Archive for May, 2009

Pregnant Patsy the Manatee Released…In Homestead?

Gov. Charlie Crist joined wildlife officials to release a 1,000-pound, pregnant manatee near Homestead.

Patsy, who was found entangled in fishing line in Key Largo on April 29, was released Friday afternoon at Convoy Point in Biscayne National Park. The animal was rehabilitated at the Miami Seaquarium. She is expected to deliver her calf this summer.

Why was a manatee that spends much of her time in Key Largo released in Homestead…Was the 18 mile Stretch backed up?

Monofilament fishing line can cause serious injury or death for a variety of Florida wildlife. Florida’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program is a statewide effort to educate the public about the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment. The program encourages recycling through a network of line recycling bins and drop-off locations and conducts volunteer fishing line cleanup events. For more information, visit www.fishinglinerecycling.org.

Oil Wells in the Florida Keys

News from the 1950s.
Over 300 oil wells, including a number in Monroe County, had been drilling in Florida over 60 years. In 1939, a 10,000-foot well was drilled at Pinecrest in the Everglades part of Monroe County. None of the wells had produced enough oil to be commercially viable.

Between 1943 and 1962, 14 exploratory oil wells were drilled in the vicinity of the Florida Keys. Gulf Oil drilled the first offshore Florida oil exploration well in 1955 (or maybe 1959), in state waters in Florida Bay south of Cape Sable, Monroe County.

Prior to being designated a National Marine Sanctuary in 1990, reefs in the vicinity of the Florida Keys were drilled in the search for oil. Hydrocarbons are being produced from Lower Cretaceous limestone, anhydrite, and dolomite that compose the Sunniland Formation of Florida (Winston 1969, 1972). Seventeen exploratory wells were drilled in south and central Florida and in the keys beginning at about the time oil was discovered at the Sunniland Field in 1943 (Fig. 2.2; Dustan et al. 1991). All wells had oil shows, but no show was economically viable. All wells left magnetic signatures due to borehole casing.
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Date (Sort Of) Set to Sink Key West Ship

Project organizers say they have set the date [actually a range of dates] to scuttle a retired missile-tracking ship that will be converted into an artificial reef off Key West. Key West City Manager Jim Scholl says the sinking of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg will be between May 26 and June 1.

The Vandenberg arrived in Key West on April 22. The ship is to be scuttled about seven miles south of Key West in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

On the surface, it sounds like a simple plan.

Each of 42 charges totaling 179 pounds of explosive material will create 3 million pounds of pressure per square inch, tearing 42 holes in the hull of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg below the water line.

That’s the science, but bringing the old ship down will require as much art as engineering savvy. Getting the ship and the 6 million pounds of iron and concrete ballast inside it to settle properly on the sandy floor — seven miles southeast of Key West and half a mile from the nearest reef — required years of model-making, planning and input from explosive experts, engineers and scientists, said project founder Joe Weatherby.

Permits from 18 different agencies define the location, surveyed during more than 130 dives, according to Sheri Lohr of Artificial Reefs of the Keys.

Anyone who wants to get close to the 522-foot Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg when it sinks will be disappointed.

The Navy, Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Key West Police Department will be out in force to ensure that no boaters breach a one-mile-radius perimeter around the vessel as it goes down.

Authorities, led by the FWC, will encircle the ship with their boats during the sinking, spokesman Bobby Dube said.

The boundary will be enforced when the Vandenberg arrives at its final resting place, between Sand Key and Western Sambo, south of the Hawks Channel Marker 32. Encroaching boaters will be given a warning, Dube said. Those who repeatedly cross the line could be detained and arrested, he added.

New Marathon Boat Ramp Opens

 
A new boat ramp and marina bath house in the City of Marathon were officially opened to the public on Thursday.
 
It was a busy day for dedication ceremonies, as officials first opened the newly repaired 33rd Street boat ramp on Thursday morning. With the ramp back on line, the city now has three such public facilities within its borders. City officials hope the ramp will alleviate some of the stress from traffic on the Dodge Lake boat ramp, which is located in a residential neighborhood.

“This is another great benefit for the citizens and visitors of Marathon” said City Manager Clyde Burnett. The city’s third public boat ramp is located near The Island restaurant, north of Vaca Cut. [On the Gulf Side] All three public ramps have been fully repaired within the last three years.

The ramp at 33rd Street now features a 40 foot wide, pre-stressed launch, to replace the old 20 foot wide boat ramp. The parking lot was also repaved and the seawall was repaired. The parking lot and bathroom facility now comply with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.

An hour later, officials headed across the highway to dedicate another convenience for boaters, a new 1,843 square foot bath and laundry building at the City Marina. The new bath house replaces facilities previously located in the main marina building. The bath house features card keys that allow boaters living in the harbor or on the seawall at the marina to gain access and pay for the laundry machines in the building.

Key West Cutter to be Freed – Update…Released May 12

UPDATE May 12, 2009 Cutter, A young Atlantic spotted dolphin that spent nearly three months recuperating at a Florida Keys marine mammal rehabilitation center has been released off Key West. Rescuers with the Marine Mammal Conservancy released the animal Tuesday after finding a pod of dolphins for him to join. Young rescued marine mammals are not normally released, because they need their mothers to learn survival skills. But Cutter, as the dolphin was nicknamed, is believed to be just under three years old. Experts believe he probably knows enough to live in the wild and could learn additional survival skills if accepted by the pod.

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Cutter will be closely monitored for the next two days to make sure he is accepted by the pod and able to find food.An Atlantic-spotted dolphin that was rescued in February in Key West Harbor is set to be released in mid-May, marine mammal experts say. Cutter is to be moved to Key West in the next few weeks so officials at the Marine Mammal Conservancy can search for a pod of Atlantic-spotted dolphins that is believed to still be in the area. MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said once the pod is located, Cutter will immediately be transported and released. The adolescent dolphin will be fitted with a VHF tracking tag and monitored to ensure its acceptance by the pod, Lingenfelser said. Normally young rescued marine mammals are not released because they need their mothers for nutrition and behavioral conditioning. But Cutter, estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old, is at a borderline age and experts feel he probably knows enough to live in the wild, but can learn additional needed survival skills if accepted by the pod. Thus was the reason MMC, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service and a panel of other experts, agreed to a conditional release. “This has never been tried before,” Lingenfelser said. “But Cutter is very healthy and we’ll be monitoring him very closely to ensure he is OK. If he doesn’t do well, we’ll be ready to rescue him again.” Some dolphin advocates were critical of MMC for removing Cutter from the water, saying the animal wasn’t in danger and didn’t need to be rescued. Lingenfelser disagrees. “If we had not rescued him, he would have died,” said Lingenfelser. “Medical tests proved he was starving and because of that, his liver was compromised and there were other issues.” The dolphin was named Cutter by U.S. Coast Guard personnel in Key West because of the proximity of its Feb. 14 rescue next to their station. The mammal has received round-the-clock care at MMC’s Key Largo rehabilitation facility.

Wayward Key Largo Sponges

Scientists have invented a better fixer-upper for damaged coral reefs. The method could aid local restoration efforts to rehabilitate these ecosystems in the aftermath of hurricanes or harmful human activities.
Often, after such events, large sponges are littered on the ground and die because they cannot grow back onto the reef. So far, various cements and glues have failed to provide a fix, and, as a result, restoration projects have focused on smaller organisms that are easier to patch.

Using a new technique involving a “sponge holder,” the team removed and then affixed 20 Caribbean giant barrel sponges at Conch Reef, near Key Largo, Florida. Almost two-thirds of the sewed-on specimens survived at least another two to three years, despite four hurricanes passing over the area during that time. Most by that time had naturally reattached to the reef, something that usually did not occur in previous surgical attempts. – Jessica Leber

Source: McMurray, S.E., et al. 2009. A Novel Technique for the Reattachment of Large Coral Reef Sponges. Restoration Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00463.x

Pregnant Patsy the Manatee Captured in Key Largo

Biologists have learned a manatee rescued earlier in the week is pregnant.

Patsy, a 6-year-old manatee rescued just off the coast of Key Largo, was found with her front flipper severely tangled in fishing line. Biologists learned of the Patsy’s entanglement two years ago, but were not able to make a successful rescue until Wednesday. Rescuers had to make several attempts to rescue the manatee, because of worries the fishing line would cut off her circulation.

“We took off of the entanglement, about 90 percent. There still is a little bit, but hopefully, we got most it where it might fall off,” said Jodi Linvill, an animal care supervisor. “Right now, we’re just waiting to see if the swelling goes down, and how it ends up looking to determine what we do next.”

Patsy is recovering well. Biologists said they now have to decide how long to keep the manatee, and may do so until she gives birth. However, if the swelling goes down, Patsy will be released to have her baby out in the wild.

Nun, in Habit, to Run 100 Mile Race in Florida Keys

UltraSports, LLC, a mission-driven running event production company, announced today the identity of a very special competitor in this year’s KEYS100 Ultramarathon. Running from Key Largo to Key West, dressed in her requisite nun’s habit and a pair of running shoes, Sister Mary Beth Lloyd of the Catholic Order, Religious Teachers Filippini, will be participating in her first 100-mile individual ultra-marathon race.

“From May 16th at 6:00 AM when the race begins, through Sunday morning, May 17th, when she reaches the finish line, Keys residents may want to keep an eye on Overseas Highway for a glimpse of this truly extraordinary person,” says KEYS100 Race Director, Bob Becker. “Sister Mary Beth running down the road beats a solar eclipse any day!”

May 16-17, 2009 are the dates for the second annual KEYS100—Prostate Cancer Benefit Races. The event includes individual races of 100 miles and 50 miles, and a 100 mile, 6 person team relay. “The KEYS100 will include 300 competitors from all over the country and abroad, but none will be as special as this very inspiring person,” said Becker. “I last saw Sister Mary Beth over Labor Day. She was 59 at the time, and completed a very difficult 50 mile trail race in the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming. A month before, she was pacing her friend, elite ultra-runner Lisa Smith Batchen, during Lisa’s ground-breaking 302-mile run from Las Vegas to Badwater, CA, then through Death Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney. Sister paced Lisa for nearly 100 of those miles in temperatures in excess of 125 degrees—in her black nun’s habit! Truly amazing.”

Called by some the “New Age Sister Theresa”, Sister Mary Beth in June 2008 received the “Servitor Pacis Award” from the Vatican’s Mission to the United Nations for her work with AIDS orphans. The “Path to Peace Award” is given annually to the one person in the world who most exemplifies the work of those who have dedicated their lives to helping the neediest among us.
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