WEEk OF APRIL 26, 2023
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 23
Initial forecast: Six hurricanes predicted in ‘23 By CJ HADDAD
cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com
pril 15 marked the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season for Sanibel and Captiva. A“The past couple of weeks have been full of supply runs,
SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY
vehicle maintenance, and volunteer training sessions in preparation for the exciting months ahead,” Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation sea turtle technician Carley Nolan said last week. “Finally, early Saturday morning, our program volunteers and staff felt the warm sun on their backs for the first time of the season as they searched the islands for the first sea turtle nest of 2023.” The SCCF reported that the earliest recorded sea turtle nest on the islands' beaches was laid by a loggerhead on April 15, 2020. Last year, the season's first nest was laid on April 27 by a loggerhead. Beginning at sunrise each day through October, the SCCF's sea turtle team will survey Sanibel and Captiva looking for new nests, monitoring existing ones, and collecting inventory data on hatched ones. See NESTING SEASON, page 18
Following seven straight years of predicted “above-average” activity, top hurricane forecasters feel the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season will buck the trend. Researchers at Colorado State University, now in its 40th year of forecasting the upcoming season, are predicting a slightly below-average Atlantic hurricane season, which will start on June 1. In its first forecast released on April 13, CSU forecasted there will be 13 named storms, six hurricanes, and two major hurricanes. Last year, it predicted 19 named storms, including nine hurricanes and four major. CSU's Meteorology Project team anticiSee HURRICANE FORECAST, page 18
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SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION
Sanibel library board receives applications for vacancy Appointment anticipated this week By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
Six applications were received for an open seat on the Sanibel Public Library District's board. Sanibel Public Library Executive Director Margaret Mohundro reported that Commissioner Barbara Ruben has moved off island, so she can no longer serve on the district's Board of Commissioners. “Your main residence has to be on the island,” she said. With a submission deadline of April 17, the board took applications to fill the reminder of Ruben's term, which is for two years to 2024. Six people had applied for the vacant seat by the deadline. “It's a good variety of people,” Mohundro said. “We're glad to know people are interested in doing this,” she
added. “It's gratifying.” The board is an independent governing body with the responsibility for library fiscal oversight and budget and policy approval. It is composed of seven members who are elected on a non-partisan basis. The board meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Mohundro reported that it is expected to discuss the applicants and appoint one to the seat at its regular meeting on April 27 at 9:30 a.m. in the meeting room at the library, at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. The meetings are open to the public. “They are open meetings,” she said. For more information, visit https://spldboard.specialdistrict.org /governance.
alsOInsIdetOday Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise.....................12 Island Living................................14 Sports.........................................16 Classifieds 26