PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Flag Day FT MYERS, FL PERMIT #5718 June 14th Postal Customer ECRWSS NEWSPAPER VOL. 19, NO. 50 SANIBELSanibel & CAPTIVA & Captiva ISLANDS, Islands FLORIDA JUNE 8, 2012 JUNE SUNRISE/SUNSET: 8 6:35 • 8:20 9 6:35 • 8:20 10 6:35 • 8:21 11 6:35 • 8:21 12 6:35 • 8:22 13 6:35 • 8:22 14 6:35 • 8:22 Bike Path Use Sanibel Ospreys Increased 56 Produce Most Percent Chicks In 30 Years by Anne Mitchell by Anne Mitchell f you think Sanibel’s bike paths are total of 125 osprey chicks survived more crowded, you’re right! A recent the 2012 Sanibel nesting season Isurvey shows that ridership at one key A and left their nests, according to intersection almost doubled and at oth- The International Osprey Foundation. In ers, it increased by between 49 percent addition, the nest monitors reported that and 80 percent. four eaglets fledged. That’s the most suc- The busiest is Middle Gulf Drive and cessful nesting season since records began Donax, where on a Thursday afternoon in 1979. and a Saturday morning the week after Last year, 122 ospreys and four eagles Easter, a total of 935 bicyclists were were reported as fledged from a total of counted during two four-hour periods, 101 osprey nests and two eagle nests. an increase of 93 percent over a similar Nest watchers monitored seven nest- period in 2006. ing territories around the island every two Total cyclists counted during 2012 weeks from January through May and survey period was 4,650, compared with sometimes beyond. They checked a total An osprey feeds its chicks in the nest 2,979 in 2006, a 56 percent increase. of 133 osprey nests, of which 78 were Gardner, TIOF president. “We have 48 baby ospreys. You might remember, City Manager Judie Zimomra told the occupied, and three eagle nests. records dating back to 1979; we have had this was a year with huge water releases city council on Tuesday that Sanibel “This is the very best year our Sanibel some good years and some not so good from Lake Okeechobee, which seems to continued on page 38 ospreys have ever, ever had,” said Tim years. Back in 2007, Sanibel only fledged continued on page 3 Historic Coast Guard Vessel To Become Diving Destination by Jeff Lysiak fter years of service to the United States Navy, patrolling the icy Awaters of the northern Atlantic Ocean and guarding America’s eastern seaboard throughout World War II, the 77-year-old USS Mohawk will soon make her final voyage. The former Coast Guard “A” class cutter is slated to become a veterans’ memorial reef, a recreational destination for scuba divers and fishermen approximately 13 miles off the coast of Sanibel. On May 16, the USS Mohawk arrived in Fort Myers Beach following a two-day journey from Key West, where for the past several years she served as home to the Miami-Dade Historical Maritime Museum. Over the next several weeks, she will undergo renovations at Kelly Brothers Marine Contractors, which will transform the 165-foot vessel into an artificial reef. “By using the Mohawk as a veterans’ memorial reef, we are able to prevent a piece of our national history from being The USS Mohawk, which arrived in Fort Myers Beach on May 16, is currently under construction to become a veterans’ memorial reef off turned into scrap, all while honoring our the coast of Sanibel continued on page 32 photo by Jeff Lysiak 2 ISLAND SUN - JUNE 8, 2012 Unique Gifts For The June Bride Sold At Sanibel Historical Village Unique gifts perfect for June brides are for sale at the gift shop in the Old Bailey Store at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village he Sanibel Historical Museum & quality of these valentines is exquisite Village is showcasing a trio of gift and incomparable for the price; they Tideas that are perfect for June start at about $55 (including tax). Rose brides and only available at the muse- Prestigiacomo is an award-winning shell um’s gift shop. artist and Jim Prestigiacomo builds the The Village Gift Shop, located in the custom cherry and other wood display 1927 Bailey General Store, is offering frames. sailor’s valentines – including mirrors and The Village Gift Shop also has a valentines in heart-shaped frames – hand- selection of hand-woven, colorful pine crafted by Jim and Rose Prestigiacomo needle basketry from Naples artist Gisela from Texas. Paula Newton, museum Damandl. Damandl learned her craft director and gift shop manager, said the from an Old World artisan and has been creating pine needle baskets for many years. She compares her work to that of the Seminole tribes in Florida who wove baskets from the long pine needles they gathered in the forests. Damandl teaches pine needle basket artistry at BIG ARTS The Sanibel Historical Museum & workshops and her work is exhibited in Village is currently open Wednesday galleries in the Northeast. The baskets are through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 priced according to size and complexity. p.m. The village, which operates as a Another perfect gift for the bride is non-profit organization, is located at 950 Tahitian Gardens, Sanibel • 239-395-5353 an all-white shell wreath handcrafted of Dunlop Road (next to BIG ARTS). The www.SynergySportswear.com Sanibel shells, made by Barb Walling. museum’s exhibits are scattered through- Walling is a Sanibel resident and award- out the Rutland House, the Schoolhouse winning shell artist. She has been an avid for White Children, Burnap Cottage, Miss shell collector for many years. Charlotta’s Tea Room, the Post Office, Morning Glories (a Sears kit home) and er New Ownersh Und ip! the Old Bailey General Store. A replica of Scrapbook Papers Rubber Stamping the Packing House holds the museum’s archives collection. Admission is $5 for Quilting Art Supplies adults over 18; children and members are Fabric Shell Craft free. For more information, call 472-4648. Beads Craft Supplies Notions Find us on Gifts Make It & Take It Bead Bracelet Every Thursday $4.75 Send your 10% off a single regular priced item* BIRKENSTOCK • MEPHISTO • ECCO *Excludes fabric. Cannot be combined with any other off ers. editorial copy to: Coupon required at time of purchase. Discount taken off lowest price item. COMFORT BY DESIGN Hours: Mon. - Sat. 10am -5pm • www.threecraftyladies.com (239) 395-0666 • 1-800-454-3008 [email protected] 1628 Periwinkle Way • 472-2893 • Heart of the Islands, Sanibel Sanibel Island • 1640 Periwinkle Way in Limetree Across from the Bank of the Islands ISLAND SUN - JUNE 8, 2012 3 Rutland Great- From page 1 Sanibel Ospreys Niece Visits have had something to do with red tide problems.” Uncle’s Home It’s important to monitor the overall larence Rutland’s great-niece, health of ospreys, added Gardner. Beth Hardley, and her sister, Julie “Ospreys are an excellent indicator CKomorowski, visited her uncle’s species for environmental issues, both house at the Sanibel Historical Museum good and bad.” & Village for the first time one recent Sunday. Hardley hails from Pasco County, Florida and had never been in the home, so Historical Village president Beth Hardley, left, and her sister, Julie Alex Werner met her at the historic Komorowski house that is the first one museum visi- tors enter upon arriving at the village. “We enjoyed it very much and were Beth Hardley, great-niece of Clarence very grateful that Alex took time out of Rutland, toured his home for the first time his day to see us,” Hardley said. “My at the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village mom came here for summers when she ground on pilings made of concrete and was a little girl. We showed her the video beach sand. This affords the house pro- [of our visit], and she remembered a lot of tection from floods as well as allowing things. She was very impressed and very for air to circulate. Eleven-foot ceilings, a grateful.” wide hallway and placement of windows Hardley’s mother is Ruth Fortner and doors opposite each other keep the (nee Wilde), niece of Clarence and Ruth house cool and are typical attributes of a Rutland. “cracker house.” Clarence Rutland came to the island “This is just one of many examples with his parents in 1896 at the age of 6 of how the museum extends history and was a jack-of-all-trades. In the 1920s, into people’s lives on a personal basis,” he earned seven cents per crate packing Werner said. tomatoes and peppers for farmers and The Sanibel Historical Museum & resided in the house that now is an icon Village is located at 950 Dunlop Road of the Historical Village from 1928 to (next to BIG ARTS) and there is handicap shortly before his death in 1982. access to all buildings. Summer hours, The Rutland House was opened as which are now in effect, are Wednesday a museum in 1984. The house, built through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in 1913, in a typical “cracker” style Admission is $5 for adults (18 and over). (“cracker” deriving from the sound Florida Members and children are free. cattlemen made when cracking whips). It For more information, call 472-4648 is made of hard Florida pine. Originally during business hours. built on Periwinkle Way, it stands above Optimist Club 4th Of July Road Rally he Sanibel-Captiva Optimist Club’s 2012 Road Rally starts on Wednesday, July 4 at noon in Timbers Restaurant parking lot.