Author: Porter

Categories
Sports

Sailing Tampa Bay

A beautiful day on Tampa Bay last weekend brought out sailors and boaties taking advantage of the breeze and perfect temperature to enjoy a day on the water.

Sailing Tampa Bay

Sailing out of northern Anna Maria Island presents no barriers or bridges into Tampa Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway, and to the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa Bay is one of few Florida deep water bodies of water, along with Charlotte Harbor, where keeled sailboats can enjoy unencumbered cruising without too much fear of running aground on shoals and dredged spoil banks.

Sailing under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a treat and navigation is little constrained up to St Petersburg.

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Categories
Environment

Great Blue Heron Rookery – Fledglings

The 3 Great Blue Heron chicks that we referred to in the story Great Blue Heron Rookery have now fledged and left the nest.

Great Blue Heron fledglings

In the past week, first one, then two, and finally the third have taken short departures from the top of the Australian Pine that has been their home for the last 2 months.

A parent is still feeding them as they continue to beg, but they spend less time in the nest, which is now falling apart and being raided by another nesting pair.

The heron chicks appear to be healthy and active, but the chance of survival is still a challenge: 70% die after reaching flight stage.

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Categories
Environment

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch

Turtle TracksAnna Maria Island Turtle Watch holds its 2008 nesting season training for volunteers on April 15th.

Anyone who would like to walk the beach and report turtle tracks and nest activity are invited to volunteer and go through the training session, which will be held at the Holmes Beach City Hall.

Beach walkers will learn how to recognize and report turtle tracks of nesting females on an assigned section of the beach. The nests are recorded and staked off by the AMITW permit holders and observed during the incubation period until hatchling tracks are found.

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Categories
Arts

‘Landscapes of the Island’ Exhibition

Anna Maria Island Art League held its ” Landscapes of the Island” exhibition award ceremony Friday. On display were the prize winners and the works of artists selected by the jury for adjudication

Anna Maria Island Art LeagueJoyce Karp, the Art League’s executive director, presented the awards for best of show, top 3 places, and honorable mention.

A buffet of seafood pate, fresh fruit, and pasta salad was donated by the Sandbar Restaurant.

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Categories
Community Environment Politics Real Estate

FEMA Rules ReRule

In another episode of the continuing non-reality show of “Let’s see what FEMA rules are today”, letters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the local island cities offices announced that buildings “having the lowest floor one foot or more below the base flood elevation will no longer be eligible for the CRS discount.”

The Community Rating System is a method of assessing cities’ overall exposure to flood damage loss. By installing adequate drainage systems and enforcing building codes to mitigate flood damage, communities can be eligible for a 5 – 45% discount for residents’ flood insurance premiums.

FEMA’s new edict beginning May 1st excludes specific properties “at high risk” and “not compliant” in the “Special Flood Hazard Area” from getting the community discount. A homeowner will discover if he is excluded when their flood insurance policy comes up for renewal – the policy will have a small zero in the CRS discount box.

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