It's Almost Peak Sea Turtle Nesting Season | | |
June is a busy time for our sea turtle team, which has documented 287 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and 3 green turtle nests (Chelonia mydas) on Sanibel and Captiva since April 25. With peak nesting just around the corner, we remind everyone to please call the SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline atto report issues related to nests or turtles. Please also follow these tips to keep our beaches clean, dark, and flat.
Photo taken by Karen Webb, a lucky beachgoer who witnessed this loggerhead returning to the Gulf after a false crawl and took the photo from a respectful distance.
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Meet & 'Adopt' Sanibel's Nesting Sea Turtles!
SCCF’s nighttime sea turtle tagging project is now over a month into documenting and tagging nesting sea turtles on Sanibel, which allows us to monitor individual sea turtles’ nesting and movement patterns and gain valuable insight into their reproductive behavior. Learn about some of the turtles we’ve seen and “adopt” your own sea turtle to support our sea turtle program.
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12 Bald Eagle Chicks Fledge this Season
The islands' bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) had another successful nesting season, with 12 total eaglets fledging this spring! SCCF staff and volunteers monitored 11 nests this year on Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, and just off-island.
With the help of partners and volunteers, SCCF monitors bald eagle nests during the nesting season (Oct. 1 to May 15) and reports data to the Audubon Society’s EagleWatch program.
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New Prediction Model for Harmful Algal Blooms
The SCCF Marine Lab served as host and collaborator in developing a new, next-day prediction model to help water managers be better informed about harmful algal blooms in the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary. The research team sought to unravel the complexities of the system and identify drivers of algal blooms from both Lake O releases and watershed runoff.
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SCCF Helps Least Tern Chicks Stay Cool with Shelters
To help protect state-threatened least tern chicks from the South Florida heat, SCCF shorebird biologists are deploying “chick shelters” within the nesting least tern colony along the Sanibel Causeway. We have now documented 91 active least tern nests and 15 chicks on the Sanibel Causeway and are recruiting more shorebird steward volunteers to help us monitor the colony during peak weekend beach times. Sign up here.
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Help Us Protect Sea Turtle Nests Tomorrow!
Join SCCF on Thursday, June 5, from 9-11 a.m. at the Sanibel Community House to help us build sea turtle nest cages, which help discourage predation. With nesting season underway, it is important for us to prepare as many cages as possible.
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Prevent Wildlife Entanglement this Saturday
Mind Your Line is seeking volunteers for an Island-wide monofilament cleanup on Saturday, June 7 from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Volunteers will collect and properly dispose of discarded fishing line along mangrove shorelines, canals, and popular fishing areas on Sanibel and the Causeway Islands.
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Take Action! Ask Governor for Vetoes
We need your voice to stop two Florida bills that promote unsustainable development: Senate Bill 492 (Mitigation Banks) and Senate Bill 180 (Emergencies). SB 492 will expedite wetland destruction across the state, while SB 180 could effectively end local resiliency planning and water quality protections for the next three years. Please join us in asking Gov. DeSantis to veto these environmentally harmful bills.
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Council Supports Wetlands Acquisition by 20/20
Sanibel City Council voted unanimously yesterday to provide a letter of support for the acquisition of a property owned by the Sanibel Community Church by Lee County’s Conservation 20/20. The letter will be sent to the county prior to the upcoming Conservation Land Acquisition Selection Advisory Committee (CLASAC) meeting, where the proposal will be presented.
SCCF encourages community members to attend the CLASAC meeting on June 18 at 5:30 p.m. in downtown Fort Myers at 2201 Second Street, Room 118.
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What are the Challenges of Managing Invasive Species?
SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis talks with SCCF Wildlife Biologist Mike Mills about invasive species. Their conversation explores what invasive species are, the threats associated with them, why Sanibel Island and Florida are so prone to invasives, and the many ethical and societal considerations inherent in different management approaches.
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DePaolis Speaks Out Against Southland Rock Mine Project
A proposed rock mine near the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir was approved 6-0 by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on May 22, bringing this dangerous project one step closer to reality. SCCF Environmental Policy Director was at the BOCC meeting, as well as the South Florida Water Management District’s May 29 public meeting, to deliver comments against the proposal.
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Study Finds 2018 Red Tide Cost SWFL $2.7B
A recently released study put an updated price tag on the costs associated with the 2018 red tide in Southwest Florida, which lasted from October 2017 to January 2019. While previous estimates placed the total cost of the extended red tide at $318 million, updated data found it to have ultimately caused $2.7 billion in losses.
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20th Year of Summer Camp Starts Next Week!
There’s nothing quite like this season — it’s when our campus buzzes with laughter, discoveries, and the unmistakable joy of young ocean explorers. Sanibel Sea School will begin its 20th year of Summer Camp starting next Monday.
This year, there will be double the fun, with two camps each week. Campers will experience our oceans at our Flagship campus and at the Bailey Homestead. We can’t wait for this season of learning and fun!
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Work Underway to Open 2 More Trail Loops in 2025
With one loop of the recently renamed William and Ruth Brooks Nature Trails in the Erick Lindblad Preserve currently open, SCCF’s habitat management team is working to reopen two more loops in 2025.
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After School with Sanibel School Again Next Year!
SCCF’s Sanibel Sea School launched a new partnership this school year with The Sanibel School. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Marine Science Educators picked students up at school and headed straight to the beach! We will continue to partner with The Sanibel School next school year for our after-school program! More information and signups will be announced in August.
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Meet the Natives: White Indigo Berry
The white indigo berry (Randia aculeata) is a hardy, medium-sized shrub that can be found in coastal habitats in Central and South Florida. Named for its showy white berries that contain a blue-purple pulp, white indigo berry also produces year-round blooms of small, fragrant flowers, and can tolerate drought and nutrient-poor soils.
Learn more or purchase this native shrub at our Native Landscapes & Garden Center during our summer hours, T-Th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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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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