Skip to main content

Tag: AMI Turtle Watch

Every nest counts for AMI Turtle Watch

Written by Ernie Vanderwalt on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The sky was still dark when Kristen Mazzarella and her volunteers rolled onto the sand.

By the time the first beachgoers spread their towels, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring teams had already covered nearly seven miles of Gulf and bayside shoreline on ATVs and on foot, cataloguing the night’s sea turtle activity, marking new nests and recording data that feeds into four decades of conservation science.

During the June 25 patrol, seven nests were discovered on the Island – six were found along the Gulf shoreline and one was discovered on the bayside.

When asked how often the patrols go out, Mazzarella, the Turtle Watch executive director, said, “Every single day.”

Turtle Watch members examined the beach area near the BeachHouse restaurant in Bradenton Beach. – Ernie Vanderwalt | Sun

The work is meticulous by necessity. Mazzarella has spent nearly 30 years in sea turtle conservation and has developed protocols for identifying a true nest from a false crawl. A false crawl is the trail a sea turtle leaves when she emerges from the water but turns back without laying her eggs.

The crawl marks left behind by a loggerhead turtle allow the Turtle Watch volunteers to locate and mark the new nests each morning. If those tracks are crossed or obscured before the patrol arrives, a new nest can be missed entirely.

As part of the daily routine, the Turtle Watch team has adapted patrol routes and coordinates closely with multiple agencies that share the beach. Those agencies include Manatee County Beach Patrol, local law enforcement agencies and the county’s beach cleaning operations that entail a large John Deere tractor towing a beach rake along Coquina Beach and Manatee Beach. During nesting season, which runs through Oct. 31, the beach raking routines are adjusted to avoid disturbing active nests.

NESTING CHALLENGES

The 2026 nesting season is already proving remarkable. Across the Island’s monitored shoreline, Turtle Watch has recorded nearly 300 loggerhead nests – a pace that reflects a healthy nesting population and the daily discipline of Turtle Watch teams that never miss a morning.

This season, that discipline is being tested by an added complication: Since the sea turtle nesting season officially began on May 1, Turtle Watch volunteers have relocated 39 nests in anticipation of a smaller beach renourishment project that is expected to commence at Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach in August. The smaller renourishment project will be followed by a significantly larger beach renourishment project that’s expected to begin in November, after turtle nesting season ends.

Mazzarella said relocating turtle nests is a labor-intensive process that requires careful documentation and state permits. She said beach renourishment projects, while necessary for maintaining the beach, can alter 

\the slope, temperature and compaction of the sand in ways that affect nesting success. 

Among the most critical phases of the season is hatchling emergence, which runs July through September. Each hatchling must navigate from nest to Gulf in darkness, guided by moonlight and starlight reflecting off the water. Artificial light from coastal properties can disorient them fatally, drawing them inland toward roads and predators. During nesting season, Turtle Watch maintains a nighttime retrieval and rescue team that responds to calls around the clock.

“We can get woken up in the middle of the night,” Mazzarella said.

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

The permit governing volunteer activity caps the patrol team at 24 permitted members. Mazzarella said she can train additional volunteers and rotate them onto the permit over time, but the real need is having a consistent group of volunteers who can commit two to three days a week, and not just on weekends.

She said the organization’s greatest current need is not equipment but the education efforts used to reach beachgoers before problems occur. She said most people come out and they just see the beach, but they don’t recognize the beach is a habitat for turtles and shorebirds. Turtle Watch asks beachgoers to remove their beach chairs, toys and beach gear before sunset; to fill in any holes dug in the sand; and to keep the lights off or use amber-filtered lights after dark.

Ernie Vanderwalt | AI Generated

Residents and visitors who encounter a nesting turtle or her hatchlings are asked to stay at least 50 feet back and avoid flash photography. If you see a dead, injured, distressed or disoriented sea turtle or hatchling, please call Turtle Watch at 941-301-8434.

According to the Turtle Watch website, since 1983 Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch has monitored more than 20,800 turtle activities, protected more than 10,000 nests, and shepherded hundreds of thousands of hatchlings to the Gulf. Manatee and Sarasota counties together host the highest density of loggerhead nests in the Gulf. 

Learn more at the AMI Turtle Watch website.

Sea turtle to be released and tracked during Tour de Turtles

Written by Ernie Vanderwalt on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – On the morning of Monday, June 29, or Tuesday, June 30, at approximately 8 a.m., a nesting sea turtle fitted with a satellite-monitored transmitter will be released into the Gulf on an Anna Maria Island beach.

The exact release date and location will be announced the night before the release happens. Those hoping to attend the release event can check the Sea Turtle Conservancy Facebook page or the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Facebook page Sunday night or early Monday morning to see if the release will occur on Monday – again Monday night or Tuesday morning, if needed. 

The night before the release, a sea turtle that has finished nesting on an Anna Maria Island beach will be captured, temporarily detained, outfitted with a small shell-mounted transmitter and released the following morning into the Gulf. Many researchers, volunteers and interested residents and visitors are expected to watch the turtle slip into the Gulf to begin one of nature’s oldest migratory journeys.

The transmitter-outfitted turtle will then “compete” in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s 18th annual Tour de Turtles race that functions as the conservancy’s annual turtle migration tracking event.

According to the Tour de Turtles website, a small, low-wattage platform terminal transmitter will be attached to the turtle’s shell and used to monitor the turtle’s location and create a tracking path of each competing turtle’s travels. 

According to Sea Turtle Conservancy Research Biologist and Sea Turtle Grants Program Administrator Dr. Daniel Evans, the Sea Turtle Conservancy launched the Tour de Turtles in 2008 as a satellite-tracking research initiative.

Each summer, the Gainesville-based nonprofit organization attaches transmitters to nesting female turtles at various locations across the Western Hemisphere. On Anna Maria Island, the Sea Turtle Conservancy partners with another nonprofit, the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring organization. 

The race “winner” is whichever turtle swims the farthest during the three-month race window that begins on Aug. 1 and ends on Oct. 31. During and after the race window, the progress of this year’s competitors (and some previous competitors) can be viewed at the Sea Turtle Conservancy website by using the STC phone app.

Sponsored by Hurricane Hanks restaurant in Holmes Beach, last year’s Anna Maria Island Tour de Turtles entry was named Winnie. The loggerhead turtle was estimated to be 25 years old and she was released at Coquina Beach on June 23. By the time the race officially began in August, Winnie had already logged more than 100 miles in the Gulf.

In an email to The Sun, Evans said the turtle’s shell is first cleaned of algae and barnacles, lightly sanded, and wiped with rubbing alcohol to create a clean bonding surface. The transmitter is then placed toward the front of the shell and secured using a combination of epoxy putty and fiberglass. The transmitters feature a hydrodynamic design that minimizes drag and are often painted with anti-fouling paint. The total weight of the attachment remains under 5% of the turtle’s body weight. While all tags collect location data, more advanced versions can also track dive profiles, water temperatures and GPS data.

Evans said the attached transmitter is designed to be temporary and will eventually fall off naturally when the turtle sheds its outer shell layers as it grows, which typically happens every six to 12 months. While some tags can remain attached for up to two years on loggerheads, the goal is to secure a medium-term tracking device that does not have a permanent impact. Battery life generally lasts over a year, but antenna damage or biofouling can occasionally shorten the transmission window.

Evans said the transmitters are tracked by the same polar-orbiting satellite network that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses to monitor global weather. 

Evans said a single satellite fix can be off by miles, but over time, the pattern shows researchers where a turtle feeds and how she navigates between her birth beach and her adult foraging grounds. Loggerhead turtles use the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass, returning to nest near where they hatched decades earlier.

Evans said each turtle is also assigned a conservation cause or a threat to the sea turtle’s survival that her journey highlights. Those threats include light pollution, marine debris, illegal egg harvest, boat strikes and climate change.

The data collected from the satellite tags helps researchers track the turtles’ movements long after they leave the beach, and some of that information has changed what scientists now know. Evans said past tracking data from turtles previously released at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge along Florida’s east coast revealed a previously unknown northern migration corridor. This discovery overturned assumptions that turtles mainly migrate south.

First loggerhead sea turtle nest of season found

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season has been located in Bradenton Beach by volunteers from the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring organization.

Although sea turtle nesting season begins officially on May 1, Turtle Watch volunteers started patrolling the Island beaches on April 15 to ensure finding any early nests.

“We have been awaiting our first nest for a few weeks and are excited to see that sea turtle nesting has finally begun on Anna Maria Island,” Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella wrote in a May 15 email. “We look forward to another productive nesting season.”

Turtle Watch volunteers relocated this sea turtle nest. – Danielle Kimberly | Submitted

The nest laid in Bradenton Beach was relocated to a location nearby to prevent it from being in the project area of an upcoming beach renourishment project. The nest relocations are conducted by trained personnel authorized by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Marine Turtle Permit MTP-087, per special permit conditions, according to Mazzarella. 

According to Turtle Watch volunteer Karen Anderson, relocated nests are recreated to the same specifications of depth, diameter and size to those the nesting turtles created.

NESTING NEWS

Turtle nests laid: 8 (8 loggerhead, 0 green)

False crawls: 17 (17 loggerhead, 0 green)

Nests hatched: 0

Hatchlings produced: 0 

Hatchling nest disorientations: 0

Adult disorientations: 0

Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

Related coverage: Learn about sea turtles at weekly Turtle Talks

Sea turtle nesting season begins

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Birds, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – The official May 1 start to sea turtle nesting season was celebrated at Coquina Beach Café in Bradenton Beach with educational materials and displays provided by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers.

Turtle Watch volunteers taught Suzi Fox Day attendees about sea turtles. – Leslie Lake | Sun

The annual educational event is named “Suzi Fox Day” in honor of the late Turtle Watch executive director Suzi Fox, who passed away in 2022. 

Turtle-friendly PAR20 amber LED light bulbs were available in exchange for a donation. Local musicians Scott Blum and Bill Vinhage provided the live music. 

A model of a sea turtle nest was on display during the event. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Beach patrols to monitor nesting activity have begun, but so far, there have been no signs of nesting sea turtles on Anna Maria Island beaches.

Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella (left) spoke to Turtle Watch volunteers. – Leslie Lake | Sun

“We’ve been out every morning since April 15,” Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella said.

“We’re doing a lot of preparation and getting out to all the contacted most of the property managers and they can order educational materials on our website and then inviting them to come here and pick up educational materials,” she said.

“We’re trying to do more with our educational outreach, and doing a lot more over the winter,” Mazzarella said. “In the summer, we’re trying to get more materials about shorebirds so we can also educate people about shorebirds.”

She said the volunteers are watching a group of black skimmers in Bradenton Beach that may possibly become a nesting site. 

A model of a black skimmer shorebird was displayed. – Leslie Lake | Sun

Mazzarella said Turtle Watch is already planning ahead for a beach renourishment project scheduled to take place at Coquina Beach this summer. 

“The turtles will be nesting,” she said. “We’re getting ready to start relocating for the beach renourishment project. Once we have a meeting and know what kind of equipment is going to be used, we’ll know more.”

Sea turtle nesting tips

During sea turtle season, May 1 to Oct. 31, follow these tips to help nesting sea turtles:

  • Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.
  • Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night.
  • Remove all beach chairs and other objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.
  • Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water. 

To report large holes or other turtle obstacles call Anna Maria code enforcement (941-708-6130, ext. 111, Bradenton Beach code enforcement (941-778-1005, ext. 280) or Holmes Beach code enforcement 941-778-0331, ext. 2600).

  • Level sandcastles before leaving the beach; they can block hatchlings from the water.
  • Don’t use balloons, wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf and turtles can ingest the debris.
  • Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights. Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. 

If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

The AMI Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring website can be found at IslandTurtleWatch.com.

In March, Turtle Watch Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella shared this highly informative sea turtle presentation with the Clean Water Ad Hoc Committee in Holmes Beach.

Anna Maria farmers market returns

Anna Maria farmers market returns

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria.

ANNA MARIA – The city-sponsored weekly farmer’s market has returned to City Pier Park.

Featuring 13 vendors, the market will be held every Tuesday through May 7, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
The Anna Maria farmers market takes place every Tuesday at City Pier Park. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The market started on a trial basis in March 2018, then resumed the following fall and has continued since then. Taking over for the now-retired Debbie Haynes, Deputy City Clerk

Fran Berrios now organizes and manages the market under and around the City Pier Park shade sail structure. Berrios said the vendor roster is set for the season and vendor applications are no longer being accepted.

“We’ve had a great turnout, the weather’s beautiful and the people are happy,” she said on opening day, Oct. 10.

Jimmy Hernandez manned the Dynasty Guacamole vendor booth that featured fresh guacamole and salsas.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Jimmy Hernandez worked the Dynasty Guacamole booth. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Milagros Produce booth offered a wide variety of locally grown vegetables and fruits.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
The Milagros Produce booth offers shoppers a plethora of fresh produce choices. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Rosibel Malheiro operates the Bella’s Gourmet Cuisine booth and she’s among the original market vendors that have participated each year since the market started. Her booth offers pasta, various kinds of ravioli, including lobster ravioli, porcini mushroom sauce, marina sauce, empanadas and more.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Bella’s Gourmet Cuisine vendor Rosibel Malheiro is one of the original market vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

When asked how it felt to be back at the market, Malheiro said, “Lovely. It’s a beautiful day and we have a lot of regular local customers.”

The Anna Maria Bake House, part of the Chiles Hospitality group, was among those who made their market debuts on opening day, offering sourdough, ciabatta and Cuban bread.
“We started as a bread program for the Sandbar restaurant in 2015,” head baker Ted Louloudes said. “Recently we became Anna Maria Bake House, making all the breads and desserts for the Chiles Hospitality restaurants. We also make breads and pastries for the Gamble Creek Farm market in Parrish.”

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Jessica Ruekberg, Matt Vinski and Ted Louloudes worked the Anna Maria Bake House booth. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

In a neighboring booth, Gamble Creek Farms also made its market debut, offering organic produce that included eggplant, okra, squash, lemongrass, chives, plantains, turmeric, papaya and more.

“We’ll be here every Tuesday through May,” vendor Tricia Snow said.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Joe Ann Feeney and Tricia Snow worked the new Gamble Creek Farms booth. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

At the Spiked Pickles booth, vendor Chip English sold craft beer-infused pickled goods.

“We partner with breweries in the state of Florida. We utilize their beer to make a different kind of pickle through lacto-fermentation. We work with about 24 different breweries in Florida. If it grows in Florida and it’s in season, we will pickle it,” English said.

His offerings include pickled green beans, red onion, jalapenos, peppers, cucumbers and more.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Chip English displayed the Spiked Pickles offerings. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“This is our third year. We have some very loyal customers that come back year after year. We sold a lot today,” English said.

When asked what he likes about the Anna Maria Farmers Market, English pointed across the street to the City Pier and Tampa Bay and said, “Look at the view.”

Now in her third year at the Broccobabe booth, Lelia Tavrides sold broccoli greens (the leaves and greens from broccoli plants), broccoli microgreens and kits to grow broccoli greens and microgreens at home.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
The Broccobabe booth featured broccoli microgreens.- Joe Hendricks | Sun

“Most people are familiar with broccoli sprouts and the microgreens have the same benefits. They’re nutrient-rich and contain antioxidants. I use them in smoothies, sandwiches, omelets salads and anywhere you would use greens,” Tavrides said.

She also offered fresh dill, arugula, basil, orange mint, tomatoes and more.

At his Surferdude Cooks tent, vendor Roman Strykowski sold Marek’s Authentic Polish Food, of which he is an independent distributor.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Roman Strykowski sells Marek’s Authentic Polish Food at the Anna Maria market. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“It’s authentic Polish food, all manufactured in Chicago by Poles. Our sausage doesn’t have any gluten, no fillers, no corn starch. They’re made with meat imported from Poland, are made in the old traditional way and contain less sodium than most American sausages,” he said.

His offerings included several varieties of frozen and fully-cooked sausages, pierogi and more.

Strykowski said Marek’s is the only nationwide company that uses Polish flour to make its pierogis.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Red’s Farm made its market debut. – Red’s Farm | Submitted

Making her market debut in the Red’s Farm booth, Julie Richie said, “We’re selling pastured chicken, pork and eggs. It’s regenerative farming. They’re in poultry netting and we move it every day so they get fresh ground. It allows them to fertilize the ground but not over-fertilize it. It really is great for the land but for the birds and pigs as well. We have pigs in a wooded area. It’s our first day and our first year at the market. I heard about it from another vendor at another market. It’s great. It’s been busy.”

At the Hahn’s Handcrafted Lemonade booth, original market vendors Garrison and Chanhsy Hahn enjoyed their market return.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Hahn’s Handcrafted Lemonade owners Chanhsy and Garrison Hahn
are original Anna Maria market vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“We’ve been here since the beginning. We love the people here and the atmosphere. This is my favorite market. It’s a beautiful day and the customers are nice,” Garrison said.
“It’s local produce and local products,” Chanhsy added.

As one of the market’s large produce vendors, Fibela Produce offers a wide range of fresh produce.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Fibela Produce is one of the market’s largest fresh produce vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

At the Devs Bevs booth, company owner Devinne Whittaker sold the fresh-pressed juices she also sells daily inside The Center of Anna Maria Island. Whittaker made her debut at the Anna Maria market this month and is a regular vendor at the downtown Bradenton market.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Devinne Whittaker’s Devs Bevs made its Anna Maria market debut. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“This is my first time at this one. I grew up here, I live out here and I’m happy to be part of something in my community. It’s amazing. I’m almost sold out,” she said.
Whittaker shared a sample of her Funky Lemonade wellness shot and said, “It’s for allergies, congestion and gut health. It kind of opens up your sinus cavities,” she said of the slightly spicy concoction that includes pepper, garlic and turmeric.

“All my juices are good for specific ailments. I started my company and helped my mom beat stage 4 cancer by juicing and plant-based eating. She’s two years in remission now,” Whittaker said.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Mr. Fun Guy specializes in dried mushrooms, tinctures and more. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

The Mr. Fun Guy booth offered several varieties of dried mushrooms, tinctures and other mushroom-based products.

Original vendor Thomas Tillman manned the Grumpy’s Farm Market booth that’s part of Tillman Farms. His offerings included raw honey, homemade bread, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, celery, zucchini and peppers. When asked what he likes about the Anna Maria market, Tillman said, “It’s local and we’ve got a lot of variety.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Thomas Tillman is one of the market’s original produce vendors. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

“The weather’s nice, sales are good and we’re running out of things,” Tillman said as noon approached.

Anna Maria farmers market returns
Kathy Noonan and Barbara Riskay worked the AMI Turtle Watch booth. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers Kathy Noonan and Barbara Riskay manned the Turtle Watch booth that offered in exchange for a donation several turtle and sea-life-related items such as shirts, books, hats, cooling towels, books, license plates and Christmas ornaments. The proceeds generated at the market booth help fund the organization’s sea turtle monitoring, protection and preservation efforts.