Yes, it’s that time of year again when we all need to be alert and aware of the incoming loggerhead mother turtles making their way to our beaches to lay their precious eggs.
Our Turtle Nesting Season begins May 1st and runs through October 31st…
I know I write about this every year, but it’s because it’s so very important and so very integral to everything that we are, here on Sanibel and Captiva Islands.
Eve Haverfield started “Turtle Time” in 1989 to protect loggerhead sea turtles from becoming an endangered species… Kudos to her!
You can visit her website at www.TurtleTime.org and see videos, as well as read about the different laws and regulations associated with the protection of sea turtles and their nesting habits.
I’ve also tracked down a news video clip showing a little bit of her work…
* Video deleted by creator, sorry *
We all need to participate and help educate our island tourist visitors about this very important topic…
When you cross over the Sanibel Causeway and swing a hard left heading east on Periwinkle Way, you can’t help but reach the parking lot behind the Lighthouse on the most eastern point of Sanibel Island.
The beach in front of this 120-year-old towering beauty is pristine and “active”… lots of tourists, lots of turtles (during turtle season), lots of birds, lots of cross currents from the Gulf (NOT a swimmer’s beach) and a little less sand each and every year.
Since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, Lighthouse Beach has been gradually eroding away and after years of trying to get permits and budgeting to replace the sand that has been lost, it was finally approved!
They are in the midst of the project, as we speak, hauling in 5000 cubic yards of sand to replace the quarter-mile of beach that has eroded and should finish the job at the end of January.
Great news for tourists and locals alike because this truly is one of the most unique spots on the island and we certainly don’t want it to “wither away”…
Be sure to stop by anytime after the first week of February to see the finished product!
It’s fairly predictable that we here on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are sure to get “red tide” warnings at least a couple of times per year and it seems that now is one of those times.
Today’s post I simply wanted to dedicate to learning about “red tide“ (or more appropriately called, “harmful algal bloom”).
Below is a great list of FAQs from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division, that also sees a lot of “red tide” by being located in the Gulf of Mexico just as we are. The Gulf of Mexico has historically been one of the more concentrated areas for harmful algal blooms in the world.
You can still swim, you can still eat seafood (apart from open shellfish like oysters, clams, mussels and scallops, which should be avoided during a red tide flare-up) and you can still walk and play on the beach…
Just another friendly reminder to everyone that we must stay vigilent with regards to dogs being leashed while on Sanibel beaches.
Especially during turtle season!
Summer is also the time for nesting for several different species of birds and therefore, their nests and eggs are at great risk as well.
A new flyer is being distributed detailing the specific laws, which you can read for yourself below or download and distribute by downloading it from this link: Leash Law Flyer
Well, today I thought that it would be fun to talk about something that is so much a part of our daily lives here on Sanibel that we often take it for granted and don’t understand the amazing process that is happening right under our noses 4 times a day!
What I’m speaking about are the TIDES!
High tide, low tide, spring tide, neaf tide… how is your “tide knowledge”?
Do you know how our amazing oceans work or do you just say “Hey, at this time of day we can see and find more shells!”
Well, tides are fascinating, really, and I’ve found a couple of very interesting articles and even this fun and informative video above on exactly how the tides work!
As newcomers move to Sanibel and Captiva Islands, that is always a question that eventually arises (pun intended ), so I thought it would be informative to address it here in our Sanibel Blog.
Below are 2 links: the first one does a really good job of describing not only “Tides”, but also “Waves” and “Ocean Currents”… fascinating stuff!
And the second link is our local Sanibel Island Tide Data charted out for you in real time, which will show you exactly when to go perform “The Sanibel Stoop”!
As a quick follow-up to last week’s post, I wanted to provide some more resources for you regarding the Deep Horizon Oil Spill Disaster:
