Coastal Breeze News

By Natalie Strom [email protected] In honor of the Second Annual National Everglades Day, April 6th, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (RBNERR) was ready to throw a party. Just last year the date was chosen as it is the birthday of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, a champion of the Everglades, known best for her book, “The Everglades: River of Grass.” She was at the forefront of the fight towards redefining the Everglades as a treasured river rather than a useless swamp. Much has been learned about “The River of Grass” since Douglas wrote the book in 1947, but the devastation to ... Read More »

By Julia Barnett April is National Poetry Month, and Big Cypress National Preserve is celebrating by hosting its first annual poetry contest. Accepting submissions now through April 15th, the park encourages participants to visit the preserve and write about their experiences there. Big Cypress National Preserve is one of the United States National Parks, open to the public 24 hours a day. It is comprised of freshwater, and is a watershed to Everglades National Park. Set aside in 1974, it was named Big Cypress in reference to the large size of the area, and the expanses of cypress strands within ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Saturday, January 12th, marked the start of The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2013 Python Challenge. The month long hunting competition aims to both educate the public and better understand the invasive Burmese python. Senator Bill Nelson joined the hunt alongside FWCC Commissioner Ron Bergeron on January 17th to bring awareness to the devastation of the Everglades caused by the constrictor snake. Before heading out on the hunt, Senator Nelson and Commissioner Bergeron addressed media alongside I-75 at the Mile Marker 41 Boat Ramp. Senator Nelson discussed the urgent need to control the ever-growing python ... Read More »

By Craig Woodward The former Coconut Island was a traditional place to raft up your boat, along with your friends’ boats, on a lazy Sunday afternoon and have a cookout on the beach while everyone swam and simply relaxed. It was a beautiful location – just north of the future Hideaway Beach, due east of Isles of Capri, situated in the mouth of the Marco River and the view to the west was of the Gulf of Mexico and the setting sun. Hurricane Donna created Coconut Island in 1960 when the south tip of Cannon Island was cut off; over ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Everyone deserves a second chance; a fresh start; a clean slate. At AMIKids Big Cypress, at-risk male youths are offered just that. Teens are sent to the program for anywhere from six months to a year depending on their juvenile criminal history. Rather than treating these boys as criminals, they are shown love and compassion and are given the chance to learn real world skills and how to be a part of a team. The program turns boys into young men. On January 10, two of these young men graduated from the program. The ceremony was ... Read More »

BUZZ FROM THE SWAMP Patricia Huff [email protected] If you’re coming to spend a day in the ‘Glades, start off your morning with a pancake breakfast hosted by Wings 10,000 Islands Tours at the Everglades Airpark on Saturday, January 26, from 10:00 AM to noon. Everyone is welcome. For information, phone Chuck at (239) 695-3296. The River of Grass Greenway project is seeking public comment on its interactive website, www.RiverofGrassGreenway.org. A Community Workshop is scheduled for next week in Naples from January 29 through February 2, at Edison State College, 7007 Lely Cultural Parkway. Locals, winter residents and visitors are invited to ... Read More »

PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie [email protected] It is common knowledge on Marco Island that Florida Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia) are present, popular and so abundant that they are found in almost every neighborhood on the island. Not only do our residents enjoy these charismatic birds of prey, but people travel from all over the world to see them. Professional photographers charge top dollar to school the amateur how to photograph them in the “best light,” though any ol’ camera will do. One can’t go wrong when the subject has big yellow eyes, long downy legs and attitude that could take on ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Wintertime here in Southwest Florida is synonymous with the arrival of huge flocks of snowbirds, but did you know that convicts arrive here in big numbers too? Yes it’s true, but these are much welcomed convicts…AKA Sheepshead fish. These fish begin to arrive in big numbers about this time each year to spawn. They inhabit many of our near shore structures, oyster bars and the deeper mangrove pockets in the back county river mouths. We call them convicts because of the black and white stripes they “wear.” In addition to being called convicts, sheepshead ... Read More »

The Friends of Fakahatchee have announced two February dates for their popular cruises through the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands to historic Fakahatchee Island. The chartered boat tours will leave Everglades National Park Ranger Station at 3 p.m. on Friday, February 1 and Friday, February 15. The fee for the cruise is $75 and reservations are required. Cruise participants find getting to the island is often half the fun as dolphins frequently accompany the boat on its journey through Fakahatchee Bay. On the return trip, the cruise passes a bird rookery that frequently offers memorable glimpses of its residents ... Read More »

READ MY TIPS Doug Browne [email protected] Nothing was more apparent last week during the big tennis exhibition showdown at Hideaway Beach than when veteran Franco Mata continually made strategic changes to confuse his young opponent and dominate the second set. In particular, he altered his speeds and placements and thus disrupted his foe’s tempo. As we delve into future CTA/USTA league doubles matches, players must be ready to completely change their game plan if the first set goes awry. Clearly, one of my favorite doubles strategies is to change return of serve positions. Why? This radical modification is obvious to the ... Read More »

Every year, visitors flock to Southwest Florida to experience its beauty and serenity. Numerous ecosystems blend together naturally to allow for some of the most unique displays of plants and animals in the world. For the last nine years, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve has been celebrating the natural splendor of our corner of the world with the Southwest Florida Nature Festival. The 9th Annual Southwest Florida Nature Festival will take place January 18th to the 20th. The event will feature numerous events, expeditions and speakers that will highlight the unique ecosystems of Southwest Florida. Beginning on Friday and ... Read More »

by Diane Bostick You probably don’t know Ruth Bryan Owen but you will be glad that you met her after seeing her portrayed by local actress Bonnie Bozzo. Mrs. Owen was the daughter of Williams Jennings Bryan who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. president three times but is better known for his part in the Scopes Monkey Trial opposite Clarence Darrow. But she is well known in her own right. She was the first female representative from the south to be elected to Congress with her district stretching from Jacksonville to Key West. While there, as a friend of Marjorie Stoneman ... Read More »

Donna Fiala [email protected] Happy New Year everyone! Let’s hope this year brings more peacefulness, progress, happiness and good health to us all. The Marco Chapter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 95 held their “Change of Watch” ceremony on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at Hideaway Beach. The new Flotilla Commander is Arne Kelsey and the Vice Flotilla Commander is Skip Lee. I was honored to again be invited to view the ceremony and mingle with these distinguished servants to our community’s waterways. Not only do they hold search and rescues, as most would expect, but they monitor the weather, ... Read More »

By Danielle Dodder Major beachfront cities like Miami are banning them outright. The resort empire that is Walt Disney World in Orlando has replaced them with paper versions. The small bits of plastic straws and drinking cup lids discarded by people quickly accumulate into a giant toxic mess on beaches globally. The unsightly litter not only ruins the beauty of a pristine beach, but also strangles the birds, turtles and fish who mistake it for food. Straws and lids are the most widely and easily littered items along most beaches, but here on Marco cooperation will hopefully trump the need ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] “I was a killer,” admits Jeane Lefebvre, Grounds Supervisor at the Marco Island Marriott Resort and Spa. “I thought if there was a bad bug, let’s shoot it. Anything I could spray, I would.” Recalling his early years, Lefebvre laughs as he describes his “180 degree turn” when it comes to the use of pesticides. Under the Master Gardener eye of Lefebvre, the Marriott’s grounds have been pesticide-free for 20 years. As Lefebvre battles the biggest pest invasion of his career – the spiraling whitefly – he shares his secrets for a pesticide-free landscape. For 23 ... Read More »

PROTECTING & PRESERVING Nancy Richie [email protected] Something is going on. Razorbills, an alcid bird or a web-footed, diving seabird, have been seen all over Florida by avid birders and beach goers. A few have been reported on Marco Island’s Tigertail Beach as well as in Caxambas Pass. Being a peninsula with one of the longest coastlines in the country, Florida has seabirds, so why is it so unusual to see the Razorbills? Historically, there have only been 14 documented sightings of this species in Florida. But since early December, there have been over 20 reports from Jacksonville to Marco Island of ... Read More »

BUZZ FROM THE SWAMP Patricia Huff [email protected] Visitors are returning to the wonders of the Everglades and it’s great to welcome them to south Florida. So many interesting activities are happening around town. On January 11, our Everglades Society for Historical Preservation is sponsoring a free movie night with two episodes of the 1960s TV series “Lincoln Vail of the Everglades.” The event begins at 5:30 PM. at the Everglades Community Church Jinkins Fellowship Hall. For information, call 239-695-2905 or visit website www.evergladeshistorical.org. On Saturday, January 12, we have a full day with Art-in-the-Glades at McLeod Park on the Circle from ... Read More »

MUSIC NOTES BY GATOR NATE Nate Augustus [email protected] Howdy do! Hope everybody had a peaceful holiday and you’re still sticking to your resolutions. 2013 is here whether ya like it or not, and with it comes tourist season (honk!), stone crab season (mmmm) and “playing music” season (yeeeaow!). This tweek, Music Notes will be visiting one of Gator Nate’s oldest haunts. The legendary Little Bar sits smack dab in the middle of downtown Goodland as it has for, well, longer than I’ve been around at least. Some say size matters, but when it comes to quaint, cozy, and sometimes wildly crazy local ... Read More »

FOLLOW THE FISH Capt. Pete Rapps [email protected] Looking for something different to do with your Florida Spiny Lobster tails this season? Yeah, it’s hard to beat grilled tails drenched in seasoned butter, but you are going to need an appetizer to wash down those cool bevies while the tails are cooking right? Let me show you a quick and easy way to make a cool and fresh appetizer that will knock your guest’s sombreros off. First off, get your tails split and seasoned up. Take a large knife and split the tops of the tails and crack them wide open. Now ... Read More »

LADY ANGLERS Captain Mary A. Fink islandgirlscharters.com The first three articles of the “Lady Anglers Corner” in Coastal Breeze addressed the many benefits sport fishing provides, tackle selection and what conditions and structure to look for when seeking fish. Now it’s time to start fishing using the skills mentioned in previous articles to your benefit! This author suggests testing your skills with local mangrove or gray snapper fishing. Mangrove or gray snappers are quite common around mangrove edges, reefs, rocks, docks and other structures. This is one reason why starting with snapper fishing is a good idea as your likelihood of ... Read More »