Today was another day of rest and recuperation for me, which made me think about the entire island being on R&R. Several of the restaurants have closed for a week or so, for cleaning and time off for the employees, during the slowest time of the year for tourism. It's amazingly peaceful here right now.
You should consider being a good friend to yourself, by suggesting you need some time off to revitalize and recharge. For me, there was no better place than Sanibel Island to accomplish that. You can walk, ride a bike or just lay back on the sand, nearly all alone, to enjoy some quiet time.
It is still hot here during mid-day. The temperature reached 93 again today, for a while, but with some wind, it didn't seem all that bad. The low tonight is to be around 77 again. There were thunderstorms forecast for all last week and 40% chance for each day this week. Luckily there was sunshine most days last week until evening. Hopefully that will be the case again for those few people here on vacation.
Late afternoon, there was a LOT of thunder and some threatening clouds, but it all passed right on by. What we did get, was another beautiful rainbow! If you enlarge the photo, you will also see the friendly neighborhood osprey. :-)
Most of you that come to my blog, are very familiar with Sanibel and Captiva. But, there may be some of you who don't know that Sanibel & Captiva were separated by a channel of water that connected the bay with the gulf. This area, called Blind Pass was known as a popular shelling and fishing spot. In the 90's the pass began to fill with sand and over time, closed completely. As the water flow from bay to gulf diminished, the local environment started to deteriorate and the game fishing became poor. An attempt was made to dredge an opening through the sand, but the pass filled in again in only a few days. In 2008 another much more involved restoration process began, by dredging Blind Pass, Wulfert Channel and portions of Roosevelt Channel. There is also a long term maintenance program planned.
Blind Pass is open with water flowing through it once again, and I am guessing that the game fish may be returning, because the banks of the pass were lined with fishermen today. By the time this video was taken, the threatening clouds had already sent most of them away. But, I think it is safe to say that if all goes according to plan, the entire ecosystem will benefit from this re-opening.
Best viewed in HD on YouTube by clicking on the screen below.
When I woke up today, I didn't realize that I was in for an exciting afternoon and evening. I just thought it was a Kenny Chesney, perfect kind of day, with no where to go and no where to be.
Then....an email came from our SCCF Sea Turtle Research and Monitoring Program coordinator, Amanda Bryant. It was to inform the sea turtle volunteers that a nest near the Tarpon Bay Rd beach access, had hatched. It was being watched very closely because when the nest was first found, the tracks left behind were not the usual Loggerhead turtle tracks. At that point, it was assumed that this was a nest of a Green Sea Turtle, which we do have a few of. This morning after seeing that this nest had hatched, it was also apparent that ghost crabs were digging into it. So, rather than wait the normal 3 days after the hatch to dig the nest, Amanda did it this morning. As she was digging into it, she realized that it was deeper than the usual nests, when she ended up lying flat on her stomach and reaching as deep as she could. Then she spotted 30 remaining eggs, that were the size of tennis balls. Yes.....There's your sign! It was a Leatherback Sea Turtle nest. There hasn't been a reported nest here on Sanibel before. But someone said that nearly 30 years ago, there was one instance when they thought there was a Leatherback nest, but a hatch wasn't reported. Anyway, this was VERY exciting!! Who knows? Perhaps a nest did hatch here all those years back and this is a hatchling from that nest, returning. There were 94 empty egg shells, and there were 4 live turtles still in the nest.
OK, now we know Amanda dug the nest and that she has four babies in her possession that are being kept in a warm, dark place until they would be released tonight from the area of their nest. Hmmm, well we had a reason to drive out to SCCF anyway, so we thought it would be a good idea to do that this afternoon. :-) What a thrill that trip turned out to be! We got to see the baby Leatherbacks and they were soooo cute! Much larger than the baby Loggerheads that I have seen. But, I guess I should have known they would be, since they grow to nearly the size of a Volkswagen when they are adults. Now I know why they have the name Leatherbacks. They looked like they were made of soft leather. You can see them for yourself.
This photo does not do Amanda justice, but this is her with one of the babies.
We quickly took a few photos, then the sand pail was covered again with a wet towel and placed in a warm room, where the little turtles would wait until the cover of darkness to make their way into the Gulf.
You can even see the underside of one of the little guys here.
Best watched in HD on YouTube by clicking the screen below.
From there, we drove on out to Blind Pass to see if rumor was true. We heard that rough water had caused a breach around the steel wall and that the pass was now partly opened, letting the water flow the Pine Island Sound to the Gulf, once again.
It is so. :-) These photos and the video were taken from the Blind Pass Bridge.
You could see why there will be more dredging needed shortly after the wall is all removed. There were some areas where the sand was shifting around somewhat.
Tonight just before 9:00 we went to the beach near the Tarpon Bay Rd access and PointeSanto to watch the four baby Leatherback sea turtles make their way into the Gulf. There was a very large crowd there to wittiness this event. There were no lights or cameras, but the little turtles may have heard some oohs and awes and then applause as they disappeared from sight. They even made the Ft Myers news. This was a day I won't soon forget.
The talk of the island, is the nearing completion of the Blind Pass Restoration Project. Some old bridge timber pilings were found in the channel and those have to be removed and finish the remaining dredging. If the weather cooperates and things go as planned, they may be removing the remaining sheetpile wall which will open the pass. They are estimating August 1. However, the forecasted chance of storms this weekend could be a problem.
The temperature today reached 93, but there was some wind from the east that seemed to help make it a little more comfortable. Early this evening we drove out to Blind Pass to take a look around.
Late this evening there was a lot of thunder and plenty of clouds, but we only got a few drops of rain. The cooler wind did cool things off though. It's now a pleasant 78 degrees. :-)
Best viewed in HD on YouTube by clicking on the screen below.
If you enlarge the photo below, by clicking on it, you should be able to see way over to where there was a crowd of people at the pipe. It actually looked like someone had set up camp there, with a canopy, chairs etc. Great shells including Junonias have been reported to come flying out of that pipe. A number of people have carried a lot of shells away, with junonias and cones among them. Most of the shells I saw, had broken places on them. I've stood there myself on several occasions and on a hot day, it just isn't worth it to me. Before I lived here, I would probably have stayed out there with the best of them, just hoping something good would land at my feet. :-) I think curiosity of what may be there keeps people coming back. I also refuse to race with anyone to get to a shell first. It's more my nature to step back and say, "that's ok, you can have it." I think there will always be another one somewhere, just waiting for me to find it.
On the Captiva side of Blind Pass, there were small shells scattered, left by the receding tide.
These are the few shells that I picked up. A couple of the biggest Kitten Paws I've seen, a few colorful tiny Scallops, a little Drill, a Cerinth, and a few pretty Jingles. It doesn't take much to make me happy. :-)
After the sheetpile wall is removed and the pass is opened, some infilling is expected to occur. Lee County may authorize additional dredging in the Gulf, which could continue until October.
Another interesting project connected to the Blind Pass Restoration, is a study supported by funds from a Florida Sea Grant, being conducted by Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation's Marine Laboratory in conjunction with the Civil Air Patrol.
Seagrass beds in the area between Blind Pass and Redfish Pass are being mapped prior to and after the opening of Blind Pass. This is done through aerial remote sensing and from staff actually visiting each seagrass bed to take samples.
Seagrasses have an important role in the estuary. Marine animals live there for all or part of their lives relying on the seagrasses to provide food and protection from predators. This project will monitor the current condition of the seagrasses and determine the course of future actions.
We went out to Blind Pass to do a quick video of the dredging progress. There is water next to the back wall. That steel wall is the only one left of the big containment cell. It also seems to be the only thing between the water and the beach area, which is right behind that wall. They will probably finish the side where they are working, then do the Gulf side up to the wall before finally removing it.
Best viewed in HD on YouTube by clicking screen below.
Drove the girls on over to Captiva for lunch at R.C. Otters. We all had something different and each of us liked our choices. Just let me warn you, if you go there, believe the menu when it says Famous Chicken Fingers. That chicken had ALOT of BIG fingers. :-) We all had more than we could eat.
On the way back, we stopped in at Jenson's hoping the girls would get to see the manatee; but no such luck.
This evening, leaving the island to do some grocery shopping, we could see rain at Ft Myers and clouds coming toward Sanibel. There was a lot of lightning around Ft Myers and Ft Myers Beach. I saw some of the fishermen on the spoil islands, packing up their equipment, getting ready to leave before the bad weather got there. The wind had already reached there.
We were actually driving toward the storm. By the time we reached the grocery store, the rain was pouring down and the wind was strong. Grocery carts were racing each other in the parking lot. After a few minutes and no let up, we decided to drive on to a restaurant first. A couple of us were craving pizza.
When we reached LaMotta's Restaurant and Pizzeria, 15660 San Carlos Blvd #24, Ft Myers, FL, the rain was still coming down. We just parked near the door and made a dash for it. One of us had spaghetti, one had a Chicken Parmesan sandwich, and of course the pizza. It is the first time that we've eaten there and we enjoyed it. The service was very good, also.
Next stop was for the groceries. When we came out of the Publix, we were surprised by the beautiful colors in the western sky. It was a very dark, navy blue with dark red streaks through it. I've never seen it that color before and was really disappointed that we had obviously missed one of the most beautiful sunsets, ever!
The temperature got to around 90 today before the wind and rain came. The east end of the island only got around 1/10th of an inch, but center of the island got a couple of inches.
This morning was 'Turtle Walk' day. So, if you want to read how that went, check out 'Turtle Talk'.
It has been a while since I've checked the progress of the Blind Pass project. This evening seemed to be a great time to do that.
After parking on the Sanibel side of the bridge, and then walking onto the bridge, I was very surprised when I looked down. The little boat that the workers use was turning around to go back under the bridge and toward the bay.
The containment cell is gone now, except for the wall next to the Gulf. There has been a considerable amount of progress since I was here last, but the project still may not finish by the projected date, because of equipment break downs.
Now, the next thing I was going to tell you was, that there is an armed guard standing by the out flow pipe. Just in case you had an idea of going out there to look for shells. But, on second thought, I'll tell you the truth. :-)) I've heard that people have been finding some nice shells there. Even though shelling hasn't been prime lately, I have friends who have found an outstanding shell during an afternoon of shelling on the beach off of West Gulf Drive. One of them found a very nice Scotch Bonnet and another one found a very nice Helmet shell. Both of those are only found frequently. There were also a few big Kings Crowns found there too, which doesn't normally happen. Maybe it's possible that some of those shells came from the Blind Pass dredging and rolled east?? I guess we'll never know the answer to that one.
This photo is the Captiva Island side of Blind Pass. There were a lot of pelicans sitting on the rock jetty.
Here you can see an Egret and just in front of it is a pelican with its wings spread out to let the sun and wind dry its feathers. It's a little hard to see against the dark rocks. I love watching the pelicans.
There were several people fishing. There is a really steep drop-off there.
This man fought for quite a while to get this fish in. I could tell it was a nice size, when he held it up as if he was measuring it, or maybe sizing it up for dinner. :-)
The video is of the Gulf side of Blind Pass. The equipment was pretty loud today and that was just from 1 Dredge, the other one is broken now. I can imagine how loud it must be if both were running at the same time. Also, none of the other machines were running when we were there either. There was a smell of diesel exhaust in the air, blowing toward Captiva. It's the 1st time I've noticed it since the project started.
Best viewed in HD on YouTube by clicking on the screen below.
This afternoon it was sunny, 78 degrees and windy; a perfect day for a mission. That mission was to check out the dredging project at Blind Pass again. After parking in the Sanibel parking area and walking across the bridge, I was surprised to see such a large amount of water in the containment cell. I took photos and have videos so that you can see for yourself how the water was piped into it and the way it was leaking back out. This is where they are holding the excavated material that is not suited for beach renourishment. That material will be trucked to an upland disposal area. One dredge was pretty far out in Wulfert Channel and the other dredge was next to the gulf shore. You can certainly tell the project is progressing. I checked the 'before' photos of Wulfert Channel and even though I remembered what it looked like at that time, it is still shocking to think of how much sand has already been moved. I even saw a fish jump out of the water, while I was standing on the bridge. :-)
This is the Gulf side with the containment area. The sand that is being pumped into this area is deemed not suitable to be released into the Gulf.
This is the bay side of he Blind Pass dredging project.
This is Turner Beach on Captiva, just over the Blind Pass Bridge. The water was really clear and the beach was empty.
After getting back from Blind Pass, it was around 4:00 and time for the Sanibel Grill to open. Made a stop there for early dinner,and Happy Hour prices. :-) They have the best steak quesadillas! For those who don't know, this is a sports bar, with TVs all around.
Soon after arriving, I saw a news alert that there was a grass fire on Sanibel Island, they were showing clouds of smoke in the sky over the island. What a surprise, since just driving past that area and seeing no smoke at all. Evidently a fire was started from the exhaust of a pickup truck when it was driven into a restricted,15 acre open field, called Sanibel Gardens, owned by Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, the city of Sanibel and the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. The vegetation is very dry here now, and it was windy today, which caused the fire to spread quickly. There were a few homes near the area, but firefighters got the fire under control before causing them damage. I wouldn't want to be the driver of that pick-up right now.
So, that's about all the excitement I can handle for one day.
Since it was another beautiful sunny day, it was a good time to satisfy my curiosity, by making a drive out to Blind Pass to see how far they have gone with the dredging project. It was a nice drive and fun to watch so many people utilizing the bike path. The Sanibel parking area by the bridge was nearly full, with only a couple of spaces left open. There were a lot of people on the beach. I found it interesting looking from the bridge, over the walled in area that looked completed and seeing the bright colored beach umbrellas just beyond. They are going to use the steel walled area to store and dewater the dredged material not beach compatible. That material will then be trucked out. Work is planned to continue on the east side of the channel to within 1000 feet of the bridge and across the entire channel. That work should be completed and work will begin excavating the non-beach compatible material by March 1.
There are pictures and a video below, so you can see for yourself. It's a great feeling to see water so close to the bridge now. Looks to me like they are making great progress. The estimated completion time is May 2009. You can read for yourself the Feb 11 update on the Lee County website .
Can be watched in HD on YouTube
Since posting this, I have been asked by several folks, who don't know about the pass being closed with sand, if this project will help the quality of living for those around it. It's a pretty involved story, but I'll try to just hit the main points and explain, as best I can......
Back in the 90's, Blind Pass filled in with sand, which stopped the flow of water. The entire area on the back side of that pass, in the channel and the surrounding area was surrounded with stagnant water that very quickly affected the environment. Sediment built up, sea grasses died, algae grew, game fish and wildlife left the area.
A trial was done by simply dredging through the accumulated sand in the pass to find out if that might remedy the problem. Fish were seen in the pass the same day of the opening, so there was hope. Unfortunately the pass was closed again in only 10 days.
Since that time there has been an on-going effort to get the pass reopened. It has taken years and tons of paperwork, but this huge project now involves The Captiva Erosion Prevention District, Lee County agencies, Florida state agencies, Federal agencies, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The new plan is very involved. Simply put, more sand is being removed through a deeper and wider area on the Gulf side and in the channel. With hope, that will return the flow of water needed to restore the environment to what it once was.
Blind Pass is at the end of Sanibel Island where a small bridge connects it to Captiva Island. When I first started coming here, water flowed under the bridge, giving people who lived near the channel an access to the sea. I remember seeing people standing on the bridge, fishing over the sides. The times I was there, the water currents were pretty strong through that pass. Each time I had great luck shelling.
Over the years, the pass gradually filled with sand and had blocked off the channel. Now a restoration project has begun to re-open the pass. It was in planning stages for quite some time, but dredging began on December 3, 2008 and is estimated to be finished in May of 2009.
When the project is completed, water should flow freely to restore a flushing connection from the interior waters to the Gulf of Mexico. This will be a big help in maintaining the surrounding ecosystem.
I had read they were going to close both Sanibel & Captiva parking areas next to the pass for equipment storage, etc. But as far as I could tell, the Sanibel parking area is still open. I also read that when they closed, the lot across the street from Lazy Flamingo could be used for parking.
This afternoon we drove to the lot across from the Santiva restaurants (Lazy Flamingo) and parked there with 3 other vehicles. After walking across San/Cap Road and climbing over the guardrail, we could see the big black pipes going to an area to the left, which is not more than a quarter mile from the bridge. I assume this is the sand bypassing from the pass to renourish the beach instead of hauling the sand away. There was red plastic fencing up, all around the area at the ends of the pipes and a KEEP OUT sign next to the ends. There have been stories circulating that people have been finding all kinds of huge shells coming out of the ends of these pipes.
We walked all the way around the fencing to the far side where we saw another man walking on the beach. He told us that he was told by an equipment operator that they don't want anyone close to the pipes. The equipment operator was not there while we were. The man that was talking to us, was staying in the edge of the water near that area and felt that was ok. He also shared a story about a child standing on the pipes, jumping into the pools of water that came from the pipes, yesterday. There had also been a large number of people crowding around grabbing shells and not being very nice to one another. If you know what I mean. :-) So, that explains why they have decided to keep people further away. He said he had been there all day yesterday and saw seven junonias picked up along with some tulips and other shells. Today, not much at all. While we were there, we picked up a few shells but none of them were really good enough to carry home. We took some video, trying to focus in close enough, to share so that you can see what the place looks like. During the time we were there, probably 10 or 12 people gathered to watch for shells.
When we walked back to the car, we were surprised to see that several NO PARKING signs had been put up in the parking lot. I'm really glad we got back before we got towed. :-) All in all, I don't think I would care to go back. I definitely know that on lookers are not welcome there and if they can find a way to keep them out, I'm sure they will.
I am a retired, grandmother who is living a dream in this tropical paradise, called Sanibel Island.
My blog was created to share some of the beauty I see around me each day. This tranquil place is a haven for wildlife and the natural beaches are spectacular. I will post pictures now and then, that I snap quickly with my cellphone.
Since I am on 'Island Time' and consider myself to be a 'Slacker', my posts may not be on a regular basis. But,I hope you enjoy my adventures and come back to visit often.
