Category: Environment

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Environment

What Not to Collect on Anna Maria Island: Live Sand Dollars

Illegally collected live Sand Dollars discarded on beach
Illegally collected live Sand Dollars discarded on beach

Sand dollars are not even beautiful when they are alive. Their whiteness comes only after the outer layer of skin and small spines has disappeared. It is the endoskeleton that is beautiful. I’m sure trying to clean a live sand dollar is not worth the smelly effort. It makes no sense to kill these creatures.

This member of the sea urchin family has the five sections of a sea urchin, but a flattened form. The very small spines allow it to move along the sandy bottom of the sea, and to burrow in. They also move food into the mouth. They eat mostly crustacean larvae, algae, diatoms and detritus.

A few years ago, scientists discovered something remarkable about sand dollars. They reproduce sexually, through external fertilization. However, their larvae have the ability to clone themselves and are likely to do this when threatened by a predator. The outcome is twice the number of larvae, with each one half the size. In some ways this is advantageous from a survival point of view.

Aside from general ethical reasons not to kill living creatures unnecessarily, there are laws in Manatee County, backed by the state of Florida, in relation to taking live shells. First of all, one must have a recreational salt water fishing license. And then only two of any particular species may be taken alive. There are some exceptions, such as oysters, several kinds of clams and coquinas, which may be taken in larger numbers.

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Environment

2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast

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The official start to the Atlantic Hurricane Season is June 1st. Now is a good time to make preparations for an emergency evacuation and formulate your disaster plan, check your insurance, storm shutters, and put together emergency supplies.

The Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University has published its forecast for the Atlantic basin 2010 hurricane activity, based on over 58 years of past data and predictive statistical analysis. Early season forecasts are for the following:

Atlantic Hurricane SeasonApril 2010 forecast1950 – 2000 average
Named storms (>35mph)159.6
Hurricanes (>72mph)85.9
Major hurricanes (>111mph)42.3
US landfall likelihood69%52%
Gulf Coast landfall45%31%

According to forecasters Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray, “We continue to foresee above-average activity for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. We have increased our seasonal forecast from the mid-point of our initial early December prediction due to a combination of anomalous warming of Atlantic tropical sea surface temperatures and a more confident view that the current El Niño will weaken. We anticipate an above-average probability of United States and Caribbean major hurricane landfall.” (as of 7 April 2010) For the full report click here.

Hurricane_Charley_Loop_FullThe active year of 2005 and Hurricane Katrina may have passed into memory, and the past few years have seen quiet seasons for the Florida Gulf Coast even as a record breaking two intense Category 5 hurricanes made landfall in Mexico 2007. In 2004 Hurricane Charlie over-washed North Captiva Island, causing major damage there and Charlotte Harbor surroundings. Although not far away, Anna Maria Island was unaffected by Charlie’s small but heavy footprint.

The frequency of hurricanes may have declined over the last 44 years but the intensity of storms has increased. Now with a much larger population and more dense development, Florida and the Sun Coast is more vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes than ever before.

Check your local and regional papers for hurricane preparedness information and tips that come out at this time of year, and know your evacuation routes and destination. Find a location that is not subject to flood zone evacuation advisories and as near as possible in order to avoid being trapped by traffic congestion and clogged roads. Avoid using public shelters, which will be over-crowded and under-serviced. See flood zone and shelter information for Manatee County or the telephone book for a map.

Major Hurricanes 1922-2009Anna Maria Island’s three bridges to the mainland will all be closed at some time in a major storm, preventing egress of residents or entrance by emergency services. Consider the ramifications of ‘riding out the storm’ or trying to return when there is no power, water, or communication, perhaps for many days or weeks.

Review your insurance policies and gather important papers ready for evacuation. Home owners’ insurance does not cover damage from rising waters but NFIP offers taxpayer-subsidized flood insurance policies. If a named storm is in the area insurance policies will not be issued therefore get prepared well in advance.

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Remember that residents of Holmes Beach must obtain a hanging tag for re-entry after evacuation.

Categories
Environment

Robinson Preserve

It’s suddenly high season on Anna Maria Island. You can tell by the tremendous increase in traffic, by the length of time it takes to get a table at restaurants, and by the number of house-guests we locals are welcoming. One of the good things about having guests is that it gets us out to enjoy things we don’t usually do when we’re busy with work and daily routines. There are so many wonderful activities and attractions to enjoy on Anna Maria Island and in the nearby region. This week, a guest was the reason I visited Robinson Preserve for the first time. This lovely preserve is just across the bridge, accessible off of Manatee Avenue.

Robinson Preserve trail
Robinson Preserve trail overbridge

Opened to the public July of 2008, this 487-acre natural area features 56 acres of diverse marshlands, 10 acres of uplands and open water. There are 2½ miles of kayaking and canoeing streams, and 6 nature trails, with 6 bridges, winding through the mangroves. The 500 foot boardwalk serves bird watchers well, and the trails are great for hiking, biking and horseback riding.

Sponsored in part by the County Conservation Land Management, the preserve houses endangered species like the gopher tortoise, indigo snakes and the Florida scrub jay.

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Environment

The Sounds of Anna Maria Island

After living here for ten years, I’ve come to recognize certain sounds that are common on Anna Maria Island, but might not be easily recognized by a visitor.

For those who live in canal-front homes, the sound of a boatlift in operation becomes familiar. Yet it is a haunting and penetrating sound at times, suggesting the wail of a supernatural creature. Although the boatlift sound is the product of a purely mechanical movement, it has come to be one more of the many voices that are raised during everyday life along a canal.

Great Blue Heron

Another canal voice is that of the startled night heron. Often these reclusive birds fish at the base of a canal seawall, where they are not noticed by anyone on the property above. But if you happen to walk close to the where the night heron stands, below, it is likely to suddenly squawk a very loud and distressing call, as it quickly flies away, startling you more than you startled it.

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Environment

Coconuts: Growing and Opening Them

Coconut palm

Anna Maria Island is at the northern end of the zone in which coconut palms grow well. In fact, just across the bay, on the mainland, one does not see them because the temperatures can be just a little colder. Every once in awhile a very low temperature knocks back these stately palms on the island, or even kills them. But, considering the height that many of them reach, this does not happen very often.

The coconut palms in our yard are thriving. The only thing we do for them is fertilize two or three times a year with standard palm fertilizer sold at Home Depot and other similar stores. We marvel at all the different parts of the coconut tree, from the patterned trunk to the fabric-like webbing, to the squiggly branches of the seed pods, to the coconuts at all stages of development, to the gigantic fronds. Some people have their coconuts trimmed before they mature, but we enjoy allowing our trees to remain as natural as possible so we can look at this rich environment, all in one tree.

Anna Maria Island coconut As hurricane season develops, we sometimes feel uncomfortable about the warning that coconuts can become powerful missiles in strong winds. This is perhaps the biggest disadvantage to growing coconuts on the island, and letting the coconuts remain. However, in ten years, we have not had any problem with flying coconuts, despite some major storms.

In more gentle conditions, coconuts eventually fall to the ground, one at a time. It is amusing to realize that the sound of a coconut hitting the ground becomes familiar if one lives among these trees for awhile.

What does one do with all the coconuts that come from a yard full of these trees?

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