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The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is an American ecosystem protection group. It was founded in 1967 on Sanibel Island, Florida to preserve the island's interior freshwater system.[1][2] The non-profit's mission has since evolved to also protect and care for Southwest Florida's coastal ecosystems.[2][3]
SCCF is the largest private landowner on Sanibel, protecting around 1,800 acres on the island. SCCF also owns more than 300 additional acres in the region, including on the islands of Pine Island Sound, Fort Myers and Cape Coral.[2] Many of these acres are closed to the public, though SCCF has over 8 miles of public trails.[4]
The Native Landscapes & Garden Centre sells native plants, and offers landscaping and educational programs.[5][6] The Marine Laboratory monitors water quality[7] and conducts research on subjects such as seagrass, mangroves, harmful algal blooms, and shellfish restoration.[8][9] The lab also oversees a water-quality sensor network throughout the Caloosahatchee, known as the River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network.[10] SCCF monitors the shorebird snowy plover,[11] loggerhead sea turtles, and occasional leatherback sea turtles[12] on the Sanibel and Captiva Islands, which has an environmental policy program.[13] SCCF also monitors other wildlife species that are federally threatened such as the Eastern indigo snake.[14]
Sea Turtle Monitoring
editSCCF's sea turtle program operates under a permit granted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to monitor sea turtles on Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Sea turtle monitoring on Sanibel began in the late 1950s, and the program was transferred to SCCF in 1992. [15]
Most of the sea turtles that nest on Sanibel and Captiva are loggerheads (Caretta caretta) or green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), with around 600 or more loggerhead nests laid on the islands each year, as well as an average of a dozen or more green turtle nests.[16] Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) also nest occasionally on the islands.[16]
References
edit- ^ "The Sanibel River Past, Present and Future June 13, 2016" (PDF). mysanibel.com. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "About Us". Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. April 4, 2018.
- ^ "The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) - The Sanibel Captiva Guide". January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Public Trails". Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Plant Real Florida | Bring Your Landscape to Life with Native Plants". www.plantrealflorida.org.
- ^ "Native Landscapes & Garden Center". Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Memorandum" (PDF). sccf.org.
- ^ "Marine Laboratory". Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. February 21, 2023.
- ^ Medina, Miles; Kaplan, David; Milbrandt, Eric C.; Tomasko, Dave; Huffaker, Ray; Angelini, Christine (2022). "Nitrogen-enriched discharges from a highly managed watershed intensify red tide (Karenia brevis) blooms in southwest Florida". Science of the Total Environment. 827. Bibcode:2022ScTEn.827o4149M. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154149. PMID 35227724.
- ^ "SCCF-RECON". recon.sccf.org.
- ^ "SCCF: Successful start for snowy plover season". captivasanibel.com.
- ^ "Loggerhead sea turtles nested in record numbers the summer after Hurricane Ian". WGCU PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida. October 26, 2023.
- ^ "DePaolis starts at SCCF as environmental policy director". captivasanibel.com.
- ^ "SCCF: Are there indigo snakes on Cayo Costa?".
- ^ "SCCF's Sea Turtle Program | Sanibel Holiday". www.sanibelholiday.com. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ a b "SEATURTLE.ORG - Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System". seaturtle.org. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
