©
NOVEMBER 2023 941.312.0665 | 27TH STATE MEDIA, LLC WELCOMING COMITTEE
WELCOME BACK SNOWBIRDS! Protecting the Mangroves that Protect Us
page
8
LANDINGS RESIDENT PROFILE, RUDY BLOMN
page
12
Did you know that The Landings has one of the largest mangrove habitats in all of Sarasota County? Between our homes and the Intercoastal Waterway and Philippi Creek is 78 continuous acres of salt water tolerant mangroves, 80% owned by Landings Associations. The Landings owns a remarkable 14% of all coastline mangroves (excluding islands and keys) in the entire 37 miles of Sarasota County coast. Many coastline mangroves in the Sarasota area were removed years ago for development, replaced by seawalls and hardscape. It’s been a tragic loss of one of the most important native habitats in Florida. Mangroves are critical for filtering storm water, both cleansing it and slowing its flow into the bay. The protective elevated roots support juvenile fish, resupplying stocks for fishing. Dense tree growth is a haven for wildlife, especially migrating birds such as white pelicans. And perhaps most important to property owners, mangroves help protect against intense storm surges driven by hurricane winds. Mangroves keep the soil intact and prevent erosion on water outflows. In short, they are an important but often overlooked player in The Landings security infrastructure. Realizing their importance for flood protection, the LMA Lakes & Drainage Committee commissioned a 5-person task force to investigate the health of our mangroves and assess any threats. After 3 months of intensive research, the findings were presented at the October LMA Board meeting.
The good news is that the research showed that our coastal and inland waterway mangroves are in excellent condition and holding their own in terms of their acreage. The bad news is that on the inland side, some of that acreage is being destroyed by invasive plants, primarily Brazilian Pepper trees. Peppers grow to heights of 30 feet and extend a dense canopy over the mangroves, shutting off sunlight and killing the plants. This encroachment jeopardizes flood protection as it narrows the protective barrier between residents and the shoreline. The task force, with the assistance of the County Extension mangrove specialist, mapped out the problem areas. Two were high priority: The area behind the Landings Racquet Club, mostly on clubowned property; second, the area at the head of the Nature Trail which is part of the water management system. While the latter can likely be remedied with funding from our Lakes budget, the LRC area is a larger project requiring a minimum of $40,000 for removal of the exotics and replanting with new mangroves and Florida native plants. Continued vigilance is needed in future years to remove invasives when they are small and easy to eradicate. The task force identified two sources of outside grant funding which, best case, could provide funds for half the cost of the minimum $40K project. The remaining dollars would need to be funded by
some combination of the LMA, LRC, and any other donating associations. At the October LMA meeting, the task force presenter noted: “It’s never a good time to ask a homeowner’s association for new funds to address a problem, especially not given the increase in our insurance and the recent roads assessment. But mangroves are a vital part of protecting ourselves, our property, and the ecology of the bay. We’ve taken them for granted for too long and now need to give them some care.” Interestingly, removal of invasive plants was rated as high or medium priority by 74% of Landings residents in the 2023 survey, suggesting that there may be broad community support for the work that needs to be done. The task force plans to raise awareness of this unique mangrove habitat through information sharing and events such as plant identification tours, International Mangrove Day celebration, mangrove grow kits for kids and adults, invasive removal days, and kayak outings. If you a re i nterested i n lea r n i ng more or participating in this important effort, please contact one of the task force members: Suzanne BeDell, Doug Booth, Alice Howard, Maralyn Kaufman- David, and Paul Weiner. The summary presentation of the task force is on The Landings website under LMA/ Committees/Lakes & Drainage Committee.
Mangrove Habitat Owned by Landings Associations
Brazilian peppers create a dense canopy that blocks sunlight.
The dense canopy kills all vegetation underneath.
REFURBISHING GAZEBO
page DAY TRIPPING, PUNTA GORDA
page
Volunteers Who Work for You 14 Landings Dee Ricapito
16
KIDS CORNER: KYSMETTE (“KIT”) OTTESON-HURST, 15
page
20
This is the fourteenth in a series of articles highlighting the work of special volunteers who help to make The Landings such a wonderful community. The Eagle interviewed Dee Ricapito for this issue. When Dee enters a room, she lights it up with her personality. She is outgoing, has a great smile and describes herself as a “party girl who likes to have fun”. Read on and you will learn that she is so much more. She grew up in Philadelphia. In high school, she was on the hit television show American Bandstand. Some of her classmates were Fabian, Frankie Avalon, and Chubby Checker. After high school, Dee worked for General Electric for 9 years. During that time, she started her college studies, met, and married her husband Ralph, and had their one child in 1972. In 1977, she received her bachelor’s degree in education from Trenton College, Magnum Cum Laude, and began her teaching career at Christ the King Elementary School in Philadelphia. She also was a girls tennis coach at Arch Bishop Ryan High School. Ralph was, and is, a big part of her life. He received a Doctor in Education degree from Temple University, taught high school, had a very successful football coaching career at his school and worked on the sidelines for the Philadelphia Eagles professional football team. His doctoral studies brought him to Sarasota over four summers. While there, they purchased and still own a House of the Sun condo on Siesta Key where for several years they visited as snowbirds. When they were ready to move to Sarasota full-time, they looked for a tennis community and found The Landings where they purchased the condo on Landings Blvd near the club. They use their Siesta Key condo as a local getaway
and investment. In the late 80s, Dee & Ralph founded the Nutrition & Diet Center which sold the Cambridge Diet and became National Directors. In the interim, she found time to get her real estate license, too. In addition to tennis, they have traveled around the globe including, most of Europe, Austria, Holland, Egypt, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Russia, and every state in the U.S. except North Dakota. Dee has been a very active and successful volunteer in The Landings. She served seven years on the LMA board and chaired the Communications and Social Committee. She was instrumental in adding programs for children and was able to get a Sarasota County matching grant to build the tot playground just outside the South Gate at the Phillipe Shores Park. She also worked with FPL to improve lighting in the community. Dee has been a stalwart working on the Eagle. She was involved in getting it’s first editor/publisher, (Landings resident Irvin Starr), who sold it to the current publisher, 27 th State Media. She currently is on the Eagle Committee and is a regular contributor of articles, jokes and menus. Dee was involved when LMA updated their documents, served on the committee that negotiated the use of what is now Bayles Park, and organized LMA’s first “meet and greet” newcomers’ event. Early on, Dee was instrumental with the start of Memorial and Veterans Day events in The Landings. She and Ralph were founders of the Landings Free College and have been involved as volunteers for the LRC Father Son Tournaments, where Dee is also the chair for team ambassadors. The two of them also started The Landings Library.
Dee still plays a lot of tennis and was co-captain with Carole Welch of the 3.5 ladies tennis team that won their Tri Cities Division. She has also been one of the organizers of Pickleball in The Landings. She definitely needs to add the title “volunteer extraordinaire” to her name. When asked what The Landings has meant to her, she said, “It’s the wonderful, friendly, and talented people who live in the community. I love the open spaces and the interesting people that are so much fun to be around”. When asked what her hopes and aspirations are for The Landings, she said, “I want residents, in the future, to continue to add ‘plusses’……more activities for all ages…. children and families”. Dee is and has been one of The Landings special volunteers!