Beach nourishment: It's more than just sand

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/03/31/3075787/beach-renourishment-its-more-than.html
- Bradenton.com

Watching the dredge

These people must be wondering when the
North Longboat Key dredging will start. See below.

Broken motor snarls beach project

http://www.yourobserver.com/news/longboat-key/Front-Page/0325201110988/Broken-motor-snarls-beach-project
- Longboat Key Observer

Hudson Bayou sewage spill prompts health advisory

http://citybeat.blogs.heraldtribune.com/10227/hudson-bayou-sewage-spill-prompts-health-advisory/
- Sarasota Herald-Tribune

April Kayak Trips canceled

John Sarkozy will not be able to kayak for 4-6 weeks
due to medical problems.
There will not be any kayak trips in April . April trips are all canceled.

John is scheduled for a hospital procedure but will be good as new soon and will be kayaking again. That is something he loves and looks forward to.

See you on the water as soon as possible!
Get well quick, John.

New Jersey: Marshbird Point Count Technicians

Here's a job for us. Let's go.
http://sws.org/jobs/viewmore.mgi?ID=8295&l=t

Osprey Nest Encouragement in New Jersey

Here's what is being done for ospreys in New Jersey:
http://njospreyproject.blogspot.com/
Are there similar projects in SW Florida?

Do we need to be more proactive in SW Florida?
We do react to problems here. One case was the removal of an osprey nest with chicks from the baseball stadium lights. The chicks were raised elsewhere.

Laying the Bradenton Beach Pipeline

What a mess at this point!

The end of pipes is fenced so little varmits won't enter. Sand is periodically covering the track.

This looks like it is going to be a pathway over the pipeline.
However, there is no ramp on the other side...just a drop-off.

Sand blowers to keep the sand moving through the pipe.
There are also banks of lights which fit over the top of pipes so they can be seen by boats and beach goers in the dark.

Special jaws on the tractor . . . made especially for picking up pipe.

Bradenton Beach: Here come the pipe that will carry the sand......

What's going on here?????

Great Lakes Dock and Dredge is laying a pipeline to transport sand from miles offshore to Bradenton Beach. Much of the line is being installed offshore and will come on the beach just south of the Beach House (about 2nd St. North).

Palmer Point Restoration Project

Our John Sarkozy and the Southeast American Littoral, with help from Sarasota County Natural Resources, the Selby Foundation, Friends of Oscar Scherer State Park, and a local homeowner, completed the Palmer Point restoration. The project is seen over time below.

1993 - Looking north. Australian Pines almost hide the buildings at Turtle Beach and are progressing across the dunes from the bay side to the high-tide area of the gulf.

2001 - Looking north. Australian Pines have been removed up to the private property, native dune grasses have returned, and the dune has grown several feet higher.

Exotic tree invasions - mainly Australian Pine and Brazilian Pepper - crowd out native plant species and thus reduce the diversity of native plants and wildlife. Many native plants, such as Red Mangrove, play a vital role in the local ecosystem as a source of food, a sink for excess nutrients and pollution, a soil stabilizer, and a buffer against storms.

2011 - looking north from Palmer Pt Park.
This is what the beach looks like today.

The OSPREYS have a say....

--Photo from John Sarkozy

Venice Beach Concession Stand

The concession stand, with soaring roof,
is a pleasant place to end up a walk on Venice Beach.

Great photos of Robinson Preserve

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/01/01/2844362/photo-gallery-robinson-preserve.html#http://media.bradenton.com/smedia/2011/01/01/17/s946-0102_BRLO_robinson_27lo.standalone.prod_affiliate.69.jpg
- Bradenton Herald

Bradenton Beach Renourishmen Project

Pipes will first be laid from a borrow pit north of Anna Maria Island to Coquina and Cortez beaches.
Most of the pipes will be underwater. For two weeks, the last mile or so of pipe will be on beach edge.

Venice Beach Safe Again

The red flag warnings have been lifted. Bacterial levels have reduced to the point that it's safe to go in the water again at Venice Beach.

Wiggins Pass channel debate rages on

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/mar/22/wiggins-pass-channel-debate-rages/
- Naples News

Designs for Siesta Beach upgrades unveiled today

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20110324/ARTICLE/110329800/2416
- Sarasota Herald Tribune

White seaweed

White seaweed on Venice Beach:
This sun-bleached specimen is probably a spineweed or redweed.

White seaweed next to sargasso.

Marine Invasions Research Lab

http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/marine_invasions/

Venice Ghost Crab

The ghost crab's eyes are on stalks, allowing it to see 360 degrees, an adaptation that helps it avoid predators. This Venice Beach crab didn't budge an inch when I walked right up to him. His hole was not near by.

This crab usually forages at night. Could he be smart enough to know that some of us are afraid of him? Probably not. Perhaps, the thought of all the picnic crumbs nearby overcame his fear of people.