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VOL 23 No. 8
November 30, 2022
Family affair CINDY LANE | SUN
A squirrel family gets together on Thanksgiving weekend at Perico Preserve.
Farm-City Week honors local farmers, ranchers The Farm-City Week celebrations preceded the Thanksgiving holiday.
Human disturbance is seen as the top hazard for local shorebirds. BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | leslielake@aol.com
BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Thanksgiving meals recently enjoyed and holiday meals yet to come this season wouldn’t be possible without the farmers and ranchers that provide our food. Each year, Farm-City Week is celebrated in recognition and appreciation of the farmers, ranchers and support personnel that are the backbone of Manatee County’s agricultural industry. Celebrated this year from Nov. 7-19, Manatee County Farm-City Week 2022 honored the Bradenton Kiwanis Club in celebration of that organization’s 100th anniversary.
Please, don’t feed shorebirds
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
Mayor John Chappie, left, presented Ralph Garrison with a framed copy of Bradenton Beach’s Farm-City Week proclamation. The Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach city commissions each issued their annual Farm-City Week proclamations. According to those proclamations, the first FarmSEE FARM CITY, PAGE 11
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Humans disturbing birds is one of the key hazards to threatened shorebird and seabird populations, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). When attempting to nest and raise chicks on local beaches, breeding birds spend energy avoiding human threats, leaving chicks and eggs vulnerable to the elements and predators, according to the FSA’s annual report. “Research has demonstrated that chronic disturbance from human activities at a site can negatively affect reproductive outcomes, local abundance, and ultimately statewide popu-
lations,” according to the FSA report. Kathy Doddridge, a volunteer with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, offered some tips on reducing human interaction and disruption to the local shorebird population. “Walk around bird colonies so as not to disturb them, prevent children (and adults) from running through a resting colony in order to get that perfect selfie or video,” she said. “Feeding gulls bread is equivalent to feeding your children styrofoam peanuts. When the gulls become reliant on beach scraps, they are more inclined to stay around and then prey on chicks and eggs. One of the primary predators of nesting birds is the local cat population. Keep your cats inside and your dogs off the beach.” Manatee County law prohibits dogs on beaches. FSA, a statewide network of local SEE SHOREBIRDS, PAGE 24
PROMINENT ISLAND Dr. Andre
BRADENTON BEACH
Renard remembered. 3
CHRISTMAS PARADE
Page 27 Anna Maria Island, Florida
rezoning reconsidered. 4 takes a detour - maybe. 8
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