WEEK OF MAY 21, 2025 FLIER INSIDE
Special thanks
Winn-Dixie provides lunch for the teachers and staff at Pine Island Elementary School — INSIDE PINEISLAND-EAGLE.COM
VOLUME 49, NUMBER 2
Piper now leading 1st EnviroSafety Inc. Company continues advancements and research in nanotechnology with products in sanitation industry By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Daniel Piper has taken over for his late grandfather, Ted Tidwell, not only in ownership of his company, 1st EnviroSafety Inc., but in his research and continued passion for the exploration of what can be done utilizing nanotechnology in the industry of sanitation. Purely Green (100 or 25) are the sanitation concentrates they have currently available. These products can be used to
clean just about everything in the house, he said, with no perfumes or odors. “Cleaning is really just chemistry sold as a product,” Piper said. Although their Purely Green line is the most popular of their sanitizing products, Piper said, around the time of the COVID pandemic, the company developed a hygienic line of soaps. These soaps, he said, were specially designed to have more foaming action in order to introduce more oxygen to cleaning, which creates better penetration on a microscopic level for more thorough cleaning. “When you’re cleaning, the nano-particles actually get out and penetrate more surfaces on a molecular level, so
you get a better clean,” Piper said. After the success of having invented Tidwell’s sanitation products, it was discovered in 2003 that the products also help plants grow, Piper said. The citrus industry has been largely affected by the Asian citrus psyllid bug, which feeds on the sap of citrus trees and spreads the bacteria responsible for citrus greening, Piper explained, because currently he is most excited about the company’s involvement with Citrus Green protocols. 1st EnviroSafety’s product, Bio Wash, has been turning heads for years as Piper said, in agriculture it is used as a bio stimulant or a surfactant as well as an adjuvant. See 1st ENVIROSAFETY, page 10
Wilbur ‘Pop’ Riepel turns 105
By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
‘Dolphin Whisperer’
Island charter captain Eagle shares experiences on the water with Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife By PAULETTE LeBLANC
pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com
Introduced as the “Dolphin Whisperer,” Cathy Eagle was invited to share her many experiences as a charter tour captain with the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife at Rotary Park in Cape Coral Tuesday, May 13. Having had over 40 years’ experience exploring the local waterways, including Matlacha Pass, Pine Island Sound, Boca Grande Pass and Captiva Pass, Eagle said her tours focus on dolphins and the diverse natural environments of the region. This free event, which was open to the public, brought in a number of folks interested in learning more about our local waterways and their inhabitants. “Thermo-regulation is how the dolphins are able to regulate their body temperature. In fact, manatees have to migrate because they are not able to thermo-regulate their body temperature. Once their temperature gets above 78 degrees, they have to flee, that’s why they
INSIDETODAY
Islander Wilbur “Pop” Riepel turned 105 years old Monday, May 12. Of all the festivities, although Riepel said he had no birthday wish for anything in particular, seeing all the many visitors was his favorite part of the birthday party. “I’m enjoying myself very much. All the people coming to see me is the best part of my day today,” Riepel said. Not many people can say they have had their very own day, but Riepel can. The 8th of May 2023 was declared “Corporal Wilbur Riepel Day” in Lee County, by the Lee County Board of Commissioners. Riepel can be seen in one of his photos holding the plaque presented by the County Commission, some of who attended his 103 birthday party in 2023, where he was given the honor of having been awarded his own day in Lee County.
migrate. The dolphin, however, are able to release heat through their extremities such as their pectoral and their dorsal fins as well as their bellies,” Eagle said. Interestingly, the body temperature of dolphins stays between 96.8 and 98.6, the same as human beings, she said. Another fascinating fact she brought up in her presentation was the unihemispheric sleep ability of dolphins. This is the ability to allow rest or sleep on one side of the brain while the other remains awake and alert. This ability is shared by humans to some degree, where it is called the first night effect, because humans may experience a form of asymmetrical sleep See ‘DOLPHIN WHISPERER,’ page 10 Island resident and charter tour captain Cathy Eagle talks with the members of the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife.
Athlete of the Week..........13 Dolphin Tales.....................6
PAULETTE LEBLANC
Kittens of the Week..........12 On the Water.....................11
Wilbur “Pop” Riepel with his “Corporal Wilbur Rieple Day” certificate from Lee County.
SJCCA Update...................7 Worship Directory.............6
Classifieds & Obituaries