T ;•=• T-jpr-r"-;1" -^ri-""-T-^--;~^| ni I • ' ' _ I f J t -• J_«. J -I.J __| Week of May 24-30,2001 SANIBEL&CAPTIVA, FLORIDA VOLUME 28, NUMBER 21, 28 PAGES 75 CENTS Refuge boundaries The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds hearings on expanding J.N. "Ding" Darling refuge boundaries. results in $5,000 fine —See page 2 By Pete Bishop Hurricane season Staff writer Part one of a two part series The $5,000 fine given last week on the upcoming 2001 hur- to Richard and Fleur Cook for ricane season. destroying two. gopher tortoise burrows, tortoise habitat vegeta- —See page 3 tion and 10 cabbage palms on two vacant lots in the Wulfert Road Pepper eradication area is the largest one-shot penalty imposed in the city's history, Eliminating Brazilian pep- Michael Pistella according to city officials. A stop work order halted per on Sanibel continues Michael Pistella although 70 property own- The county's chief hearing construction on Richard ers have been given notices Arsenic levels at the school ranged from 2.81 to 32 mil- examiner, Diane Parker, autho- and Fleur Cook's properties of violation for not remov- ligrams per kilogram of soil. Florida DEP targets 0.8 mil- rized the fine as part of a stipulat- March 16. ing their pepper. ligrams of arsenic per kilogram for soil cleanup projects. ed agreement between the Cooks gopher tortoise forage species and the city during a May 17 code plants; replace the cabbage palms —See page 20 enforcement hearing. with 10 cabbage palms plus 20 In addition to the fine, plus High levels of arsenic found in nearly $400 in administrative costs, the Cooks have agreed to t> See Tortoise Sanibel School's Kids Play area replace habitat vegetation with 90 page 20 Volunteers reeled DONE DEAL! Sanibel environmental Officials say there Is enough to pose immediate danger organizations are in dire to the island's schoolchildren, need of volunteers to help no danger to children; Principal Barabara Von Harten has them with a variety of tasks cleanup set for July posted signs near the area and told this summer. her teachers not to allow children By Pete Bishop to sit or dig in the sand under —See page 5 Staff writer equipment until those areas are replaced with another substance. During recent tests of four Lee Students will also be required to County schools that use wooden wash their hands and arras after playgrounds, the highest levels of using playground equipment. Biking Sonibe! arsenic contamination were found Wooden playgrounds have been at The Sanibel School. Arsenic an arsenic contamination point of Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of levels at the ononm Commerce publishes a new ammam,mmmmmmmmm concern in school ranged Florida since the brochure and places informa- from 2.81 to 32 4 ©I feel confident tion on the Web about bicy- that the school dis- summer of 1999, cling on the islands. milligrams per when Alachua kilogram of soil. trict is taking the County removed Florida necessary steps and is equipment at a Michael Pistella —See page 7 Department of being proactive trying Gainesville ele- It was another huge success story for land preservation. Environmental to minimize any risk mentary school. On May 21, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation J, Peg ©n Lassie Protection targets to the children." Earlier this announced it had raised $2.3 million to purchase the 56- J. Peg Webster searches the 0.8 milligrams of spring, three acre Periwinkle Way/Casa Ybel (PCRP) property. About arsenic per kilo- Barbara Von Harten 1,400 individuals, families and businesses contributed to Web for sites devoted man's Sanibel School principal playgrounds in best friend — Lassie. gram for soil ______,,__,__ the Tampa Bay the fund to buy this large piece of Periwinkle Way frontage cleanup projects, --—•—--— area were tem- that extends back to the Sanibel River. This land is con- —- See page 8 although soil samples from some porarily closed due to high arsenic sidered a crucial link in an extensive habitat bordering 6.5 areas of the state register higher levels. miles of the Sanibel River — which includes conserved than that naturally. The main culprit is chromated land including Frannie's Preserve, the Bailey Tract, the Although the levels of arsenic Sanibel-Captiva Conservation tract and the Pick Preserve. contamination surrounding the t> See Arsenic. Dae to several large donations, the PCRP land will be school's playground are not high page 17 divided into two separate preserves — one along School newspaper Periwinkle Way, the other along Casa Ybel. Inside this week, a 16-page newspaper created by Sanibel School students. man By Anne Bellew of the boat. Some reports indicated was 49. Neither son was injured. Lisa, and John; a sister, Susan Staff writer that the other son, Jessie Hall, was Born in Bayonne, N.J., and for- Wieters and her husband, Michael, thrown to the floor of the boat. merly of Hollywood, Fla., Salerno all of Hollywood; and many nieces Anthony G. Salemo, a resident The young men, who are 23 and was co-owner with his friend and and nephews who loved and cher- • Environmental News . .page 5 of Sanibel, was thrown from his 20-foot boat on May 17 and killed 21, pulled their father from the partner, Lowell Murad, of T&L ished their "Uncle Tony." He was water and called Sanibel Fire & Sales, Professional Hotel/Motel preceded in death by his sister, • Business & Technology page 7 when the propeller of the out-of- control boat struck him. Rescue at approximately 1 p.m. for Liquidators, and was a member of Alice Dzikowski. assistance, said U.S. Coast Guard •Opinion page 9 According to Florida Fish & St. Isabel Catholic Church. Services were held earlier this Wildlife Conservation Petty Officer Bruce Walker. The He is survived by his wife of 18 week at St. Isabel's. A memorial • Looking Back page 10 Commission officials, Salerno was Sanibel unit and the Coast Guard years, Joanna; a daughter, Maria service will also be held at St. returning from a fishing trip with both responded by boat, with Salerno; two sons — Elijah of Maurice Catholic Church in Fort •Dateline page 11 his two stepsons when several large Sanibel personnel arriving on the Sanibel and Jesse Hall of Lauderdale on June 4. In lieu of waves, apparently froth'.the wake scene first. When the Coast Guard Hollywood; his mother, Gloria flowers, the family suggests dona- • TV listings ...' .page 16 of another vessel, slammed into arrived a few minutes later, emer- Rogerson, and his father, Alphonse tions be sent to the St. Maurice Salerno's boat. His stepson, Elijah gency personnel had already deter- Salerno, both of Hollywood; two Hunger Program, 2851 Sterling • Classifieds page 21 Hall, who was driving, lost control mined that Salerno was dead. He brothers — Thomas, and his wife Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312. 2 • Week of May 24-30, 2001 • ISLAND REPORTER Islanders leery of USFWS proposed boundaries into sound waters Refuge for inclusion of Chino Island. Editor's note: This is the first in a two- Complex in expansion of refuge manage- boating and fishing, and the socio-eco- pan series on the U.S Fish & Wildlife ment boundaries for federal funding and/or nomic concerns that came with it. Widening FWS boundaries over sound proposal to expand J.N. "Ding" Darling joint wildlife management of troubled habi- "Pme Island makes its living off the and bay waters drew sharp questions on refuge boundaries tats around Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, waters or recreational living, but only one Sanibel as it did on Pine Island to the rea- Caloosahatchee, Island Bay and Ding refuge of the five under consideration has soning and effect on fishing or boating By Dawn deBoer Darling wildlife refuges. specific boundaries set," Trokey said. within the proposed area. Staff writer USFW held the second and third pub- "The others do not have well-defined "This has been a long time coming," lic meetings Wednesday in Sanibel and boundaries. The planning process to set said Hinds in the 30-minute preface to a PINE ISLAND — The first of three Fort Myers. those boundaries begins tonight." two-hour, one-on-one with the Pine Island public meetings called this week by the Hard hit with criticism from its last The Service brought in Atlanta, Ga., community. He spoke of the complexities U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in round of public meetings held on Pine Regional Office Division Chief of Realty, and benefits of an environmental assess- Southwest Florida drew a crowd of 100 Island on yet another hot topic — mana- Tom Follrath, to detail the legal intent and ment and land acquisition plan which here Tuesday to speak their minds on tee sanctuaries and refuges, speed zones extent or limitations of the proposal with which opens the refuge system to joint what turned into a three-hour hot topic for and regulations — Pine Islanders Lou Hinds, refuge manager of Ding partnerships with outside agencies. recreational and commercial boaters, state approached its meeting with the feds as Darling, on hand and Chuck Underwood Congress requires, Hinds said, "an agency and conservation managers, tainted bait trawling a bigger line and out of its Jacksonville office for manatee acquistion boundary area within which I landowner and fishing associations. sinker somewhere in the underwaters. clarifications. can explore wildlife management with my The issue — more federal jurisdication Susan Trokey, a legal instruments On Sanibel, four islanders directed spe- state partners by giving me the authority over Florida waterways. examiner with the U.S.