Banner year shaping up for sea turtle nesting

 ENGLEWOOD — This year may not break records for turtle nesting, but it is shaping up to be a banner year for the reptiles on Manasota Key and other local beaches.

This baby loggerhead instinctively heads towards the Gulf — unless it is disoriented by artificial lights or disturbed by people. More and more sea turtles are nesting on local beaches and their nests have begun to hatch.  SUN FILE PHOTO

So far this nesting season, as of Aug. 13, sea turtle patrols on Manasota Key documented 4,777 loggerhead nests, 290 green and one Kemp's ridley nest.

For the entire season last year, 4,634 loggerheads nested on Manasota Key, along with 154 green and two Kemp's ridley nests. Nesting season extends from May 1 to Oct. 31.

Zoe Bass isn't that surprised. Bass, along with Wilma Katz, is the state primary permit holder overseeing Coastal Wildlife Club's volunteer sea turtle patrols on Manasota Key.

Fortunately, from reports Bass received from volunteers, storm surge from Tropical Depression-Tropical Storm Fred only washed over and did not inundate nests with water. Turtle eggs can survive washovers, but not inundation of seawater that displaces oxygen in the sand.

Bass reported accretion of sand along portions of the Gulf shoreline north of the Sarasota-Charlotte county line on Manasota Key.

Bass did issue a warning: Keep lights off on the beach and fill in any holes.

Nests have begun hatching all over Southwest Florida beaches, and artificial lights, including flashlights, can cause the hatchlings to be disorientated as they emerge from the nests and scramble towards the Gulf.

Holes left on the beach can become death traps for the hatchlings, which are only 3- or 4-inches long.

To learn more about sea turtles and sea turtle nesting, visit my fwc.com.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

July 4th Fireworks Show Sun Jul 4, 2021

 https://allevents.in/venice/july-4th-fireworks-show/200021111328024

July 4th Fireworks Show

Fireworks will be shot from the South Jetty on Sunday, July 4, shortly after 9 p.m. to celebrate Independence Day. The free show will last an estimated 30 minutes.

Although the South Jetty and Jetty Jacks Refreshment Deck will be closed for safety July 3-4, the fireworks display may be viewed on area beaches from Caspersen to Nokomis, as well as from other locations around Venice. Arrive early to secure your spot. Social distancing between groups is encouraged.

Boats should be at anchor by 8:30 p.m. July 4; the Venice Inlet will be closed to boat traffic at 8:45 p.m. until about 45 minutes after the display’s grand finale.

In the case of inclement weather, the fireworks show may be delayed. Please visit this Facebook page, the City's Twitter (@CityofVeniceFL), or the News section of the City website, www.venicegov.com, for updates.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

A signature building for downtown Wellen Park

 

April 21, 2021 BY RUSTY PRAY, Wellen Park Journal Correspondent

One day in the not-too-distant future, Wellen Park will offer a downtown to residents and visitors, a welcoming, walkable destination that will have something special for everyone.

The face of Downtown Wellen will be a two story mixed-use building that includes retail and restaurants on the first floor and office space on the second. Construction is expected to start this summer and be completed in 2022.

The character of the 32,500-square-foot building will help define Wellen Park’s downtown for years.

“The mixed-use building will become a signature backdrop for Downtown Wellen’s outdoor spaces, defining it as an active and thriving lifestyle destination,” says Alan Wold, a member of the design team at the New Orleans architectural firm of Trapolin-Peer.

Mr. Wold says planners had in mind using the facility as a “destination building — something recognizable that people can orient themselves to when they’re in Downtown Wellen.

Renderings suggest a structure that fits into the laid-back Southwest Florida style: low cut, Spanish influence, pastels. The design includes covered walkways, three restaurants, patio dining and other amenities.

“A core aspect of the design is its connection to the outdoor spaces the building occupies,” Mr. Wold says, adding the restaurants will have outdoor seating and café seating as well. And most of the parking will be in the rear of the building in order to enhance the pedestrian experience.

The building’s second floor, accessible via stairways and an elevator, thoughtfully divides multiple office spaces, each with expansive outdoor terraces overlooking the grand lawn and the lake, and a glass corridor that connects the buildings.

A possible outcome is the building will attract customers that will come for the retail, or to enjoy the shade and courtyard spaces, but stay or return for the businesses above.

The Downtown Wellen building will give Trapolin-Peer another foothold in Southwest Florida.

“It’s beautiful,” says Peter Trapolin, who founded the firm in 1981. “We’ve done work in Florida before, but this is our first building in the Southwest Florida area. We’re excited to be here.”

The design took several months to complete. “It wasn’t as though we arrived at this design at our first pass,” Mr. Wold says. “We went through many different schemes … the word we kept using was ‘transitional style.’

“We weren’t looking for something either strictly traditional or ultra-modern.”

The process did not follow the path of conference-room brainstorming and PowerPoint presentations. That was because of the lockdown that came along with COVID-19.

“We started this design process as lockdown started,” Mr. Wold recalls. “We were all working remotely. There were emails, photos, sketches, conference calls. It was a very different way to work.

“As architects, typically we prefer to be together to design. But we all think this worked out really well.”

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Holiday nights at Selby Gardens are stunning

 

https://www.yoursun.com/holiday-nights-at-selby-gardens-are-stunning

Staff Report Nov 18, 2020

Lights in Bloom delights children of all ages at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.  PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS.

SARASOTA — Marie Selby Botanical Gardens brings “Lights in Bloom: An Open-air Holiday Light Show” to the community.

More than two million lights illuminate the gardens, and walkways are transformed into sensory light tunnels. Stroll through magical gardens filled with beautifully lit flowers, radiant rainforest butterflies, dragonflies and more.

“Lights in Bloom: An Open-air Light Show” has become a tradition for residents and visitors to celebrate the holiday season in Sarasota.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Your safety is important to us. COVID-19 protocols are in place. Here is what you can expect:

• Masks are required for entry.

• Access each evening is limited. Selby Gardens will monitor the number of visitors to ensure appropriate social distancing and safety for all.

• Santa will not be visiting this year and interactive games will not be available. Instead, they will be offering a special, free photo opportunity for you and your guests.

• Food and beverages will be available for purchase at a variety of locations throughout the Gardens, including the Selby House Cafe.

• A trolley will be available from 5:30 to 10 p.m. from the Sarasota Friendship Center (1888 Brother Geenen Way).

For full details on our COVID-19 protocols, visit the website.

• If you have any questions, contact special events@selby.org.

General admission ticket holder check-in at 6 p.m. – Do not arrive prior to this time.

Limited number of General Admission tickets available each day.

General admission tickets may be purchased online (recommended) or on-site on day of (if any remain) beginning at 6 p.m.

Early Entry Tickets:

Members: $30

Non-members: $35

Children ages 5-17: $15

4 and under: free

Four Night Pass

Members: $80

Non-members: $100

Children ages 5-17: $30

4 and under: free

Early Entry ticket holders receive early access to on-site parking on a first come-first served basis and a 5 p.m. entry to Lights in Bloom.

Early Entry check-in opens at 5 p.m.

Early Entry tickets can be purchased online only with a limited number available each day

Four Night Pass holders receive early access to on-site parking on a first come-first served basis and a 5 p.m. entry to Lights in Bloom.

Visit the Downtown Sarasota Campus

The former Sarasota home of William and Marie Selby, Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota 15-acre campus is an urban, bayfront oasis showing a living collection of rare and beautiful tropical plants. It is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants. Through the Living Museum operating model, Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus also creates and hosts rotating exhibitions of horticultural and garden displays some tied to works by well-known artists.

Historic Spanish Point Campus

Selby Gardens’ Historic Spanish Point campus is a 30-acre museum site on Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey that focuses on both local history and plant life. While strolling the picturesque HSP campus—one of the largest waterfront preserves showcasing native Florida plants in the state—visitors can explore ancient peoples, pioneer history, the Palmer Legacy, and native plants.

Membership

Being a member of Selby Gardens is an ideal way to visit 45 acres of bayfront sanctuaries as often as you’d like. Members receive access to both the Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campus as well as benefit from opportunities to connect with Selby Gardens on a deeper level. Become a member today.

Selby Gardens is a nonprofit organization sustained by the generosity of patrons. Gifts directly support the Gardens’ operations, collections and plant displays, engaging educational programs for children and adults, and conservation work to protect the bayfront sanctuaries at both the Downtown Sarasota campus and the Historic Spanish Point campus.

Sarasota-Manatee EcoFlora Project

Using your smartphone or a camera, snap a picture of a plant in Sarasota or Manatee County and upload it to iNaturalist. Each month, we will feature a new EcoQuest Challenge to focus on different species and keep things exciting.

Classes

Learn a new skill, expand your current skills or join your friends for a fun day in the peaceful oasis of Selby Gardens as you take a class. Taught by experienced instructors, classes range from painting and watercolor, to mind-body connections, yoga and more.

For more information call 941-366-5731 or contact info@selby.org.

Open daily 10 a.m. — 5 p.m.Closed Christmas Day

The Museum of Botany & the Arts is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Downtown campus: 1534 Mound St., in Sarasota.

Historic Spanish Point Campus, 337 North Tamiami Trail. in Osprey.

Selby Gardens is in Phase Two reopening operations.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Sea turtles are nesting more, laying more this year

https://www.yoursun.com/englewood/sea-turtles-are-nesting-more-laying-more-this-yea

• By STEVE REILLY Staff Writer
 
• Jul 12, 2020
• • 
    

A loggerhead hatchling, newly emerged from its nest, heads to the Gulf where it will begin its life journey.
Photos provided by Mary Lundberg


ENGLEWOOD — On a good year, Brenda Bossman might expect loggerheads to lay 100 or 125 eggs in a nest.

This season, Bossman, who tracks nesting on Don Pedro and Knight Islands, has discovered nests with 144 eggs and another with 149 eggs. So far this season, volunteer sea turtle patrols on those barrier islands off the coast near Englewood counted 250 or more loggerhead nests and 20 green sea turtle nests.

The recent renourishing of eroding shorelines of Manasota Key, Don Pedro and Knight islands hasn't dissuaded the sea turtles from nesting.

Two weeks ago, Charlotte County Natural Resources project manager Jamie Scudera told the Beaches and Shores Advisory Committee how the county's barrier islands were enjoying a bountiful nesting season.

The Coastal Wildlife Club — which oversees nesting on Manasota Key — agrees.

"The only year with higher number at this time was 2016," CWC board member Carol Leonard said.

As of Friday, CWC patrols identified 3,728 loggerhead nests, 72 green and two Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests on Manasota Key. Kemp's ridley are the smallest and most endangered sea turtle species.

Mote Marine Laboratory oversees volunteer sea turtle patrols from Venice north to Longboat Key.

As of July 4, Mote reported 2,803 loggerhead nests and 40 green sea turtle nests. Casey Key is seeing the most nests — 170 loggerhead and nine green sea turtle nests.

Predators and people

Coyotes are preying upon nests on the north end of Knight and Don Pedro islands. Armadillos are preying, more so than the coyotes, upon nests on the south end of the islands, Bossman said.

But people can pose an even greater danger to sea turtles, especially for the hatchlings emerging from their nests and making a mad scramble to the Gulf.

"Nests have begun to hatch, so now is the time to be especially cautious of any lights visible from the nesting beaches," Leonard said. "Ideally at night, sea turtles would have dark, quiet beaches all to themselves."

Artificial light is especially disorientating to the nesting turtles and their hatchlings emerging from their nests. Instincts tell them to head for the Gulf and the lighted horizon, but artificial light can lead them to head into the opposite direction.

"While red is the least disruptive color for sea turtles, red is seen by the turtles and they can find it disturbing enough to abandon their attempt to nest," Leonard said. "Many red flashlights are actually white lights with red coverings that actually allow other wavelengths through. LED lights emit limited wavelengths (colors) but are often much brighter."

"Flashlight beams narrow your field of vision," said Leonard, who is a retired Lemon Bay High School science teacher. "Letting your eyes adjust to the darkness allows you to observe more of the beach."

She recommends people reserve using flashlights or phone lights for their personal safety, such as on stairs. Hold the light in one hand and shield it with the other, directing the light downward, so that the light is least visible.

"Leave any headband lights at home," Leonard said.

To learn more about sea turtles and nesting, visit myfwc.com.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

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