Archive for August, 2009

To Nude Beach (in Key West) or Not To Nude Beach…That Will Not Be The Ballot Question

Keep your suits on. After all the talk of a clothing-optional beach and a referendum on the Oct. 6 ballot, Key West City Commissioners unanimously killed the item at Tuesday’s meeting.

Commissioners said the lack of a specific site raised too many questions, calling it premature to begin the process of changing land-use rules to allow for designated “naturist” areas. They also said the proposed referendum could confuse voters.

“This is also not a proposal for Fantasy Fest. I want to end those comparisons,” Commissioner Clayton Lopez said. “I actually do support the naturists in their quest to find a place where they can go in comfort, but we have an obligation both to the naturists and to those who don’t want to be — excuse the pun — exposed to it.”

Interim Commissioner Joe Pais, who is filling out the term of Dan Kolhage, reminded commissioners of the long-gone businesses like Naked Lunch and Atlantic Shores and said that naturism may not be the economic draw supporters portray.

“They [the aforementioned businesses] failed. The thousands of people that are going to be here, they’re not going to be here,” Pais said. “We’re not going to trade our businesses for businesses that have already failed. Buy your own property. Start your own business.”

Mayoral candidate Sloan Bashinsky called out commissioners for not having the political courage to make a tough decision, rather than sending the nude beach issue to a non-binding referendum.

“You seven should have made the decision. That’s what you were elected to do,” Bashinsky said. “I will never pass the buck like that. That is weenie-ing out and I accuse you, Mr. Verge, of being a weenie.”

District I Commissioner Bill Verge laughed that off and joined the rest of the commission in killing the referendum.

City staff is working with commissioners to set up public workshops to discuss the idea of designated naturist beaches. For more information, go to www.kwfb.org .

Biologists Free Key Largo Manatee Entangled in Fishing Line

July 31, 2009
Contact: Gabriella Ferraro, 772-215-9459

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Dolphin Research Center rescued a female manatee today at Gilbert’s Marina in Key Largo.

Biologists captured the animal so they could remove monofilament fishing line that was embedded in the manatee’s right flipper. If left untreated, the entanglement could lead to the loss of the flipper.

A Miami Seaquarium veterinarian removed the line, treated the wound and deemed the animal healthy enough for immediate return to the wild.

Monofilament fishing line can cause serious injury or death for a variety of Florida wildlife. Florida’s Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program is a statewide effort to educate the public about the problems caused by monofilament line left in the environment, to encourage recycling through a network of line-recycling bins and drop-off locations, and to conduct volunteer fishing line cleanup events. For more information, visit www.fishinglinerecycling.org.

To report a dead or distressed manatee, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

For more information on manatee research, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/manatee.

Key Deer Fawning Season

THE LATE FAWNS ARE COMING!

With the winding down of the fawning season in July, quite often we feel that the fawns have had time to adjust to vehicles. However, the Lower Keys has on occasion experienced a crop of new fawns in August. Residents are being cautioned to watch out for new fawns during this time.

Residents living in Key deer habitat need to be aware that as a doe crosses a road, a fawn may be following and the fawn will not understand the threat that a vehicle can present and may run in front of the vehicle. These new fawns have not had time to experience vehicles and may dart across a road unexpectedly. Other hazards to deer and fawns in particular, include free-roaming dogs. Even if a dog does not catch a fleeing fawn, it may die from being chased into traffic or a canal. Residents are reminded that dogs on refuge lands must be on a leash. Residents seeing free-roaming dogs are encouraged to report them to animal control (305-743- 3779).

Anti Sanctuary Dissertation (so to speak) by Jackie Ripley

The need to protect corals from damage by ship groundings was one major reason given by the government and environmental groups for the 1990 establishment of the FKNMS. The other was to protect reefs zones from oil drilling. Yet the majority of us Keys locals did not believe that a marine sanctuary was needed to address these issues. The well agreed upon environmental concerns regionally were poor water quality in the Bay, the need for sewage treatment in the Keys, and pollution coming from those pigs in South Florida. Those opposed to the sanctuary believed that none of these concerns would be better addressed by the additional layer of bureaucracy created by the FKNMS given that these issues were already being addressed by more than 30 agencies and non-profits. Those in favor suggested that the multiple agencies working on the issues had been inadequately addressing such problems.

Keys’ locals formed the 1,500- person Conch Coalition to oppose the sanctuary. They engaged in letter writing campaigns, sent hundreds of coconuts with anti-sanctuary messages painted on them to representatives in Washington, and held public speeches and demonstrations. Activists even hung NOAA’s two main sanctuary managers in effigy. Through the efforts of anti-sanctuary groups (Conch Coalition, Monroe County Commercial Fishermen’s Association, and other fisher groups) and individuals (many treasure salvagers), the no-take zone was reduced from six percent to one percent in the 1996 final management plan.
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