Numbers down as sea turtle season ends on Sanibel, Captiva
STAFF & WIRE REPORTS Sea turtle nesting season has officially ended on Sanibel and Captiva, with the last remaining nest inventoried last week. A total of 787 sea turtle nests were laid on the islands this year, and 35,857 hatchlings successfully emerged. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) laid 769 of the nests, and green sea […]
Study links airborne Red Tide to neurological impacts
STAFF & WIRE REPORTS During the last active red tide bloom off our coast, about 80 islanders took part in a study that found a connection between exposure to airborne red tide and neurological symptoms. The Sarasota-based Roskamp Institute parked a mobile lab on Sanibel where islanders with red tide exposure volunteered to provide blood […]
Florida’s national parks, springs represent America’s best
By DR. ROBERT KNIGHT National parks have attained a special status in America. As a conservationist, I understand and appreciate national wildlife refuges, state parks, state and national forests, and other state and federally managed conservation lands and how they help us work towards solving problems like climate change and extinction. They are places that […]
Monroe County caps roads plan with $1.6 billion in projects
By RHONDA HAAG, Monroe County,Chief Resilience Officer Monroe County has completed its Regional Roads Adaptation and Capital Plan study and determined that $1.6 billion, at a cost of $9.6 million/mile, will be needed to prepare the roads to mitigate projected Sea Level Rise (SLR) and other impacts for long-term resilience. The goal of the $1.9 Billion […]
Mobile LiDAR road survey work starts on 200 miles of Keys’ roads
By RHONDA HAAG, Monroe County,Chief Resilience Officer After three years of regional coordination efforts among Monroe County staff and representatives of all five municipalities in the Keys, mobile LiDAR road survey work has begun on the 200 miles of roads in Islamorada, Layton, Marathon, Key Colony Beach, and Key West. The $554,000 effort is being […]
Ultrasonic sound waves can keep reservoirs clean from algae
By LISA MARIA BRAND, Microbiologist, LG Sonic A real-time water quality monitoring and remote sensing system controls algae in large waterways such as drinking water reservoirs in Colombia. Lisa Maria Brand of Netherlands- based LG Sonic explains how water quality monitoring and specifically, ultrasonic sound waves, can be used to predict, prevent, and control harmful […]
American Beach celebrates new water, wastewater system
By BLANCHE HARDY, PG Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of Water Restoration Assistance and Nassau County recently celebrated the groundbreaking of a new water distribution system and waste water system for the historic American Beach community on Amelia Island. American Beach is a historic African-American beach community. Per DEP’s historic outline notes, the […]
Economy squeezing Petroleum Restoration Program
By NEELD WILSON, PG,owner, Gator Engineering & Aquifer Restoration, Inc. The Petroleum Restoration Program (PRP) is operating with fixed-fee contracts under some of the most difficult economic conditions seen in the past 50 years. The multiple economic issues in question have been caused by a combination of an 8-year-old fixed-fee contract, inconsistent annual budgets, 50-year high […]
‘Forever chemicals’ to accelerate at PFAS-sites in Florida
By MAUREEN DOOLEY, Vice President IndustrialSector at REGENESISRemediation Solutions A recent Northeastern University study suggests more than 57,000 sites in the U.S. are contaminated by PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). According to the study’s authors, the “known PFAS contamination underrepresents the scope of contamination and is biased toward locations with rigorous testing programs.” In Florida, […]
Florida second in EV ownership nationwide; expect 600K by 2030
By SHARON BENNETT You probably heard that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed, promising cash benefits for those who buy certain (mostly American-made or with approved batteries) electric vehicles (EVs), so EV growth is sure to rise. The Energy.Gov’s Transportation Fact of the week shows that sales of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) in the U.S. increased […]
