounters. In abundance and not found [...]
Shorebird NESTING SEASON
PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com The City of Marco Island is part of the Florida Shorebird Alliance, a partnership that includes Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), City of Naples, Collier County Government and Sheriff’s Office, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research [...]
National Audubon’s 112th Annual Christmas Bird Count
PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com On Wednesday, January 4th, 2012, volunteers ranging from professional scientists to amateur birders canvassed Collier County for an approximate twelve hour period counting species and numbers of all birds observed. This is the 112th year for this national bird [...]
Red Tide – Marco’s in bloom
PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com Marco Island is currently experiencing a red tide event caused by a harmful algae bloom (HAB) of the algae species, Karenia brevis. Karenia brevis is a microscopic algae species that naturally occurs in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Atlantic Ocean waters. The [...]
Nine nearby natural worlds
Nancy Richie NRichie@cityofmarcoisland.com Marco Island is surrounded by a richness of unique natural worlds to explore and enjoy with family and friends. All are a relatively short drive off the Island and can be experienced in any degree – from a day trip to an overnight to many days of camping. By foot or watercraft, get to know the [...]
reSustainable yards equate to wildlife habitat and cost savings
Nancy Richie For a developed, man-made island, Marco Island is fortunate to have a large diversity of wildlife. Once made up of approximately 6,000 acres of mangroves, this island was developed into over 100 miles of dredged “finger” canals that are fortified with seawalls. As the largest of the 10,000 Islands and surrounded by the [...]
Changes in the season are for the (shore) birds
Nancy Richie Have you noticed? There is a change in the way the morning and afternoon light hits Marco Island and in the way the air feels lighter on your skin. It must be fall in southwest Florida. To many, it means time for the first “snow birds” to arrive with the Island roads, restaurants and shops getting pleasantly busier. For [...]
The Brown PELICAN
Nancy Richie As fellow coastal and island residents, there aren’t many places one can go along the Florida coast without seeing a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis). There are seven species of pelicans in the world. Two inhabit North America – the White Pelican and the Brown Pelican. Standing two to four feet tall, with wingspans up to [...]
Do your part! Let’s keep our beaches healthy and beautiful!
Nancy Richie It’s mid August and that means we are 2/3 through the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting and Hatching Season. Beachfront property managers have been doing a great job with lighting compliance for our sea turtles by shading or turning off lights that shine on the beach by 9 PM nightly and giving constant reminders to their residents [...]
