Slayton to leave Recreation Sanibel Playwright visits expansion page 12 page 8 page 11 JULYS, 1999 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 27 kn 32 PAGES FL d KtPORTER mg^sm. Wliift, Sealover hired PATRIOTISM ON PARADE as city manager "My wife is ecstatic Aug. 16 start date set and I am very happy and honored," Sealover By Pattie Pace said from his North Staff Writer Carolina home Tuesday. "I was impressed with Sanibel has a new city manager. members of the council Edward Sealover, town manager of and department heads I Atlantic Beach, N.C., has accepted the job met with. I'm looking after winning the Sanibel City Council's forward to living in a unanimous approval at a special meeting tropical paradise, in an last Friday, with Councilmember Steve E. Sealover atmosphere that's stable Brown participating by phone from Nova and offers a high degree Scotia, where he is on vacation. of professionalism." Sealover will take over the city's top post Sealover will be paid a base salary of Aug. 16. t> See Sealover, page 2 Mosquito spray residue Photic 'MuhatlPi'.ldla ABOVE: The Bissell family is the long- time organizer of not harmful, district says the Fourth of July By Jill Goodman trict director Bill Opp. Parade on Sanibel. Staff Writer "A little bit of wind can cause the spray The late Don Bissell to drift." he said founded the annual The Lee County Most ol tfic spiay is watci. Aktie, uu event which was Mosquito Control District is material used to kill the mosquito larvae, is held Saturday keeping bu;>y, trying to con- mixed at a ratio of 1/2 ounce to 5 gallons of morning this year. trol one of the biggest men- water per acie. aces on the islands this time "It's not very strong," Opp said. AT LEFT: The of year. Helicopters fly low The spray is extremely wet undei the Sanibel/Captiva over the wetlands, aiming for helicopter so that it can push its way Optimist Club is the nasty little salt marsh tin ough the tee canopy and end up on bod- well represented on mosquito. ies of water. the Bissell family's On occasion, island residents may expe- "Every mosquito must swim before it float. For more pho- rience a light drizzle after the helicopter flies." Opp said. "We are looking for ones in tos of holiday week- passes overhead. There is no cause for water columns to prevent them from end events, please alarm, according to mosquito control dis- t> See Residue, page 3 see pages 4-5. First turtle DUCK STAMP ARRIVES Sanibel officer nest hatches heading to Kosovo Will help keep the peace on Captiva AT LEFT: Trina By Dawn Grodsky Stokes of the Editor i§ Turtle tracker/page 16 U.S. Post Office on Sanibel His co-workers think he's crazy. So By Gwenda Hiett-Clements stamps the first do his kids. But Ray Christensen is News Editor day cover of excited about going to Kosovo for a this year's year to work as a police monitor. It was pretty much a National Federal Duck However, the retired Sanibel detective Geographic moment. The sun was just ris- Stamp last and part-time traffic enforcement offi- ing. Sam Landry, Captiva director of the Thursday cer is also apprehensive about the jour- Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation's morning at the ney he's set to embark on in two days. sea turtle monitoring program, was on the J. N. "Ding" He'll miss the football season and beach, digging up to his shoulder at the site Darling spend Christinas without his family. of a loggerhead sea turtle nest which had National He'll also experience a harsh winter for Wildlife Refuge hatched three days before. It was time to the first time in 15 years. Christensen tally the success of the iirst hatch of the rea- Visitors' Center. Christensen, 59, will be among 500 son. Pulling up empty shells means hatch- For complete Americans and 1,100 total police monitors dispatched to the lings have headed successfully out to sea. details of the war-torn nation. They'll work under the auspices of the And finding any live turtles left behind can one-of-a-kind United Nations, interviewing people crossing the borders, give a whole new meaning to attempts to offering, please restoring the judicial system to working order, monitoring preserve beaches for nesting. see page 3. police activity and making sure there are no human rights Holding a tiny, 3-inch long loggerhead violations. hatchling and feeling its flippers instinctive- Christensen is scheduled to leave July 10 for Fort Worth, ly move in a crawling, swimming motion Texas, for three weeks of tiaining prior to heading to nnngs to mind the struggle the tiny creature Kosovo. races to reach adult size of three-feet long, What's still unclear is whether the police monitors will t> See Hatches, page 16 Michael Pistella O See Kosovo, page 2 2 Q JULY 8,1999 Q ISLAND REPORTER Kosovo From page 1 it be armed. But Chnstensen, an ex-Marine and 35-year law enforcement veteran, said not having a gun doesn't worry The war has only been over him. "It doesn't make any difference. If you don't have a gun for three or four weeks. (trouble makers) will be more lenient on you. If you have a f gun, there will be shots exchanged," he said, adding he had There s a heck of a lot of land read a newspaper article in which Secretary of State Madeline Albright was quoted as saying she wanted the mines. The KLA (Kosovo monitors armed. However, he is concerned about being attacked. "The Liberation Army) is taking JJI war has only been over for three or four weeks. There's a heck of a lot of land mines. The KLA (Kosovo Liberation potshots at our guys there. Army) is taking potshots at our guys there," he said. Christensen learned about the job after a faxed notice was sent to the SPD. His brother-in-law, Doug Roth, was previously stationed in Bosnia and will go with him to — Ray Christensen Kosovo. Christensen said he, too, applied to go to Bosnia but they were looking mainly for instructors. He doesn't know if the two will be stationed together or where in "I haven't been in snow for over 15 years," he said. Kosovo he'll be. The monitors will be provided with weather-appropriate Getting accepted isn't easy and the recruiting is being clothing and will be identifiable by their blue berets. handled by a company called DynCorp, which does all the Christensen and the other Americans will also have an background investigations and hiring for the government, American flag patch on their uniforms. Those from other according to Christensen. countries will wear their flags. "The State Department says X number of men are need- The men will live in tents with wooden floors and eat out ed to go here and you go get the people," he explained. of a mess hall. "They're looking for a few good men. Hopefully, I'm one of "There will be a host of nations over there, working hand them." in hand," he said, noting it will be a true international com- Christensen had to complete reams of paperwork, includ- munity. ing filling out a 20-page psychological questionnaire. He Christensen isn't terribly familiar with the situation in had to provide his passport, get medical and dental check- Michael Pistella I ups, and secure letters of recommendation. He also had to Yugoslavia but said he picked up a book on Kosovo recent- provide evidence of his clean law enforcement record at the ly. Retired Sanibel detective and part-time traf- SPD and from Greenwich, Conn., where he also worked as "It's been going on for hundreds of years and it's all fic officer Ray Christensen stands next to the a police officer. about religions. You've got the Turks, the Serbs, the American flag in Police Chief Lew Phillips' To go, applicants must have law enforcement experience Muslims, the Catholics," he said. "I have to be neutral." office. Christensen is heading to Kosovo, and either be on the job or have retired not more than three Christensen passed on giving his opinion on Yugoslav where he'll be stationed as a police monitor years ago. President Slobodan Milosevic. "I can't answer that right for a year. "I've been retired for two years. If I'd retired a year ear- now. I'll let you know in a year, when I have first-hand wrote him a recommendation letter. lier, I couldn't go," he explained. Christensen has continued information from people over there." Christensen said he also has support from his wife, Gail. to work part time since his retirement. So what does he expect? Chnstensen closed his eyes and "I've been a cop for 35 years and she said, 'If you want to Police monitors also must be in good health. Christensen said, "I see bombed-out buildings, mass graves, muddy go, do it. I can't stop you,'" he said, noting they may meet had to have his cholesterol checked and in Fort Worth, he roads, donkey carts, crying kids looking for their parents. in Ireland or Italy for a vacation after six months. will undergo endurance tests, such as climbing stairs, lifting They way I picture it, it's all depressing." He admitted those Christensen said his children — a son, 38, and daughter, and running.