FortMyersBeach.news FREE Volume 19, Number 28 “By Islanders, For Islanders” July 12th, 2019 Blue-Green Algae: Why & How FGCU, Lee Health Host Programs By Gary Mooney July 10. [email protected] On April 29, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis created “Microcystins are a class the Blue Green Algae Task Force of freshwater Blue-Green Algae and appointed Dr. Parsons as with gas in them to float up to the one of its five members. The surface,” said Dr. Michael Parsons Task Force focuses on expediting at his presentation, “Blue-Green water quality improvements within Algae: Why Is This Happening? the next five years through key How Can We Fix It?” “It can be so funding and restoration initiatives, thick it can look like a mat on top prioritizing solutions, and making of the water, and so dense there recommendations to expedite are reports of iguanas and ducks nutrient reductions to Lake walking across it.” Okeechobee and downstream Dr. Parsons is a professor estuaries like the Caloosahatchee of Marine Sciences at The Water River. It will identify opportunities School at Florida Gulf Coast to fund priority projects with state, University (FGCU) as well as the local and federal funds to build on Director of the Coastal Watershed the Department of Environmental Institute and Vester Marine & Protection’s (DEP) updated Environmental Field Station. His Basin Management Action Plan program was the last of a three- (BMAP) data. The panel will part series co-hosted by FGCU review and prioritize projects with Lee Health, with his “Lunch to provide the largest and most & Learn” session at the Healthy meaningful nutrient reductions in Living Center Coconut Point in the key waterbodies and will examine Village of Estero before roughly 35 connections between Blue Green Dr. Michael Parsons during his Blue-Green Algae presentation at people on Wednesday afternoon, Algae and Red Tide Algae Blooms Healthy Lee Coconut Point. Cont’d pg.12 The Grub Club Lieutenant Jeff Dektas Koreshan Park Lunch Program New West District Lieutenant By Gary Mooney BIVALVES: “ALIVE, ALIVE, [email protected] OH!” “I am a volunteer now for 16 “The earliest settlers of this years; the first 14 at the Lovers Key region were the Calusa Indians,” State Park and now the past two at Pamela offered. “Shells were crucial Koreshan State Park,” said Pamela to their existence, as they used Jones-Morton, a Florida Master every part of them, Not only did Naturalist through The University they eat the meat from the inside, of Florida, in introducing “The they disposed of the shells into big Grub Club” session on “Shells” on mounds onto which they built their Tuesday, July 9, at Noon. “I made settlements. A perfect example is the move here to help develop the on Fort Myers Beach, at the Mound naturalist programs and I absolutely House that is atop one of these love it!” shell mounds. When you visit the One of the new programs Mound House, go underneath the is “The Grub Club” that is a series structure, right into the shell mound, to draw more people to Koreshan to see the various different layers, State Park during the slower as it is fascinating! Later area summer season. Judging by the inhabitants, including the Koreshan turnout at the park pavilion, Pam’s Unity religious sect, used shells efforts seem a success, as roughly to make walkways. Today, people 40 people, half being children, travel from all across the world Lieutenant Jeffery Dektas (L) with West District Commander Captain Matthew Herterick. filled every available picnic table. to shell in our region, including to Perhaps most gratifying was when make decorations, so they remain By Gary Mooney Beach, with operations conducted she asked how many visitors were an important element in Florida [email protected] out of the West District Office at at Koreshan for the first time, with history.” 15650 Pine Ridge Road in South roughly half raising their hands! “Mollusks are the The Lee County Sheriff’s Fort Myers. The West District largest shell category of these Office (LCSO) is the law jurisdiction is from Fort Myers invertebrates, with over enforcement arm of Fort Myers Beach south to Lovers Cont’d pg.3 Cont’d pg.4 Page 2 The Island Sand Paper FortMyersBeach.news July 12th, 2019 Located Behind Publix at Snook Bight Marina Departs From 4765 Estero Blvd. Fort Myers Beach EXPIRES 7/26/19 July 12th, 2019 The Island Sand Paper FortMyersBeach.news Page 3 The Grub Club Koreshan Park Lunch Program, Cont’d from pg.1 80,000 different varieties that though they rarely reach that size include snails, mussels, and even anymore in Southwest Florida due octopus, but today we will discuss to the environment that is no longer just two – bivalves and gastropods,” conducive to that development. Pam said. “Bivalves mean ‘two You can immediately recognize shells’ that swing open like two the Lightning whelk because it is hinged doors. They live in the sand, the only gastropod with a left-side with a foot that digs into it, so you opening, with all others on the right. do not ordinarily see them. This is Females tend to be larger than why when people shell, they tend males, and when you see the very to stand in one spot and just move top of their shell, it looks just like the their toes – that is a way to check baby, and for a very good reason – with your feet to see if you detect that is because the top of the shell any shells buried in the sand. They is the original baby, and that is also have two long tubes, called siphons, absolutely amazing!” that rise up, with one taking in the A prevalent Southwest water for food as well as for air, with Florida gastropod is the Fighting the other shooting out waste water. conch that, despite its name, “is a There is a sticky substance near plant eater,” exclaimed Pam! “We its mouth that catches the food call them ‘Fighting conchs’ because material, with its tongue moving the if you hold one in your hand, it fights food along and into its mouth.” to flip over, as well as because the Bivalves breed in an ancient top of its shell looks like a gladiator’s fashion, said Pam. “When it comes shield.” She implored the audience time to spawn, they shoot their egg Pamela Jones-Morton’s enthusiasm was contagious while presenting “Shells” “that when you do go out shelling, and sperm out into the water, and at the Grub Club program at Koreshan State Park. simply take along a child’s bucket to if those two come together, fine; if store your treasures, so that when not, then they must wait until the song, because you cannot eat the beach wrack line, so when you you are done, you can just put it next spawning season. If there is a them unless they are alive, so the see these, you know gastropods aside for a while to see if anything connection, the microscopic larva salesman was basically letting are in your area. Beaches usually is still alive for you to gently release immediately starts to form a shell. potential customers know that ‘they have several wrack lines, one at the back into the water. As for shells As it grows, so does the shell, as are alive so come on out and buy low tide line, another at high tide, that are alright to take home, once they keep adding to it, with the them!’” and often a third near the halfway you make your necklaces and animal growing from the inside point. Wracklines are the best jewelry, remember someone was and the shell from the outside by AMAZING GASTROPODS places to shell because the Gulf of eaten so we could have our fun!” extracting calcium carbonate that it Mexico brings everything up and It is obvious by her accesses through its food.” “We all know and love deposits it right there on the beach. presentation that Pam has 16 While shells are beautiful, gastropods,” raved Pam, “even If you find a gastropod casing in the years in front of park audiences, Pam cautioned, “Remember, there though they are mostly snails and wrack line, however, the eggs will as her enthusiastic and outgoing is a living creature often inside! slugs, but they include Lightning no longer hatch. The casings there personality is perfectly suited to the Some of you may be old enough whelks and Fighting conchs! We are soft and squishy, and can be as entire spectrum of ages who attend to remember the song, ‘Cockles often call these univalves as they long as 2-1/2 feet, just like a Slinky.” her programs. She finds the ideal & Mussels, Alive, Alive, Oh!’ have a one-piece shell. Gastropods When eggs hatch, “the blend of not talking over the heads Cockles are bivalves that people do not spawn, as there are males babies look identical to their of the children, often including them in England would harvest from the and females that breed as a family, parent,” Pam related. “Isn’t that in her presentation, while providing Dover Straights, then put them producing casings where the eggs amazing! Gastropods can live up enough intellectual information to into their carts and push through can incubate for roughly one month. to 20 years and weigh as much educate and entertain adults. You often find these egg casings in as 18 to 20 pounds as a full adult, the streets of London, singing the Cont’d pg.10 Page 4 The Island Sand Paper FortMyersBeach.news July 12th, 2019 Beach Botany Lieutenant Jeff Dektas by Jim Rodwell New West District Lieutenant, Cont’d from pg.1 Key State Park, advancing I have two degrees, in Criminal member of my same unit, but northeast to the Fowler Street / Justice and Public Communication, many years before me.