http://naplesnews.com/news/environment/naplesnews.com Stories: Environmenten-usenvironmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/13/algae-found-4-collier-beaches-more-expected-weeken/Collier County pollution monitors are bracing for a potential new onslaught of marine algae at local beaches this weekend, monitors reported this afternoon. Tue, 13 May 2008 20:50:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/13/algae-found-4-collier-beaches-more-expected-weeken/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/13/hideaway-beach-seeks-tourist-tax-dollars-fund-beac/Collier County officials are questioning whether erosion control on a private beach is something that is in the best interest of the public. The Coastal Advisory Committee (CAC) discussed the issue at a meeting on Thursday and the consensus on the board was the Hideaway Beach was an area enjoyed not only by residents of the private beach community but also by residents and tourists visiting the beach by boat. Tue, 13 May 2008 19:40:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/13/hideaway-beach-seeks-tourist-tax-dollars-fund-beac/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/dog-snatching-coyotes-attack-again/A small dog apparently fell prey to a coyote Saturday night and by Monday, its human parents were livid about the fact nothing can be done by government agencies to keep the wild animals at bay. Tue, 13 May 2008 00:44:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/dog-snatching-coyotes-attack-again/bonita_newshttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/lee-commission-expected-limit-fertilizer-use/Part of the reason local streams and rivers are in trouble and coastal waterways are beset by algae blooms is in our own backyard. Literally. Lee County commissioners will follow the cities of Naples and Sanibel and Sarasota County Tuesday evening when they are expected to adopt an ordinance limiting the use of fertilizer and requiring training and certification of those who apply it. Tue, 13 May 2008 00:40:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/lee-commission-expected-limit-fertilizer-use/bonita_newshttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/dead-panther-found-big-cypress-national-preserve/A dead Florida panther was recovered this afternoon from the Big Cypress National Preserve, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mon, 12 May 2008 20:42:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/dead-panther-found-big-cypress-national-preserve/localhttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/hawks-nesting-naples-parking-garage-site-believed-/The eggs have hatched. Maybe. Naples city officials on Monday said they believe the eggs within a Cooper’s hawk nest high above the construction site of a new downtown parking garage hatched last week. Mike Bauer, the city’s natural resource manager, said he had expected the eggs to hatch on May 5. Mon, 12 May 2008 16:24:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/12/hawks-nesting-naples-parking-garage-site-believed-/localhttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/moms-all-species-enjoy-lazy-day-naples-zoo/Many mothers would say their lives already revolve around wild animals — of the human species. Perhaps that’s why a trip to the Naples Zoo to visit wild animals of another type seemed so appropriate for so many mothers on Sunday. Moms were encouraged to come out and use free coupons for Mother’s Day only, available at the zoo’s Web site. Sun, 11 May 2008 23:15:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/moms-all-species-enjoy-lazy-day-naples-zoo/localhttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/gator-mating-season-causing-more-encounters-florid/Janis Godlewski ran down the sidewalk to her friend’s Heritage Bay home late Tuesday night, but an encounter at the foot of the stairs proved to be anything but friendly. “Right as I’m coming up to the stairwell I stopped just in time to see the gator there,” Godlewski said. “I stopped just short of his tail. I was maybe two feet away.” Godlewski called her friend, Dustin Farlow, who had fallen asleep on his couch. After taking a detour around the angry 6-foot alligator, Godlewski got to Farlow’s unit and called for help. Sun, 11 May 2008 23:00:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/gator-mating-season-causing-more-encounters-florid/localhttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/new-lab-immokalee-uses-high-tech-equipment-screen-/Twigs, leaves and fruit arrive at the door like castaways. Most of the time they’re hand delivered. Sometimes, they come by mail. Technicians never know when to expect the samples, which have arrived steadily at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center off State Road 29 near Immokalee since its testing lab for the greening disease opened a few months ago. Sun, 11 May 2008 22:05:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/new-lab-immokalee-uses-high-tech-equipment-screen-/businesshttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/turtle-trackers-begin-process-marking-new-nests/Sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 through the end of October in Southwest Florida. Dozens of volunteers comb Lee County beaches during turtle nesting season. They look for turtle tracks, which look like a single tractor tire print, and signs of nesting. Sun, 11 May 2008 20:22:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/11/turtle-trackers-begin-process-marking-new-nests/bonita_newshttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/10/debate-focuses-whether-south-lee-tract-too-small-p/George Wheaton says when he was first appointed to Lee County’s Conservation 2020 board a decade ago, he never imagined he’d be asked to buy land for $24 per square foot. Actually, Wheaton’s being asked to pay $25.25 per square foot. That’s what the owners want for a 2.5-acre parcel on the north side of Bonita Beach Road. That’s $2.6 million, or about $1.1 million per acre. Sat, 10 May 2008 22:58:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/10/debate-focuses-whether-south-lee-tract-too-small-p/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/08/iguanas-gone-wild-exotic-pets-becoming-marco-pests/Once cute and caged exotic pets, iguanas are increasingly becoming a concern for some Marco Island residents. Steven Roberts, who lives near an inland waterway in central Marco, reported seeing a four-foot-long green iguana on his dock. “I had never seen an iguana on Marco Island before, even though I had heard they were here. I was most concerned that it might attack our dogs which we occasionally let roam in our backyard, or that it might attack me or my wife,” Roberts said. Thu, 08 May 2008 16:43:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/08/iguanas-gone-wild-exotic-pets-becoming-marco-pests/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/04/black-bear-sighted-near-homes-fort-myers-area/Wildlife officials say they tranquilized and relocated a black bear that was sighted near homes in south Fort Myers. Sun, 04 May 2008 22:34:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/04/black-bear-sighted-near-homes-fort-myers-area/floridahttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/01/rural-land-growth-plan-needs-review-advisory-board/Mounting questions about the fate of Collier County’s rural land deserve a thorough review, a county advisory board said Thursday. The county’s 2002 rural growth plan is undergoing a five-year review after protecting tens of thousands of acres from development and laying the groundwork for Ave Maria University and the proposed new town of Big Cypress east of Golden Gate Estates. Thu, 01 May 2008 23:17:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/01/rural-land-growth-plan-needs-review-advisory-board/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/01/small-portion-keewaydin-protect-three-tiny-bird-sp/As if on cue, one tiny Wilson’s plover materialized on the beach at the south end of Keewaydin Island, and a group of research botanists became palpably excited. The bird was the immediate object of affection, because it is one of three species the botanists hope to nurture this coming summer breeding season by closing off a small section of the island. Thu, 01 May 2008 15:11:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/may/01/small-portion-keewaydin-protect-three-tiny-bird-sp/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/29/environmental-groups-threaten-action-over-fouled-f/Clean water advocates plan to ask a judge to speed up a deadline for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt new standards to control pollution in Florida waters plagued by toxic algae such as red tide. Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:35:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/29/environmental-groups-threaten-action-over-fouled-f/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/29/portion-keewaydin-island-be-closed-nesting-terns/Part of the southern portion of Keewaydin Island will be closed from May 1 to mid-August to protect nesting least terns, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve announced Tuesday morning. More than three acres of shoreline within the boundaries of the reserve will be closed for the seventh consecutive year. The area will be marked with signs, and the reserve plans to create a new walk-over through the area for boaters to get to the Gulf-front beach from the east side of the island. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:24:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/29/portion-keewaydin-island-be-closed-nesting-terns/environmenthttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/asbestos-claims-has-lee-county-watching-road-contr/Lee County has a road contractor on a short leash, and one commissioner says that a single environmental violation like the ones Posen Construction had on the Three Oaks-Imperial Parkway job will spell the end. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:12:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/asbestos-claims-has-lee-county-watching-road-contr/bonita_newshttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/lawmakers-poised-strengthen-seagrass-protections/ Boaters who intentionally wander off the marked channel and chew up seagrass beds in Rookery Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands or other aquatic preserves could face a $50 ticket or worse under a measure awaiting final passage in the Florida Senate. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:08:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/lawmakers-poised-strengthen-seagrass-protections/floridahttp://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/florida-legislature-rejects-everglades-restoration/The Senate's proposal of $100 million for restoring the Everglades — half the funding it received last year — was ultimately rejected Sunday by Florida Legislature leaders. Lawmakers said the state will hopefully be able to find the money next year for Everglades restoration, conspicuous in its absence from the final budget. The final budget will come in around $66 billion, about $5 billion less than the budget passed last year. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:39:00 -0000http://naplesnews.com/news/2008/apr/28/florida-legislature-rejects-everglades-restoration/environment