Most people have jobs that can be described with a sentence or two.
Not our City of Marco Island Environmental Specialist, Nancy Richie.
Her list of duties looks like the ultimate run-on sentence.
She is responsible for permitting for vegetation trimming, permitting beach vendors, monitoring protected (and nuisance) species and monitoring water quality. She represents the city for the Beach Advisory and Waterways Advisory committees and she is the city’s liaison to federal state, county and local environmental agencies and groups.
She also makes time to take her expertise and power point presentations to Marco Island’s classrooms, clubs and civic groups.
That’s what Nancy was doing at the November meeting of the Marco Island Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the home of one of the members, Dona Zuckerman.
Nancy updated the women on the disappointing 2008 sea turtle nesting and burrowing owl seasons. She attributed the low survival and reproduction numbers mostly to natural causes; hot, dry weather for the owls and storms for the turtles.
Unfortunately, Marco’s iguana population is booming. It’s an invasive species that poses a threat to indigenes animals, plants, birds and even residents’ yards, landscaping, seawalls and more. If you have an iguana problem — and if you see an iguana, it is a problem — call Richie. The city has an iguana hunter on call.
Richie advised Islanders who are just returning for the season to be aware of the new beach ordinance forbidding “live shelling,” the taking of any living mollusks, crustaceans or other shellfish.
Other updates included new no-wake limits for vessels offshore Marco, increased to 750 feet from 500 feet. Also, Islanders now can walk their dogs on an 8-foot lead in most city parks but not in playgrounds or athletic fields.
Nancy has stacks of informational brochures available at City Hall to keep you up to date. You can reach Nancy at City Hall at 389-5000.
The Marco Island Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution holds its monthly luncheon meetings at 10:30 a.m., the third Thursday of each month.
The club welcomes members from other chapters who are living in or visiting the area. The club also welcomes potential members.
For more information, please call Kay Zeigler at (239) 642-0711.
Super Bowl Sunday on Marco Island, 2012
Goodland Mullet Fest 2012
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Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 1
ChuckKiester writes:
Dear Chris,
Nancy was the second city employee that my wife and I met after moving to Marco in the fall of 2002 (the first one, who shall go unnamed, graced me with a warning ticket about keeping my boat trailor in the next door vacant lot, all of this within 3 days of our arrival on a Friday---talk about code enforcement!). We called Nancy because we had 2-3 burrowing owls nesting above our front-porch eves which we thought rather unusual. We were nonetheless delighted and the owls got to the point that we could walk within a foot or so of them when they would perch near ground level on our gargoyles. They even didn't flinch when we walked by with our Boxer. They eventually left (I guess when the hatchlings were ready) and did not return even with the enticement of a wooden cross donated by Nancy for them to use. Although listed as part-time, Nancy works full-time due her dedication to the job. The city should pay her for the hours she really puts in to her job for which all of us are grateful. Chuck Kiester
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