July 28, 2021
Sea Turtle Hatching Season Really Picking Up
Photo by Shane Antalick
More than 12,000 Hatchlings Have Emerged from Nests

Hatching season is steadily picking up as 169 nests on Sanibel and Captiva have hatched and 12,463 hatchlings have emerged. There are 626 nests still incubating on Sanibel and Captiva, and SCCF staff and volunteers are hopeful that thousands of hatchlings have yet to emerge on island beaches. Forty-seven incubating nests are being studied to determine the relationship between sand characteristics and success rates. READ MORE
Shorebird Nesting Season Wraps Up as Chicks Fledge

In 2021, a single pair of Wilson’s plovers successfully fledged three chicks and four pairs of snowy plovers fledged three chicks. Snowy plover chicks were banded to allow researchers to track their movements. One banded fledgling was recently sighted at Bunche Beach before it traveled to Carlos Pointe on Fort Myers Beach. Another fledgling was spotted at Bowman's Beach. READ MORE
Tell Corps LOSOM Must be Balanced for All Stakeholders

Your voice is needed to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to incorporate critical changes into the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM) that will ensure protection of the Caloosahatchee and west coast communities.  TAKE ACTION NOW
Clean Water Conversation Focuses on LOSOM
Sign up for a virtual Clean Water Conversation live discussion on Thursday, July 29, noon-1 p.m., with SCCF Environmental Policy Director James Evans and Florida Oceanographic Society Executive Director Mark Perry. It will be moderated by Friends of the Everglades Executive Director Eve Samples. REGISTER NOW
County Schedules Public Hearing on Sanibel Passage

On Thursday, August 5, at 9am, the Lee County Hearing Examiner will conduct a public hearing regarding the Sanibel Passage development, a proposed 16-story, 50-unit condominium building on property located on the north side of McGregor Boulevard adjacent to the Sanibel Causeway.  READ MORE
Rewilding of Venus Lake Preserve Benefits Wildlife

The Venus Lake Preserve is an 11-acre property that contains a five-acre tidally influenced lake that SCCF acquired in 1984. Three areas on this preserve need to be restored to make the entire property beneficial to native wildlife. The rewilding of these areas will include removal of exotic species and the planting of native vegetation on this preserve, which already draws an array of wildlife. READ MORE
Hatchling Heroes Fill in Holes, Support Sea Turtles

When sea turtle hatchlings emerge from the nest, time is of the essence for them to get to the Gulf of Mexico to evade capture by natural predators such as birds, crabs, raccoons, and coyotes stalking the beach. Obstacles on the beach, including holes and sandcastles, decrease their chance for survival. Find out how a group of Sanibel residents devised a hands-on, grassroots way to become “Hatchling Heroes” and you can, too. READ MORE
Meet the Interns:
Taylor & Emily

Sea Turtle Interns Taylor Lawrence and Emily Skinner share what they've learned and how their experience with SCCF will serve their future. 
Swallow-Tailed Kite Study Tracking Island Nesters

SCCF, the City of Sanibel, and J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge coordinated efforts with the Avian Research and Conservation Institute to deploy GPS-equipped transmitters on two local breeding adult swallow-tailed kites (Elanoides forficatus), identified as “Bailey’s Homestead” and “Sanibel Botanical.” DNA results will soon show whether the birds are male or female. Find out more about the study and how a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) named “Mina” from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife played a crucial role in the tagging project. READ ABOUT STUDY
SCCF Marine Lab Finds Some Low Levels of Red Tide

Water sampling around the islands from July 12 to 19 by the SCCF Marine Lab found no red tide on most samples. Five samples had low levels of Karenia sp..

CLICK HERE for today's Daily Sample map from the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC).
Meet the Natives:
Bahama & Little Strongbark

Native to South Florida and the Florida Keys, Bahama strongbark (Bourreria succulenta) and little strongbark (Bourreria cassinifolia) are a couple of plants that will provide you with color almost year-round and are very beneficial to the region’s insects and wildlife. 
Crist, Watkins Tour RECON

On July 14, SCCF took Florida U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Fort Myers Councilwoman Teresa Watkins Brown out on the RV Norma Campbell to learn more about the water issues in our area and the River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON). WATCH NOW.
Wildlife Photos to Share

Thanks to Gary Biltgen for sending in this photo of a juvenile alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) on Sanibel.

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Please send your photos to info@sccf.org to be featured in an upcoming issue.
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