POST-HURRICANE IAN UPDATES | NOV. 16, 2022 |
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Water Quality Deteriorating After Ian and Nicole
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Water conditions around Sanibel Island have deteriorated quickly after the passing of Tropical Storm Nicole last week, with red tide blooming in high concentrations that have caused large swaths of fish kills on Sanibel beaches and substantial respiratory irritation to people breathing in the toxins.
Nicole also pushed to shore copious amounts of red seaweed, which is not considered toxic, but can exacerbate the red tide bloom by degrading and reintroducing nutrients into the water. When dead fish decompose in seawater, they also release nutrients back into the water, and rapid bacterial decomposition can create low oxygen zones that perpetuate the red tide bloom and cause additional stressors for marine life.
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Sea Turtle Season Wraps Up with Last Nest Inventory
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Sea turtle season has concluded on Sanibel and Captiva, with the last remaining nest inventoried last week. A total of 787 sea turtle nests were laid on the islands this year, and 35,857 hatchlings successfully emerged. Both numbers are down from 2021. SCCF sea turtle staff confirmed only one of the 17 remaining nests on the islands did not wash out during Hurricane Ian, and the inventory confirmed that the nest did not hatch.
“Preliminary statewide numbers for the 2022 season are pretty encouraging, and our lack of a record is not necessarily a big cause for concern,” said SCCF Sea Turtle Biologist Jack Brzoza. “Suitable nesting habitat still remains, and there is the potential for that to further improve over the coming months.”
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SCCF Partners with Captains for Clean Water
to Fill FWC Data Gap on Red Tide
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If you have been checking the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Daily Sample Map for red tide, you have probably noticed the absence of dots in Lee County, especially around Sanibel.
According to the FWC, sampling has been slower to pick back up in Lee County for a variety of reasons related to Ian, and then plans for last week were impacted further by Nicole.
Thanks to our partnership with Captains for Clean Water, the SCCF Marine Lab will be filling in that data gap with water sampling tomorrow from North Captiva to the Sanibel Lighthouse, from 0 to 10 miles offshore. The samples will be analyzed by our lab and will be shared with the FWC.
Displaced fishing guides with Captains for Clean Water are donating their time and their vessels to take Marine Lab staff out to do a full day of sampling on Nov. 17 to help us better understand the intensity of the red tide bloom.
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Puschel Preserve Being Used for Community Recovery |
SCCF’s Puschel Preserve is currently being used as a debris sorting site to help accelerate the recovery of our island community. Shortly after the site had been authorized and work began, staff noticed a bald eagle pair beginning to nest on the adjacent property. SCCF is working closely with partners at the City of Sanibel, Audubon Florida’s Eagle Watch, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to closely monitor the new activity. The eagles do not appear disturbed by the debris processing and have continued to build.
“Our staff and trained volunteers will continue … with daily checks to this new nest to ensure ongoing hurricane restoration activities do not disturb the birds,” said SCCF Shorebird Biologist Audrey Albrecht.
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Roskamp Study Links Red Tide to Neurological Impacts |
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About 80 islanders took part in a recent study that found a connection between exposure to airborne red tide and neurological symptoms.
The Sarasota-based Roskamp Institute brought a mobile lab to Sanibel, where islanders with red tide exposure volunteered to provide blood samples during the last active bloom. Results of the study released this summer found participants exhibited symptoms previously only associated with eating contaminated seafood.
It is the first study to suggest that certain people are susceptible to symptoms like neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP), such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches from red tide exposure.
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Garden Center Staff Urges Patience with Plants, Trees |
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SCCF Native Landscapes & Garden Center staff are hearing from many of you with questions about what to do with your yards post-Ian. They are working on a guide with best practices that we will send out in December.
In the meantime, please be patient with your plants and trees and give them time to regrow. While some native species such as sea grape and green buttonwood are already sprouting green leaves, other species may take months, if not longer, to revive. If a large tree has broken branches, it is best to hire a tree service to remove them. Staff also warn to stay out from under trees with broken branches until they are cleared. These branches, which can be hanging by a thread, are called widow makers because they can snap and fall on top of you. So, there is a safety incentive to trim the dead branches as well.
It has been amazing to see the resilience of many of our native plant species that withstood storm surge, salt water inundation, and wind damage, but have managed to survive. We look forward to seeing all of you who have also been resilient through the storm when we reopen!
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SCCF Scientists Discuss Impacts of Ian on Species, Habitats
NBC-2 joined the SCCF Sea Turtle team for the last nest inventory of the season when Hurricane Ian's impact on the green sea turtle eggs was discovered. Reporter Evan Dean also spoke with Herpetologist Chris Lechowicz about how inland wildlife and habitats are doing following Hurricane Ian's storm surge.
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Policy Director Matt DePaolis Explains Threat of Tropical Storm Nicole on Water Quality
On a short break from cleanup duty at the Bailey Homestead, SCCF Environmental Policy Director Matt DePaolis talked with NBC-2 as Tropical Storm Nicole approached Florida last week. He warned that more nutrients would be devastating for water quality and would fuel the red tide bloom off the coast.
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For supporters interested in helping SCCF through this unprecedented chapter in our history, please consider making an unrestricted tax-deductible donation using the link below. It will be used to address our greatest immediate needs. As we learn of the unmet needs of other island nonprofits, we will do what we can to redirect donations to them as well.
If you have questions, including information on our bank wiring instructions and making a donation of stock shares, please contact SCCF Development Director Cheryl Giattini at 239-822-6121 or cgiattini@sccf.org. Also, please remember that the island post offices are not functioning and SCCF’s temporary mailing address is PO Box 101130, Cape Coral, FL 33910. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this heartfelt request.
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It's been all hands on deck at SCCF for the last several weeks as we've been in hurricane recovery mode. CEO James Evans joined in as needed, at times with a hammer and others with a chainsaw, as he led by example through varied cleanup tasks. |
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