Beer in the Bushes Ticket Sales are Blasting Off! | | |
Your opportunity to celebrate the end of season at our island community's favorite party of the year may pass you by if you don't get your tickets ASAP.
Enjoy craft brews, a wide array of food trucks, and a unique blend of rock, soul, and classic funk at Beer in the Bushes on Saturday, April 19!
Our band this year, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, which inspired our "cosmos" attire theme, is known as one of the best live acts on the planet.
Don't miss out!
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It's Shorebird & Sea Turtle Nesting Season
Our shorebird team is monitoring several snowy plover pairs on the islands — one of which has been seen creating nest scrapes and exhibiting territorial behavior, so we’re hoping to have eggs any day now! Next week, our sea turtle team begins our sea turtle nesting season monitoring on April 15.
Our first annual Nest Fest on April 14, celebrating shorebird and sea turtle nesting season, sold out very quickly, but you can still support our Coastal Wildlife team's work.
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Coastal Watch & MANG Plant 1,000 Mangroves!
SCCF’s Coastal Watch volunteers, alongside volunteers from MANG, recently planted over 1,000 mangroves on our York Island Preserve in San Carlos Bay. Volunteers planted over 200 red and black mangroves on the island in 2024 with MANG in an effort to restore the shoreline post-Ian. Even after the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, some mangroves planted were still standing strong!
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SCCF Hosts Corps as Lake O Reductions Announced
Col. Brandon Bowman and Maj. Cory Bell of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District recently boarded SCCF’s R/V Norma Campbell to tour the estuary with SCCF staff, Sanibel Mayor Mike Miller, and other city and state water quality stakeholders. The meeting occurred the same week the Army Corps announced they would be reducing Lake Okeechobee discharges to the Gulf coast and stopping lake releases to the east coast.
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Policy Team Advocates for Everglades in Tallahassee
This week, SCCF participated in Everglades Action Day — a day of advocacy in the state capitol to communicate the importance of Everglades restoration, funding, protection, and supporting legislation. Along with our Everglades Coalition partners, students, and other advocates, we met with the legislators serving our district to talk about the Coalition's 2025 priorities.
A huge thanks to the SCCF donors who stepped up to ensure that all interested students had the opportunity to join us for Everglades Action Day.
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Podcast Dives Into Everglades Advocacy & Lawsuits
SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis and Policy Associate Allie Pecenka talk about the goals of their trip this week to Tallahassee for Everglades Action Day. They also discuss the intricacies of recent Everglades-related lawsuits.
LISTEN NOW
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Bill Spotlight: Boater's Freedom Bill
From hindering law enforcement's ability to protect our waterways and coastal ecosystems, to potentially opening protected areas to noise pollution and disturbance, HB 1001/SB 1388 ("Vessels") is not the positive "Boater's Freedom Bill" it's proclaimed to be. Learn why SCCF opposes this bill as it’s currently written.
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WEEK 4 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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Time to Return Your Mangrove Babies!
Attention all mangrove mamas and propagule papas! It’s time to bring your mangrove babies back. We're offering several return opportunities this month. No sign-ups are needed, except for the planting on April 25.
● April 22, 9-11 a.m., Bailey Homestead
● April 23, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Shell Point Return
● April 25, 9-11 a.m., Woodring Road Return and Living Shoreline Planting
● April 27, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Satellite Return at SCCF HQ
If you have a large number of mangroves to return, please email coastalwatch@sccf.org.
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Sanibel Sea School After School Program Plants Dunes
In partnership with SCCF’s Coastal Watch, Sanibel Sea School’s after-school crew recently helped plant dune vegetation at Tarpon Bay Beach. They planted a variety of dune grasses and plant species while learning about the importance of dune habitat. Of course, we still had to make time for a dip in the Gulf after all that hard work!
A big thanks to the City of Sanibel for providing these dune plants and assisting with the planting project.
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Thanks for Helping Restore Marsh Habitats!
Thanks to the help of over 160 volunteers and SCCF’s Coastal Watch staff, last month we planted 3,500 marsh grasses. These grasses were planted across three SCCF preserves that are being restored to their natural landscape. Volunteers waded through the muddy terrain of the marshes to plant grasses and continued to clean up trash that was found throughout the preserves from hurricanes. We can’t thank our volunteers enough for their hard work and dedication to these restoration projects!
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First-Ever Everglades Trivia Night Deepens Appreciation
Last Week, SCCF’s Environmental Policy team hosted our first-ever Everglades Trivia Night at the Bailey Homestead in partnership with The Everglades Foundation. From decoding Everglades restoration acronyms to discovering our reliance on the Everglades for clean water, everyone left with a deeper appreciation for the River of Grass.
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Meet the Natives: Sunshine Mimosa
Meet the sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa), a native, eye-catching groundcover with poofy pink blooms. Sunshine mimosa provides a wildlife-friendly alternative to turf in your lawn, and can even tolerate mowing!
Find it and all your native plant needs at our Native Landscapes & Garden Center at 1300 Periwinkle Way.
LEARN MORE
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Housecalls Booked; Schedule Now for Next Season
We continue to hear from many of you who have become members of SCCF or new island homeowners and have earned a Landscaping for Wildlife consultation at your home on Sanibel or Captiva. Please be aware that our Native Landscapes & Garden Center team is currently booked out through the end of May for these consultations.
If you are interested and are leaving for the summer, we recommend that you get on our consultation schedule for next season. We already have a growing list for next fall! Please email Becca at rgrotrian@sccf.org to get on the schedule.
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Hendry County Students Learn About Shorebirds
Last week, fifth-grade students from UptheGrove Elementary in Hendry County took a field trip to Sanibel Sea School! Children spent the day learning about shorebirds, basic birding, and how SCCF protects coastal wildlife.
Field trips such as this one are made possible through Sanibel Sea School’s A Chance to Sea program. This program allows children in our region who rarely have a chance to interact with the ocean in a meaningful way. Help support this program by donating today!
| | JOIN US IN WELCOMING NEW HIRES! | | Marc Sharpenter Joins Habitat Management Team | | |
The Wildlife & Habitat Management department recently hired a new Land Conservation Manager. Marc Sharpenter is originally from Aurora, Illinois. He has called Florida home for the past 32 years, including 22 years in the Fort Myers area. Most of his family lives in Sarasota, where he met his wonderful wife, Kristy. For the last 20 years, he worked for Florida Gulf Coast University, maintaining over 800 acres of landscape and conservation lands.
"It was an incredible experience to witness the campus evolve from a handful of academic buildings in 2005 into the vibrant community it is today," he said.
He is thrilled to join the SCCF team and help manage SCCF's conservation lands. Marc is eager to learn about Sanibel's ecosystems and looks forward to working on restoration projects on our lands to benefit Sanibel's native wildlife. His love for the outdoors and nature makes this role a perfect fit, and it’s no surprise that his hobbies include hunting, fishing, and kayaking.
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Meet Cassie & Logan: Marine Science Educators
Sanibel Sea School is thrilled to announce two new seasonal Marine Science Educators that have recently joined the team. Cassie Difloure (left) and Logan Troxell (right) will help lead day courses, summer camps, and field trips during their time at the Sanibel Sea School. Cassie is from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Growing up so close to the beach, she developed a love for the ocean and spent much of her time there.
Logan is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Most recently, Logan taught outdoor education in California and Georgia and has spent several summers working in Yellowstone National Park. Cassie and Logan both earned their degrees in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University and are excited to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the ocean and its creatures with everyone at Sanibel Sea School!
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SCCF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded
in 1967 on Sanibel Island, Florida
EIN 59-1205087
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