MANATEE COUNTY – What goes up must come down, but in the release of celebratory helium-filled balloons, it’s the coming down that creates problems.
In addition to adding trash to the waters, deflated balloons can cause marine life to become entangled and die. The balloons also can be ingested by marine life.
In May, researchers from the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) spent five days offshore conducting dolphin research, but they found more than dolphins.
“We collected 76 balloons and other marine debris up to dozens of miles offshore, including two ghost crab trap lines with floats and a beach ball. Most of the balloons had Mother’s Day or birthday messages,” according to the SDRP website.
Mylar balloons are made of synthetic nylon with a metallic coating, are non-biodegradable and can travel long distances.
“They heavily contribute to oceanic waste and animals can become entangled in them or ill from ingesting whole balloons or pieces,” according to the SDRP. “Wayward balloons are also extra dangerous for sea turtles because they resemble jellyfish – one of turtles’ common prey items.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) also warns against the release of balloons as being hazardous to marine life.
“Marine and coastal wildlife can become entangled or trapped in many items such as fishing line, crab traps, balloons with attached string, beach furniture and other types of marine debris. In addition, some of these items may be ingested, leading to further harm,” according to the FWC website. “Monofilament fishing line and other plastics (bags, deflated balloons, etc.) can drift into seagrass beds or snag onto floating vegetation – a sure path to a slow death if a manatee ingests any of these items and is not able to pass it through its digestive system.”
Florida Statute 379.23 prohibits the release of more than 10 balloons within 24 hours. Violation of the law can result in a $250 fine.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Being a small island, AMI’s wildlife and human inhabitants often cross paths, but due to people feeding animals, they are getting to be a little too comfortable with their human counterparts.
“I had just dropped some people off at Coquina Beach and stopped for a quick snack,” said Randy Lusk, who drives one of the Old Town Tram golf cart shuttles in Bradenton Beach. “I grabbed some trail mix and saw a squirrel jump in the golf cart by my left foot. Before I knew what was happening, he ran up my leg and grabbed some of the trail mix out of the bag on my lap. I thought he would run away, but he ran up my arm, sat on my shoulder and had a snack; it was crazy!”
Lusk said he was not coaxing the squirrel and not trying to feed it, but obviously, it had been fed so many times it had absolutely no fear of humans. While it’s a funny story with pictures that will brings laughs for Lusk and his family for a lifetime, even an innocent-looking squirrel could potentially be dangerous.
The Florida Department of Health in Manatee County (DOH-Manatee) reminds the public to avoid contact with wild or stray animals out of concern that they could be carrying rabies.
Anyone believing they may have been exposed to rabies, bitten or scratched should contact their health care provider and their county health department immediately.
In addition, if bitten by a suspected rabid animal, seek immediate treatment to prevent contracting the disease. Immediately wash animal bites and scratches with soap and water and call Animal Services at 941-742-5933 to report the bite. They will remove the animal for quarantine or testing.
The rabies virus is present in some wildlife in Florida and can spread to unvaccinated pets, which then pose a high risk to pet owners and their families. Some actions people and their families can take to prevent from being exposed to rabies include avoiding direct contact with wildlife, not feeding wildlife, consulting a veterinarian to ensure pets are up to date on rabies vaccinations and supervising pets and young children while outside.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Pelicans know where the fish are.
Their quest for the tastiest fish, however, can bring them in contact with some life-threatening consequences as they are often hooked or entangled in fishing gear, leading to injury or death.
Staff members at a local animal rehab organization know all too well what injuries can occur to these long-billed shorebirds in their search for food.
“We see at least 50 pelicans a year with mostly fishing-type injuries,” said Krista Carpenter, a volunteer at Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.
Entanglement can occur at many locations, but fishing piers and boat ramps are hot spots for this conflict between anglers and pelicans.
“If you hook a pelican, you can reel in the bird as gently as you can,” Carpenter said. “Cover their head with a towel to calm them and then call us.”
If a pelican is caught in a fishing line, Carpenter said that as the line gets tighter it will cut into the bird’s skin or internal organs.
Most common pelican injuries are caused by fishhooks or entanglement in fishing gear. – Leslie Lake | Sun
Another hazard is fish bones getting caught in the birds’ throats.
Signs at local boat ramps say, “Please Don’t Feed the Birds!” because filleted carcasses and large fish bones can injure or kill seabirds by puncturing their throats.
“Pelicans are resilient,” Carpenter said. “If we can get to them quickly enough before bones get into their digestive tract, they have a good chance.”
Audubon Florida was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Sarasota County to support a brown pelican banding study.
The banding project in the Tampa Bay region is designed to discover more about survival rates following accidental hooking and learn more about repeat entanglements for released birds.
Audubon Florida’s goal is to band 50-100 birds over the initial 12-month period of the study. An additional 75-100 successfully rehabilitated brown pelicans will also be banded prior to release.
Current project partners include Seaside Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores, Skyway Fishing Pier State Park and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The Hooked Pelican Working Group, formed to address this problem, is a partnership between the FWC, Audubon Florida, park managers, rescuers, rehabilitators and anglers.
BRADENTON BEACH – In the interest of protecting all the animals along the food chain, a local animal rescue organization is urging Island homeowners to consider a natural alternative to the chemical eradication of rodents.
A strategically-placed wooden screech owl box or barn owl box will attract the owls that naturally prey on rodents, according to the experts at Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc.
“You can get these boxes online and it’s simple,” Wildlife Inc. volunteer Krista Carpenter said. “You put it in a tree and put a bird feeder near it. As the bird seed falls out of the feeder, rats and mice will gather and then are eaten by the owls in the box.”
Installing an owl box can save many lives.
“From one block of poison, a poisoned mouse could be eaten by a bird, which is then eaten by an animal such as a fox or raccoon. A hawk could eat that fox or raccoon and then a bobcat or coyote could eat that,” causing all their deaths, Carpenter said. “A vulture could eat the last one. The circle of life is also the circle of death.”
That food chain poisoning became apparent in May when Carpenter got a call from the organization’s co-director, Gail Straight, that an American eagle in distress was found on the grounds of IMG Academy in Bradenton.
“The person who had called us was a golf pro there, an Australian man who knew what the eagle meant to the United States,” Carpenter said.
Describing the female bird as huge and beautiful, Carpenter knew right away that something was very wrong.
“She put up a little fight but it wasn’t what it should be,” she said. “I noticed there were tented homes nearby and I thought, ‘They use poison.’ The eagle was treated for poisoning but she succumbed that same day.”
Carpenter described the eagle’s death as miserable and painful. It was caused by ingesting high levels of rat poison.
“Rat poison is basically a blood thinner and causes a slow, painful explosion of organs,” she said. “A rat will go out looking for water after ingesting the poison and in this case that American eagle ate the rat.”
Carpenter said she is not anti-extermination but urged people to try an alternative path with owls, something she said has been used for years in California wineries as a natural pest control technique.
According to the Wildlife Inc. Facebook page, “Bait boxes filled with what killed the American eagle are put out to control rodents. If an owl box had been put out instead, this American eagle would be alive today. A common barn owl eats three to four rats a night.”
“Of course, the person who put the bait box out didn’t expect the eagle to die,” Carpenter said. “All I’m saying is think before you take the easy path. You never know what you’re going to kill.”
Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Inc. is a non-profit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization that is home to a wide assortment of sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife, some of which will be eventually released, as well as to animals who are non-releasable and have found a permanent home there.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – After a record-breaking spring season and Memorial Day weekend, all signs point to the busiest July 4 holiday ever, based on indications from Island innkeepers and renters, flights booked into SRQ and trends studied by the Manatee County Tourist Development Council.
Whether you’re a longtime Island resident or just here for a week, there’s plenty you need to know in order to have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.
Parking
Parking is a constant subject of local debate in the three cities that make up Anna Maria Island and it is one of the most discussed topics by people planning a visit.
Bradenton Beach has more parking than the other two cities. Parking is available at both county beaches (Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach) where free trolleys turn around every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. until 10:30 p.m., seven days a week, transporting visitors to locations anywhere on Anna Maria Island.
The main parking lot is located off First Street North just east of Circle K. The lot is also accessible off Bridge Street. Additional parking lots are located in the 400 block of Highland Avenue (Police Department) and south of the Public Works facility (under the cell tower). All parking areas are free and all lots are closed at midnight.
Here are some parking prohibitions in the three cities:
Anna Maria
In areas with signs prohibiting parking
On a sidewalk
On a street (all tires must be off the pavement)
Facing the wrong direction
Angle parking
Within 30 feet of a stop sign
Within 20 feet of an intersection
Double parking
Blocking a driveway
Between 10 p.m. – 6 a.m.
In a handicapped zone or space without a permit
Bradenton Beach
On a street
In the grass or on the sand at Coquina Beach
Anywhere that emergency vehicles will be blocked; blocking vehicles will be towed
In a handicapped zone or space without a permit ($300 fine)
Anywhere that is not a designated parking spot.
Holmes Beach
In areas with signs that prohibit parking
On a sidewalk
On a crosswalk or within 20 feet of a crosswalk
On a bicycle path
Within 30 feet of a stop sign
Within 30 feet of an intersection
Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
Blocking a public or private driveway
In a handicapped zone or parking space without the proper license plate or hang-tag issued by a state and affixed to or in the car
Between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at Manatee Beach
Facing the wrong direction
Double parking, either side by side or tandem
On private property without the permission of the owner of the property
Traffic
Anna Maria Island is small – 7 miles long – and the southern portion of the Island is very narrow. Because of the geography, there are few back roads and very few shortcuts.
It likely will be shoulder-to-shoulder on AMI beaches this holiday weekend, so plan on arriving early. – Mike Field | Sun
According to Holmes Beach Police Chief William Tokajer, more than 31,000 cars entered his city on Memorial Day, and there’s no reason to expect less for the July 4 holiday. While Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach don’t track vehicles, numbers are expected to be similar. The best policy for dealing with traffic headaches is to just accept that there is not much that can be done about it, relax and enjoy the scenery. A great deal of the traffic jams on AMI come with views much more pleasant than the daily grind in most American cities.
If you can leave the car at home, there is some help being offered by Manatee County. In an effort to help drivers avoid heavy beach crowds over the Fourth of July weekend, Manatee County Area Transit will offer free rides onto and off of Anna Maria Island via Manatee Avenue next week.
The special fare-free zone allows passengers to board the Beach ConneXion Shuttle to Manatee Beach from July 2-4 at any MCAT stop between 75th Street West and Anna Maria Island.
The AMI Trolley and the Beach ConneXion Shuttle will operate on Independence Day, but regular fixed-route and Handy Bus services are suspended on July 4. Regular fixed route and Handy Bus services are available on Saturday, July 3 and will resume Monday, July 5.
Wildlife
The Island is home to a large variety of wildlife, and while it is a great place to live and visit, it is also their home and needs to be respected. It’s currently nesting season for sea turtles and many shorebird species, including least terns, a threatened species that hasn’t had a successful nesting colony in 15 years on the Island.
Here are a few tips to enjoy your trip and not disturb native wildlife:
Manatees may approach you, but enjoy them while giving them space. Take a picture, but don’t touch them. They won’t harm us, but we can easily harm them.
Birds are everywhere on AMI, from osprey to pelicans to seagulls and many more. They will often come very close to humans, but they also need to be enjoyed from a distance. Don’t feed any birds, and please teach children that chasing them is not ok. Chasing birds could cause them to abandon their nests. Also, cleaning up after your beach visit keeps trash from being entangled in a wing or a leg.
Sea turtles are currently nesting. Please fill any holes you or your children may dig on the beach. A baby sea turtle could hatch at night and fall into the hole, and that’s a meal for a predator. Also avoid flashlights or cellphone lights on the beach at night. It can confuse hatchlings and they will not make it to the ocean.
While the Gulf coast is known to be relatively safe for swimming, be aware that it’s still wild, and the wildlife needs to be respected. Watch for any warnings from beach patrol and lifeguards regarding dangerous marine life. This could be sharks, jellyfish or other marine life of concern. When walking in the ocean, practice the “stingray shuffle.” Stingrays don’t want to hurt you, and if one swims by there is no cause for serious concern. However, they like to bury themselves in the sand at times, and if you step on one, they may sting you out of fear they are being attacked. The “stingray shuffle” means sliding your feet through the sand as you walk in the water rather than using a traditional step. The stingray will know you’re coming and will swim away.
Weather protection
Summer is the rainy season on the Island. This doesn’t mean it rains all the time, but severe afternoon storms are very common this time of year, and the weather should be taken seriously. In addition to protecting your body, using some common sense will protect your property as well.
When a storm comes, take shelter and stay out of the water. It’s not uncommon for a summer storm to produce more than 50 lightning strikes in a radius of just a few miles. If you can hear thunder, you are in range to be struck by lightning. High winds from afternoon storms can also produce dangerous riptides which can cause drowning.
The sun is very strong in the summer, and even if it’s cloudy, you can get a serious burn that can make your beach time much less pleasant for days. Use sunblock, and reapply after going in the water regardless of how “waterproof” your sunscreen claims to be.
Anna Maria Island has a low crime rate, and while violent crimes are rare, anytime tens of thousands of people gather in a small area, crimes of opportunity will happen. Try not to bring valuables to the beach, and if you must, don’t wander away from them. Jewelry, electronics and beach supplies are easy targets for beach thieves.
The beach
Dogs, alcohol, grills, glass bottles and other items are not permitted on Island beaches. If you choose to risk it, be aware that you will be fined if caught by beach patrol. Most public beach access entrances have signs that let you know what is allowed and what is prohibited at that particular beach.
The Drift In’s Rock & Blues Festival on Saturday, Nov. 2 will also serve as a fundraiser for Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation, the Bradenton Beach-based bird and animal education and rehabilitation center.
Wildlife Inc. founder Ed Straight and his wife Gail were named The Sun’s Persons of the Year in 2015. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Beginning at 12:45 p.m., the music festival will feature performances by Concrete Edgar, Tommy Balbo & The Collective and Dos Macs with Steve Arvey. Drift In Manager Doreen Flynn seeks donations of gift baskets, gift certificates and other items from local businesses to use as raffle prizes for the fundraising efforts. The Drift In is also accepting cash donations and checks made payable to Wildlife Inc. Donations can be dropped off at the Drift In, 120 Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, or you can call 941-778-9088 to have your donation or donated items picked up. Flynn also needs covered dishes brought to the Drift In on the day of the festival.
Founded and operated by Ed and Gail Straight, with assistance provided by volunteers, Wildlife Inc. rescues, cares for and releases injured and orphaned birds and animals. The festival proceeds will assist Wildlife Inc. with food and medication costs and will also help fund repairs needed for the bird and animal enclosures.
