Sanibel's CROW reports on Gus the Gopher Tortoise

Although we might be tempted to say all animals are created equal, the truth is that they are not.

On Sanibel we value all animals, but various species are more valuable than others.

Like wolves in the wilderness that are a keystone species---- effecting the environment more than many other animals---- tortoises are index or indicator species.    An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment.  For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental conditions such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change.

 

As in any food web, removing certain flora or fauna out of the equation can adversely affect the survival of that ecosystem. According to Sanibel's Center for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), the gopher tortoise is especially important because the burrows, which are dug by the tortoises, also provide homes for other animals, such as indigo snakes, gopher frogs, mice, foxes, skunks, opossums, rabbits, quail, armadillos, burrowing owls, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and other invertebrates. Gopher tortoise burrows are home to about 250 species of animals at one time or another. Some species share the burrows with the tortoises and others utilize abandoned burrows. Since the burrows are used by so many species, removing the tortoises from the local habitat would leave many animals without homes.

 

So the arrival of an injured or sick tortoise at CROW is of great importance in terms of Sanibel's environment. 

 

Gus, the tortoise,  had been a patient at CROW since December 6, 2013. He came to the clinic after being hit by a car in Lehigh Acres. Gus's shell had major cracks and he was dragging his left leg. Originally, CROW staff members didn't think he would be able to be released due to the severity of his injuries. "He had to have his shell repaired. He also needed medications for his pain, medications for the inflammation from the original accident and antibiotics to prevent any infections. It was a lot of wound care and then physical therapy," said Dr. Heather Barron, CROW's hospital director. "Gus was with us for a long time."

 

But as anxious as everyone was about Gus's rehabilitation , they were jubilant at his healing and release on August 25.  Gus had been a very special patient, and had finally healed enough to be transported back to his natural habitat with the assistance of David Mason, a senior environmental scientist with Boylan Environmental Consultants. Mason picked Gus up from Specialized Veterinary Services in Fort Myers before driving out to the area of Lehigh Acres where Gus was originally discovered. Before Mason released Gus, he scouted the area to ensure the adult gopher turtle would be able to readapt to the environment, including digging a "starter burrow" for Gus. "The release went really well," Mason said. "It was a pretty typical release. This guy went straight for the burrow, which is really nice. I always like to do what I call the 'soft release,' digging at least a two-foot burrow. That way he has immediate shelter, shade and protection, rather than throw him on the site and let him fend for himself. Their own burrows can take up to three days to build."

 

So Gus is free and the world is a better place!

It's Snook season on Sanibel!

If you have ever tasted Snook, you know it is fish worth catching.

It is made all the more desirable by the fact that you can not walk into your grocery outlet or fish market and buy Snook. No commercial harvest or sale of Snook is permitted.
 
Snook are proportionately very thick through the shoulders, and their fillets represent a higher portion of total weight than most other fish. The fillets are mild yet flavorful and are ranked at the top of nearly everyone’s list of favorite fish.

Making this beautiful creature even more allusive is the fact that there is a limit on not only how many Snook you can catch, but when and where you can catch them. 

A great many kinds of fish are protected by conservation laws that may include licenses, daily bag limits, possession limits, minimum and maximum size limits, permitting and other legal requirements. Many different jurisdictions and agencies are involved in managing the fisheries—at least a half-dozen in Florida alone, to say nothing of other countries—and their regulations sometimes conflict.

At the June 2013 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meeting, Commissioners voted to let the recreational harvest of Snook in Gulf of Mexico waters reopen to harvest September 1 after being closed since January  2010. Gulf waters were closed to harvest due to a 2010 cold kill that negatively impacted Snook. But it is Snook season on Sanibel Island right now.   

Snook is managed by two regions in Florida: Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Regulations apply in state and adjacent federal waters.  Snook can be found in the warm, tropical waters of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Southern Peninsula of Florida. In Southwest Florida, Snook can be found around mangrove pockets, piers, passes, inlets and sandbars. Our favorite local Snook fishing spots include the Sanibel Fishing Pier and the causeway.

Snook are one of the best for all-around fighting ability.The fight is usually featured by several long runs and a few jumps. Small Snook leap high in the manner of Ladyfish, while the really big females manage to clear only about half their bodies. Snook also are past masters at utilizing shoreline roots or any other obstructions to their advantage.

So if you are thinking of Sanibel and thinking of Snook, why wait?  The game is on!

What's Happening at the Sanibel Historical Village? A lot!

Like everything on Sanibel, our historical village is non intrusive, non sprawling and chock full of interesting things.  And it is an icon of preservation and stored memories.

Just driving up to the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village makes one think of taking a trip back in time. Tucked away neatly down a winding island road and nestled within the protection of surrounding native trees and vegetation, even the entrance to the property gives a feel for what life must have been like a hundred years ago on Sanibel. The atmosphere outside is quiet and pristine — the type of quiet that will cause hushed voices simply out of respect for the peaceful feeling of the place.
 

Upon entering the site, the first historical building that visitors encounter is the Rutland House. Built in 1913, it was the first building to be relocated to the village, which happened in 1984 at the founding of the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village. The Rutland House contains a small visitor center where guests meet the volunteer docents, sign a guestbook, and pay their entrance fee before continuing their journey into the island’s past. Once inside the village, visitors can explore eight historical buildings that range in date from 1896 to 1927.

 

 “Everything here is from the 1890s to the 1940s,” said museum manager Emilie Alfino, “or we don’t accept it. The oldest building is the schoolhouse, which was built in 1896.”  

 

Used for many years as a local theater, the old school building was eventually donated and brought to the village where volunteers restored it. “When they brought it here and started taking off the sheetrock,” Alfino said, “they found the original blackboard.” The original school bell was also returned to the building to finish off the return to authenticity.

 

The next oldest building in the village is the Burnap Cottage, which was built in 1898. Used first as a homestead and later as a church, fishing retreat, and cottage, the building was donated in 1998 and soon restored to its original look and feel. Like the other buildings in the village, the Burnap Cottage has maintained its historical charm and warmness. Restoration has been carefully done to ensure that visitors will experience a realistic return to a simpler era. 

 

Another visitor favorite in the village is the Morning Glories Cottage. This house was originally shipped to the island as a prefabricated, kit home in 1925. Over 30,000 pieces had to be put together, but the result was a cozy little home that 89 years later still makes visitors want to spend the night. 

Recently, Morning Glories received a necessary update. “Morning Glories has a brand new porch,” said Alfino. “The supports were no longer safe, but we kept the original floor.” With period furniture and décor, Morning Glories Cottage is truly a visit to the past. As history buffs so often say, “You can just feel the history.”

 

No village is complete without a general store, and the Old Bailey General Store, built in 1927, has just as much to offer today’s customer as it did in its heyday. Aside from the antiques that are only for display, the store sells various modern treasures in its Old Village Gift Shop, where visitors can peruse and buy handmade gifts to take back home. 

 

Lest visitors think that not much “new” happens at a historical museum, Alfino is quick to point out the latest additions and happenings. The most recent building donation has been the Shore Haven house, which sits right next to the Rutland house and will eventually serve as a new visitor center. Originally built in 1924, over the years the building has been updated too much to allow for a historic restoration. “We can’t use it as a historic house except for the outside,” Alfino said, “which is being restored to its original look.”

 

All this attention to detail makes the Village a very special place.

Do you know your snakes? A primer for Sanibel Sightings!

With all its verdant topicality and abundant nature Sanibel is home to hundreds of creatures.

Our little barrier island is only 12 miles long, but every inch is packed with flora and fauna.

And yes, we do have snakes, several varieties of snakes.

Most are totally benign and other than the harmless black racer, it is unlikely you will encounter many, if any at all, of our fine slithering friends.

But you should know what each  looks like, especially so for those that can be harmful to humans and domestic pets.

There are 4 venomous snakes found in Southwest Florida. They consist of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake , dusky pygmy rattlesnake, Florida cottonmouth and the eastern coral snake.

Historically, only two of these snake species have been documented on Sanibel and Captiva Islands (eastern diamondback rattlesnake, eastern coral snake).

Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are large snakes and can reach over 5' in length.  They are a diamond pattern of grey, beige and white and occur on the mainland as well as barrier islands throughout Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. They have been documented from Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, Cayo Costa and Gasparilla Island as well as the Keys. They are in the family Viperidae, which makes them pit vipers. The word pit viper refers to the loreal pits on the side of head that enable them to sense heat from their prey (small mammals and birds). They are hide and ambush predators which means that they hide themselves and wait for small mammals such as rats, rabbits and birds to pass by. They strike (bite) the animal with lightning speed and wait for the animal to die from envenomation. They are able to to follow the path of the dying animal with their loreal pits and finally swallow the animal after it is found.

The eastern coral snake is a very obvious snake. It has black, red and yellow (or white) bands that run 360 degrees around the snake. It is rarely over three feet long. There are two mimic snakes in Lee county that could be misidentified as coral snakes, but neither of them are extant on Sanibel. They are the scarlet kingsnake  and the scarlet snake .  The old  rhyme for identifying coral snakes in the United States is as follows: Red on black, friend of Jack, red on yellow, kill a fellow". Basically, if the yellow/white bands separate all of the red and black bands, then it is a coral snake. If  any of the red bands touch any of the black bands, then it is nonvenomous. This formula is only true for coral snakes in the United States. In Central and South America, coral snake coloration is inconsistent with this rhyme.

But while we feel knowledge is the best defense in avoiding a snake bite, the truth is that avoiding their habitats will be a safer bet.  Walking through dense brush and wet lands is best left to the special Fish and Wild life people, and with 24 miles of paths that are paved, it is easy to avoid the wild habitats.  In addition, both the diamond back and coral snakes are non aggressive and would just as soon avoid you!