Letters to the Editor, Feb. 11
Upcoming sea turtle lighting workshop
I would like to draw attention to the upcoming Marco Island Sea Turtle Lighting Workshop, scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Feb. 25. The workshop will be held at the community meeting room at the Marco Police Department. You can find more details on the City of Marco Island webpage.
Sea turtle season lasts from May through the end of October. Very few turtles survive to maturity even under natural circumstances. Estimates from turtle biologists put the rate at less than one in one hundred. The primary reason we have a turtle ordinance on Marco is that artificial lighting can impact the beach, and can disorient hatchlings. Hatchlings are drawn to the artificial light and away from the water, and sadly this usually results in the death of the newborns.
In 2019, Marco Island turtles suffered the consequences more than on any other beach in Collier County. According to County figures, monitors recorded 77 nests hatched on Marco, however, 15 of these showed hatchling disorientation, a total of 19 percent of all Marco’s nests. Compare with the county as a whole, where 1,492 nests hatched in total, and 36 suffered disorientation or just two percent. In other words, Marco’s disorientation rate was more than eight times the rate over Collier County as a whole. It would be great if we can reduce the issue on Marco so that the disorientation rate is in line with the remainder of the county.
There are several contributing causes here but particularly significant in 2019 was nighttime lighting from beachfront properties remaining visible from the beach during hatching season. How to fix this problem? Education of condo renters would really make a difference. To learn how you might help, please attend on Feb. 25, particularly if you live in a condo, and particularly if you are involved with a condo board or manage a condominium. Registration is required, send an email to Emily@conserveturtles.org . This workshop is being offered free of charge.
Thank you.
Andrew Tyler, Marco Island
Tinted car windows OK?
Does anyone else see the dangers of tinted car windows? Many vehicles, including some used in law enforcement, have them. Do you like pulling up to a stop sign and not being able to see what the other guy is doing? Are they looking at you, away from you or at their phones? To me, very unsettling.
I would think law enforcement officers would be against them, having to approach a vehicle sometimes blind as to what might be going on in a car.
Whom do we call? Our state representatives? Local commissioners? Good luck with that.
Leonard Wassmer, East Naples
Housing’s high cost
A reader wrote about how much it costs to live in Southwest Florida on a fixed income or working three jobs to keep up working for the very rich.
I moved to Naples to be near my daughter during the recession and was paying a modest price for a leased condo. Since things are getting better, my “landlord” has raised my rent $450 per month!
Finding a place that I can live in on my fixed income is almost impossible. The rents in this town are so high. Not everyone is super-rich.
I’ve written before about affordable housing, to no avail. They are building everywhere; how about helping the older folks who are here?
Van Geoghegan, Naples
‘Stand up, be counted!’
I am an ex-Republican. I wonder how many Republicans are looking for an effective way to show their disappointment in their elected officials?
Change your party affiliation in your county of residence. It is easily done online. You can still vote for your favorite Republicans in the general election, but registration statistics will put Republican officials on notice that their behavior is accountable. Stand up and be counted!
William McArthur, Naples