Hurricane Ian Insert - FY 2021-2022 SCCF Annual Report

UNPRECEDENTED IMPACT OF

Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian goes down in our islands’ history as the most destructive storm ever documented, urging us to respond in a way that is equally epic.

Devastated but Determined With your help, we believe we can come back stronger than ever. For 55 years, SCCF has led our community’s dedication to living in harmony with nature on our beloved sanctuary islands. Thanks to the efforts of our founders and our longstanding partnership with the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and the City of Sanibel, our island has an international reputation for its conservation land, making up more than 70% of the island, and its low-density land use plan. Sanibel is one of the only barrier islands in the world with intact interior wetlands. Because of the community’s efforts to preserve natural areas and minimize development, Ian’s devastating storm surge was not as damaging as it could have been. As we stand strong with our community in rebuilding our islands, we do so with the spirit of conservation that has always been our guiding force.

We have entered an unexpected and opportune new chapter in our islands’ history. As the voice for nature, we are determined to build back in a way that makes us more resilient and environmentally conscious than ever.

Our science, education, and advocacy efforts are also more devoted than ever to protecting and caring for the wildlife, habitats, and waters that comprise our treasured Southwest Florida coastal ecosystems. We have already received a tremendous outpouring of support from our longstanding members as well as new donors inspired by Ian’s challenge. We invite you to stand strong with us and join the SCCF Family by using the enclosed reply envelope to show your support of the legacy conservation ethic that defines our sanctuary islands.

With gratitude, James Evans SCCF Chief Executive Officer

SANIBEL VISION STATEMENT Sanibel is and shall remain a barrier island sanctuary, one in which a diverse population lives in harmony with the islands’ wildlife and natural habitats. The Sanibel community must be vigilant in the protection and enhancement of its sanctuary characteristics.

HURRICANE IAN UPDATE Lighthouse Beach Park September 26, 2022

Sea Turtles and Storm Adaptations The SCCF sea turtle team surveyed the beaches for 17 remaining nests and was able to find only one — a green sea turtle nest. The others washed away from wave action and storm surge. It’s possible that the turtles who laid the lost nests successfully produced offspring earlier in the year, said SCCF Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan.

“Sea turtles are very resilient and have adapted to living in habitats that experience hurricanes regularly,” Sloan said. “That said, this was a massive storm and some mortality may have occurred.”

Shorebirds, Bald Eagles Remain on Islands SCCF staff and volunteers are happy to report that all bald eagles we monitor on the islands are accounted for and remain in their territories.

Our shorebird team has observed all the usual shorebird and seabird species, including sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, willets, blackbellied plovers, laughing gulls, royal terns, and sandwich terns. Compared to the past five October shorebird surveys, 2022 saw a decrease in species and total counts. Various factors can affect the distribution of migratory birds at stopover sites, but our data suggest Hurricane Ian played a role.

Post-Ian Water Quality Monitoring

Freshwater & Terrestrial Turtle Work Continues SCCF staff and volunteers have documented all 11 species of non-marine turtles known to occur prehurricane. Staff educated construction and debris removal crews about turtles on Sanibel and Captiva, instructing them to gather any turtles that might be in harm’s way so we can re-release them in safer locations.

Community Helps SCCF Document Island Wildlife Islanders have stood strong in their commitment to our beloved nature by enthusiastically responding to our request for wildlife sightings. We’ve heard of many species that survived, including bobcats, osprey, pelicans, box turtles, monarch butterflies, rat snakes, a great horned owl, alligators, gopher tortoises, pileated woodpeckers, dolphins, manatees, and bald eagles.

This data will be vital as our scientists continue to study how our island species and ecosystems have been affected.

Two days after Hurricane Ian slammed into the Southwest Florida coast, SCCF Marine Lab Director Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D., began mobilizing a coordinated effort to assess water quality impacts.

Lighthouse Beach Park October 28, 2022

With a team of researchers and equipment from University of Florida’s Center for Coastal Solutions, SCCF scientists collected water samples to evaluate a suite of water quality metrics relevant to both environmental and human health.

The following week, Milbrandt took part in a collaborative research cruise organized by the Florida Institute of Oceanography to evaluate water quality conditions in the wake of Hurricane Ian. On the 7-day cruise, scientists saw offshore reef destruction and sampled about 50 offshore sites from St. Pete to Naples prior to the development of a red tide bloom.

“There has been a pattern over the last 20 years that long and intense red tide blooms can occur after the landfall of major hurricanes. It happened the year after Charley and Irma,” said Milbrandt.

“We were able to characterize nearshore ocean conditions before the bloom and after Hurricane Ian, which will help us better understand this pattern.”

Signposts of Resilience

Submit your sightings at tinyurl.com/SCCFWildlifeSightings.

Our resilience to the effects of climate change and extreme events relies on our ability to band together as a community, and we certainly have seen strong examples of this both within the SCCF family and our community at large. After Hurricane Ian, leadership on our islands and beyond quickly started working on disaster recovery efforts, which SCCF helped supplement with equipment and resources whenever possible. We’ve also seen incredible instances of people heavily impacted by the storm taking time to help their neighbors.

Continuing the collaboration we’ve seen across Sanibel, Captiva, and surrounding communities will be key to our journey of rebuilding.

HURRICANE IAN UPDATE

Ian’s Impact on SCCF Facilities While we are still accounting for our losses, Facilities Manager Jeff Siwicke has provided an overview of damages: • The Bailey Homestead had about 3 feet of water inside the historic home and some piling damage.

Original flooring and doors in the 19th century home remain solid and usable. But, 21st century flooring and doors had to be removed and need to be replaced.

• The Native Landscapes & Garden Center lost virtually all inventory and gardens, and most of the metal roof on the Honey House, where 5 feet of storm surge ruined the flooring but the structure seems salvageable.

• The Homestead Pavilion held up well structurally, despite 6 feet of water.

• Sanibel Sea School had about 2 feet of water in the main building and almost all contents are a loss. The back building had between 2 and 3 feet of water and the wooden floors had to be removed and must be replaced.

• The headquarters (former Nature Center), which was under renovation, had partial collapse of one wall and about a foot of water in the building.

• The Marine Lab had about a foot and a half of water in the ground level portions, damaging critical water quality sensor equipment.

Built on 12-foot pilings, the upper levels sustained some wind damage.

• Intern housing is a total loss.

• Built atop a hill, the Wildlife & Habitat Management building had no damage to the building or contents of the garage, although the John Deere tractor, air curtain incinerator, and equipment trailers parked at the lower level are all a loss.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the SCCF staff over a 4-week period, our grounds and structures were cleared of contents and debris. Professional remediation began in early November.

Thanks to all of you who are supporting our determination to rebuild better and stronger than ever and return fully to our mission-driven work.