Microforest supporters aim for macro results to help Southwest Florida environment (and other environmental news) (Sarasota: homes, neighborhood)

[wondermint2]

For full article:

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/...s/70382592007/

As concern for the environment and the health of local waterways remains a critical concern, one group is tackling the issue by packing big effects into small spaces, often miles from the coastline.

Suncoast Urban ReForesters (SURF), a coalition of local nonprofit organizations, is working to turn empty, unused turf space into microforests. The organizations that make up SURF include the Florida Veterans for Common Sense Fund, Inc.; Solutions to Avoid Red Tide; and Sarasota Bay Rotary Club.

A microforest, as defined by SURF, is a dense planting of native species in a space as small as a fifth of an acre. These forests, called high-performance microforests, can also occupy spaces as large as an acre or more.

“A microforest is a specialized form of rewilding, of restoration of the urban canopy that produces the highest-value, highest-performing habitat in terms of the lost benefits that are the result of overdevelopment,” said SURF Project Director Charles Reith, Ph.D. “It gives us extraordinary benefits in terms of diverting stormwater that can cause flooding or carry pollution; cooling and shading the area against urban heat islands, which is an effect we know will come with global warming; calming unstable winds; sequestering carbon against climate change … and then providing excellent wildlife habitats and natural recreation.”

[wondermint2]

Suspected sea life poachers steal hundreds of protected animals from Manatee County waterways

For full article:

https://www.fox13news.com/news/fwc-r...tee-county.amp

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, along with captains in Manatee County are on the lookout for people poaching sea life from the water.

Off Bradenton Beach near Longboat Pass, Captain Katie Tupin’s knowledge of the area draws visitors to her charters.

"Last summer 2022 there were areas out here full of pin shells and oysters. The water quality was doing great," she shared.

But she’s noticed a change.

"I go back to visit these spots, and it’s completely barren," Tupin said.

Using her camera, Tupin, of Captain Katie Scarlett Boat Tours, photographs and reports people illegally harvesting sea life.

"One group had 250 sea urchins, over 200 clams, banded tulips, conchs, sand dollars, and pin shells. Literally, anything you can imagine that cannot get away they grab," said Tupin.

The FWC takes potential resource violations very seriously and encourages the public to report them by calling the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

[wondermint2]

North Port Is Adding a Natural Resources Division to Help Preserve the Environment

For full article:

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/new...urces-division

The new division aims to respond to fast and furious development that’s seeing south Sarasota County explode.

[wondermint2]

Mote Marine establishes voluntary protection zone for sea turtles in Sarasota County

For full article:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mo...99b61ad4&ei=43

Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium has established a voluntary Sea Turtle Protection Zone in waters off Sarasota County, with the hope that increased publicity will help raise public awareness and protect sea turtles from unintended boat strikes.

The zone stretches from Longboat Key to Siesta Key, including Sarasota Bay, and extends from the shore to 1.5 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. It makes Sarasota only the second county, along with Palm Beach, where the protection zones have been established.

[wondermint2]

Manatee County tries to curb feral hog population

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...og-population/

Running hog wild is all fun and games until it’s the hogs doing it.

In 2021, feral hogs were spotted so regularly in backyards and on the streets of Lakewood Ranch that Lakewood Ranch's Inter-District Authority hired a trapper. Last year, Manatee County set traps in Premier Park.

The efforts have continued in 2023 and the fiscal year 2024 recommended budget includes funds for hog trapping.

A feral hog capture program managed by Manatee County's Natural Resources department is attempting to get a handle on the year-round breeders in a way that can be beneficial for its citizens.

For example, hogs captured by the county have the potential of becoming bacon or part of a pork quesadilla at local restaurants.

Natural Resources just put in a budget request of $68,190 for 2024 to hire an additional ranger and to buy six more traps to expand the program, a small cost considering the findings from the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service that feral hogs cause an estimated $2.5 billion in damage and control costs per year throughout the country.

Hogs cause property damage, destroy crops, displace native wildlife and carry parasites and diseases. APHIS estimates over six million are living across 35 states, predominately in the south.

[wondermint2]

3,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled on Constitution Boulevard in Sarasota after ARV malfunction near Phillippi Creek

For full artricle:

https://sarasotanewsleader.com/3000-...illippi-creek/

Another malfunctioning air release valve (ARV) resulted in a spill of about 3,000 gallons of raw sewage at 2065 Constitution Blvd. in Sarasota on July 5, Sarasota County’s Public Utilities Department has reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

None of the sewage could be recovered, the report noted. With surface waters affected, the report continued, county staff was conducting water sampling. Phillippi Creek is just north of the location of the incident.

Additionally, clean-up procedures and notifications to surrounding residents and landowners were taking place according to county protocol, the report said.

On June 19, as The Sarasota News Leader reported, a malfunctioning ARV on South Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota resulted in approximately 25,000 gallons of raw sewage being spilled near Phillippi Creek.

In regard to the July 5 incident, staff was alerted to a possible sewage spill at 9:25 a.m., the report to FDEP added. Workers were able to isolate the ARV to stop the spill shortly after their arrival on the scene, the report continued, but it took until 3:10 p.m. that day to resolve the situation.

The site is east of U.S. 41 and just south of the intersection of Aquitania Place and Constitution Boulevard, a map shows.

[wondermint2]

‘Dug-up’ sea turtle nest, disorientation mark start of hatches

For full article:

https://www.islander.org/2023/07/dug...rt-of-hatches/

Sea turtles nests are hatching on the shores of Anna Maria Island.

But a couple of things didn’t go so swimmingly.

During the July 4 holiday week, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission opened an investigation into a “dug-up” nest and, in a second incident, local volunteers and city staff teamed up to rescue a group of disoriented hatchlings.

Florida’s shores are home to annual nesting sites for three species of sea turtles — including loggerheads, green turtles and leatherbacks, all of which are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act due to declining populations.

Sea turtle nesting season on AMI began in May and runs through October. Nests started hatching in late June.

Kristen Mazzarella, the executive director of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, told The Islander July 6 that they have documented more than 300 nests along the island’s shores about halfway through the season.

[wondermint2]

Vinyl sea walls may have unintended consequences for local waters

For full article:

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/20...-local-waters/

A recent study showed that vinyl sea walls might pose a problem for oysters, while a new shoreline project at Longboat Key's Bayfront Park will attempt to mitigate the walls’ possible drawbacks.

Vinyl sea walls protect many waterfront Longboat Key homes and canals, but they may not be as habitable for oysters as concrete sea walls. And that could be a problem for Sarasota Bay, because oysters help filter sea water.

In a recent small-scale study, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program Director Dr. Dave Tomasko and members of the SBEP observed 32 sea walls in the Sarasota Bay area, 16 concrete and 16 vinyl. Of the 16 concrete sea walls, all had a considerable amount of oysters growing on them. Only six of the 16 vinyl sea walls had any oysters attached, and had few compared to the number of oysters on the concrete sea walls.

[wondermint2]

Wild vs. Farmed: Intense debate surrounds proposed offshore fish farm off coast of Sarasota

For full article:

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/s...st-of-sarasota

Fresh seafood is a critical healthy protein for humans — but where we get our fish is the subject of intense debate. A proposed one-year pilot project to build pens off the coast of Sarasota is drawing criticism and praise.

The project, called Velella Epsilon, was first proposed by Ocean Era in 2017. Acquiring all of the proper permits and legal challenges continues to cause delays.

In June 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved permits for the facility in federal waters 45 miles southwest of Sarasota in 130 feet deep waters.

At a recent rally in Venice, environmental groups, commercial fishermen and concerned citizens held a protest against the project.

"We've been in opposition since day one when it comes to this industrialization of our oceans," Casey Streeter said.

Streeter is a commercial fisherman operating out of Matlacha. He lost everything when Hurricane Ian decimated coastal Lee County. He believes the fish farm threatens his livelihood and the entire fishing industry.

[wondermint2]

Environmental Conservancy of North Port targets parcels for Florida Scrub-Jay habitat

For full article:

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/...t/70411908007/

The Environmental Conservancy of North Port faces an Aug. 17 deadline to raise funds to purchase a half-acre in the Meroni Paradise neighborhood of North Port as habitat for Florida Scrub-Jays and other wildlife, including Gopher Tortoises.

The current funding goal is a combined $24,000 ― or $12,000 per lot ― for adjacent parcels on Minardi Street and Jayman Road.

The nonprofit ― which buys and preserves land in both Sarasota and Charlotte counties ― has purchased and preserved 21 parcels for animal habitat.

Fourteen of the protected parcels are in North Port, six in Charlotte County's Harbour Heights neighborhood and one in Port Charlotte.

These two adjacent lots total a half-acre and are within what U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had identified as a Florida Scrub-Jay zone in North Port, noted Barbara Lockhart, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors.

Florida Scrub-Jays are considered a threatened species by both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and listed as “vulnerable to extinction” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Donations to the nonprofit can be made via GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/aa12c66a while checks outside that platform are also accepted.

For more information call 941-218-9775, email NPconservancy@gmail.com or visit https://www..ecnorthport.com, or find the nonprofit on Facebook at The Environmental Conservancy of North Port And Surrounding Areas or Instagram at @npconservancy.