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APRIL 2024 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC LANDINGS RESIDENT BUSINESS PROFILE: VENUS MED SPA
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NEWCOMER’S RECEPTION
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KID’S CORNER: COHEN SWIGGART, 12
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The health of Sarasota Bay & impacts of climate change By Suzanne BeDell, Photo by Robert Manteiga In an extra Free College event cosponsored by the LMA, Dr. David Tomasko, Executive Director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) spoke to almost 100 residents about Sarasota Bay health and the impacts of climate change. SBEP is dedicated to restoring the health of Sarasota Bay and is one of 28 National Estuary Programs in the United States. It works in partnership with local city and county governments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Southwest Florida Water Management District. SBEP uses a report card to track four elements of bay health. Sarasota Bay was very healthy from 2006 until 2013. But then it entered a degraded period bay-wide from 2013 until 2020 when nitrogen loads were 20% higher because of spills and lack of effective storm water management. 2018 and 2019 were particularly bad for Little Sarasota Bay. Since then, more than $300m has been spent by Sarasota County to manage stormwater run-off and upgrade and expand wastewater treatment. As a result, all five bays in Sarasota are no longer nutrient impaired. Among the many benefits of cleaner, more nutrient rich water is seagrass growth and a healthier fish and manatee population. Five of the 10 water bodies in Southwest Florida with improvements in water quality were in Sarasota Bay, an excellent outcome for the jewel that it is. But we are not out of the woods yet, there remains a big problem with Agri-industry pollution from the Caloosahatchee River that will take years and billions of dollars to address. In the meantime, there are things that we can do such as not fertilizing in the rainy season and supporting the extension of our mangroves. For more tips check out https://sarasotabay.org/get-involved/bayfriendly-living/. Dr. Tomasko addressed the question of reopening Midnight Pass and its impact on Little Sarasota Bay. When Midnight Pass existed between Casey Key and Siesta Key, there was an
Dr. David Tomasko, Free College presenter
ongoing exchange of water between Little Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. When it closed in 1983, water exchange dropped significantly. That decrease has changed the ecology of Little Sarasota Bay. It has become more of a lagoon and supports small fish and sea grass growth, which is good. But when we have heavy rains, the fresh water sits on top of the brackish water and changes the salinity and oxygen level of the water, killing fish. This is what happened during Ian. There are trade-offs in opening the pass again, you will have increased water exchange, but it will be easier for Red Tide to enter Little Sarasota Bay. It could also negatively impact the existing ecosystem that supports fisheries and seagrass growth necessary for manatee survival. Dr. Tomasko advised if the community feels that reopening Midnight Pass is important, the way forward is to focus just on moving water (not boats) and work with state regulators up front. “Mangroves are your friend” was Dr. Tomasko’s answer to a question from the audience about the impact of climate change on our area. In his talk, he showed the data predicting an increase in major hurricanes and sea level rise due to increasing air and water temperature and spoke about how mangroves help protect us by diminishing wave energy and wind damage. Another good ecologic feature of The Landings are our many well-maintained settlement ponds that filter stormwater before it gets to the bay. This is a requirement of newer buildings that lessens the environmental impact of development.
Free College April Schedule April 4: Dr. Robert Barylski Title: Outsmarting and containing Putin: The Ukraine Trap Attendees will be exposed to a sophisticated analysis of political and economic reconstruction in the former Soviet Union. Speaker: Dr. Robert V. Barylski is a retired associate professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at USF Sarasota and former Dean of the University prior to his retirement. An expert on civil-military relations in Russia, Dr. Barylski published The Soldier in Russian Politics 1988-1996: Duty, Dictatorship and Democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin. He travels to Russia frequently and speaks and writes on political and economic reconstruction in the former Soviet Union.
standing residents Dr. Richard and Betty Greenspan, earned his degree from the Los Angeles-based Columbia College Hollywood. Since his 2003 graduation, Shaun has contributed to television series including “The West Wing,” “E.R.,” “Six Feet Under,” “Mad Men,””True Blood,” and “Big Love,” as well as films like “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” More recently, his production company, Triforce Pictures, has produced “The Sarasota Experience,” a feature documentary for WEDU PBS. Shaun is now in the pre-production phase for a new WEDU PBS series titled “Greater Lakeland.” April 25: JB Miller Title: Mennonites, Amish, and the Pinecraft Community The presentation will provide a brief overview of the history and current aspects of Mennonites, and Amish, as well as information about the Pinecraft community. What originally drew Mennonites and Amish to Sarasota, and why Pinecraft became the center for the Amish who come here by the hundreds every winter. Following the presentation there will be time for questions and discussion. Speaker: JB Miller is a life-long Mennonite who grew up in the Pinecraft community in Sarasota. His parents were reared in Old Order Amish homes. JB speaks to groups about Mennonites and Amish, and works in various educational venues, as well as assisting journalists and filmmakers who visit Sarasota. He currently is engaged in researching the history of Pinecraft.
April 11: Dr. Irving Kushner Title: The B&O Railroad, John Hopkins, and Gertrude Stein Attendees will learn how the B&O railroad led to the banker Johns Hopkins, who in turn led to a great university and a great medical school, and how this in turn takes us to Gertrude Stein. Speaker: Irv’s expertise on this topic comes from the fact that he has read extensively in pursuit of his intellectual curiosity. April 18: Shaun Greenspan Title: Cinema Across the Ages Attendees will discover the pivotal moments in the evolution of filmmaking as an art form, from the late 19th century to the present day. Speaker: Shaun Greenspan, born to long-
Petanque anyone?
Phillipe Maraval and Wayne Trotter playing Pétanque on the Nature Trail. Petanque is a form of lawn bowling originating in Provence, France, usually played on rough ground using steel balls.
Volunteers Who Work for You Dawn Smith
This is the eighteenth in a series of articles highlighting the special volunteers who help make The Landings such a wonderful community. The Eagle interviewed Dawn Smith for this issue. On New Year’s Day in 1998, during a winter blizzard, Dawn and Nelson Smith prepared to leave their Escanaba home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to attend a University of Michigan football game in Florida’s Citrus Bowl. They flew into Sarasota, where friends of theirs had a home in The Landings. They stepped out of the plane into balmy, beautiful weather, drove from the airport to The Landings, entered through the front gate, and their jaws dropped as they gazed at the landscaped paradise that instantly surrounded them. They thought, “We have to live here.” Dawn and Nelson had not planned to live in Florida. They had planned to obtain a residence in Colorado. But a friend of theirs said, “Why would you move from cold to cold? You’ve lived all these years in the Upper Peninsula, why not live somewhere warm?” That made sense. Then, when they first saw The Landings, their instant attraction to the community was undeniable. Dawn’s friend, who lived in a condo on Starling, told Dawn she had a friend she wanted to introduce Dawn to, saying, “You would love her.” Dawn met her friend’s friend, an original resident of The Landings, who lived in a condo directly across the street from the racquet club, and
they clicked. That evening she called Dawn and asked, “Do you want to buy my condo?” Dawn and Nelson bought the condo; in 2001 they started spending winters here, and The Landings is all the richer because of it. Dawn took up tennis, a sport new to her at the time. She also enjoyed helping if there was anything that needed to be done. By participating in activities, she quickly got to know people. She soon found herself recruited to be the head of social activities for The Landing’s new resident’s party. She performed that function for ten years, planning and decorating for the event. In addition, Dawn always contributed where there was a need, planning and decorating for events such as the holiday party and the Cinco de Mayo party. She loves living right across from the racquet club, because if there is a need for something, she can run home to get it. Six or seven years ago, Kevin Lichliter, manager of the racquet club, while talking about the club’s popular Koffee Klatsch, made the passing comment, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have pancakes instead of bagels.’ Nelson seized on the thought, saying Dawn makes great pancakes and would be perfect for that. Dawn and Nelson have been making pancakes for Koffee Klatsches ever since. Dawn estimates that she and Nelson produce, cook, and serve 200 to 300 pancakes for each Koffee Klatsch they support. Growing up, Dawn was one of ten children in the same household. Perhaps
that’s what makes her so good at navigating through myriad challenges when she steps in to help. Dawn and Nelson have three children, two girls and a boy. They also have six grandchildren, four in college, and two toddlers. Dentistry ripples through Dawn and Nelson’s immediate and extended family. One of their grandchildren is in dental school and soon will be a fourth-generation dentist, following in the footsteps of his father, both grandfathers (including Nelson), and great grandfather, all of whom earned their dental degrees at the University of Michigan. Dentistry played another important role in Dawn and Nelson’s life together. While working with a local dentist, Dawn attended the University of Michigan, where she studied to be a chairside dental assistant. At the same time, Nelson was in dental school there. Nelson was assigned to Dawn’s chair to learn how to work effectively and efficiently with a chairside assistant, and Dawn was charged with teaching him. Obviously, it was a good match. Dawn still plays tennis on Friday mornings with the friend who sold Dawn her Landings home, and plays pickleball, cards, and golf. Even though Dawn plays golf, she philosophizes, “If you want to retire and be active, don’t buy in a golf community, buy in a tennis community, because tennis players are active, while in golf you just drive around in a golf cart.” When asked what she likes about The
Landings and Sarasota, Dawn answered, “What’s not to like?” She added, “It’s wonderful to have a city this size that has all the cultural opportunities Sarasota offers. Combine that with all the activities available within The Landings, and you could be busy every hour.” As if to prove her point, while we spoke on the racquet club’s lakeside porch for this article the Landoliers were practicing inside. Dawn observed The Landings offers a trifecta of beautiful landscaping, diversity of housing, and the people are a bonus. Dawn applies a slogan to The Landings: “If you’re lucky enough to find The Landings, you are lucky enough.” The Landings is certainly lucky to have a can-do volunteer, a dynamic spokesperson, and a true friend in Dawn Smith.
Dawn Smith with husband, Nelson