Minutes of Last MAG Meeting
Dinner at South Beach,
Maurice Barancik
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 15th, 2023 @ 1:30PM
PELICAN BAY COMMUNITY CENTER
MARCH 15th, 2023 @ 1:30PM
PELICAN BAY COMMUNITY CENTER
CALL TO ORDER & QUORUM DETERMINATION – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:35PM
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: John Adams, Mary Vance Duggan, Peter Duggan, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Peter Duggan announced his official retirement as President of the Mangrove Action Group and introduced Tom Sabourin, 1st Vice President, as his successor.
PLEDGE: Tom Sabourin
ATTENDEES/GUESTS: There were approximately 25 in attendance including, as recognized: Mary Johnson (Past MAG), Mike Ruffolo (PBF), Susan O’Brien (past PBSD) and Nick Penniman (Board Member, Conservancy of SW Florida & Author).
ANY ADDENDA/CHANGES TO AGENDA: Our speaker presentation will be moved up in front of the balance of board business in order to honor the guest speaker’s time.
GUEST SPEAKER INTRODUCTION: Tom S. introduced our featured Guest Speaker, Laura Flynn, President of Coastal Resources Group
GUEST SPEAKER: Ms. Laura Flynn has worked for 20 years as a wetland scientist and practitioner specializing in the restoration and conservation of coastal habitats with a primary focus on mangrove and salt marsh ecosystems.
MANGROVE RESTORATION PRESENTATION:
What Makes Mangroves Unique? Special Adaptations:
Where Have the Mangroves Gone?
Good News! Trends are changing:
Mangrove losses worldwide have lessened by about ½ since 2007 because of education and awareness of the benefits of Mangrove Forests.
Important Benefits of Mangrove Forests:
~ ECOLOGICAL MANGROVE RESTORATION (EMR) ~
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries.To learn more from CIFOR, click on the link below for the complete guide:
MANGROVE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION GUIDE: LESSON LEARNED
Mangrove losses worldwide have lessened by about ½ since 2007 because of education and wareness of the benefits of Mangrove Forests.
BOARD REPORTS:
NEW BUSINESS:
NOTE: As a result, we MAY have an additional special MAG meeting in April (tentatively April 10th) with guest speaker April Olson (the Conservancy of SW Florida), to discuss this proposed re-initiation of the USACE Coastal Storm Risk Management plan. If so, April will explain what was proposed in 2021, what changes they might be proposing now and what the potential impact of this CSRM might be. That said, we will not definitely know about the meeting until April 3rd, when the Conservancy is expected to have their prepared statement ready for the public. If so, MAG will make a formal announcement at that time.
Next Scheduled Meeting Date - April 19, 2023 at 1:30PM, PB Community
ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business Ted R. made the motion to adjourn, motion 2nd by Tom S. and the meeting adjourned at 3:45PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
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MANGROVE ACTION GROUP MEETING MINUTES
Pelican Bay Community Center
NOVEMBER 17, 2021 @ 1:30PM
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Ted Raia, Fil Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin.
Guests present: Mary Johnson, Jane Ellsworth, Patricia Bush, Barbara Hein, Geoffrey Noble, Charles Sobczak, Molly Heuer Sobczak, Mona Beitchman, Cindy Bruckermann, and Susan O’Brien
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:39PM, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Special Recognition – Peter D. took a moment to recognize Mary Johnson, Susan O’Brien and Pat Bush for their past service and involvement with the Mangrove Action Group.
Correspondence – None
Approval of Minutes: Linda R. made a motion to approve the October 20,, 2021 minutes with 2 spelling corrections as noted by Peter D, Tom S . 2nd the motion and all approved.
Financial Report: Peter D. – Checking account balance remained the same in October ($20,786.97) with the only additional activity since then being the membership check sent to The Conservancy.
Guest Speaker Introduction – Peter D. introduced author, Charles Sobczak and his wife, Holly, the books he was written and shared how informative his last presentation was at The Conservancy.
Guest Speaker Presentation - Charles gave a beautiful, narrated slide presentation and shared how wildlife has become acclimated to humans explaining that animals have become a lot smarter… nature is wrapping itself around us. Wildlife, in many cases, no longer scatters when we are around.
Some of the winners of the changes in environment are Coyotes, White Tail Deer and Wolverine.
Moose are still struggling because of climate change as are Manatees because they are no longer in warm springs (they dried up). They are now found near power plants.
After the presentation, a Q& A followed.
REPORTS/UPDATES:
MAG (the history of) – Louise gave a brief update on the 50th anniversary article and advised that most of it will be a pictorial history from Tim Hill, Terrill & Associates
PB Foundation:
OLD BUSINESS:
MAG Speakers for November/December - Peter D./Tom S.-
Possibilities for future guest speakers are: Ray Judah, Nick Penniman (Big Sugar) and Mike Parsons. Peter D. and Tom S. will follow up.
NEW BUSINESS:
A brief discussion followed as to the mission and function of each organization with some of the members/guests weighing in. It was decided that Ted R. will reach out to invite the PBPOA into further discussion.
Next Meeting Date – December 15, 2021 @ 1:30 PM at the Community Center
Adjournment – With there being no further business, the meeting concluded at 3:30PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
JUNE 23, 2021 @ 1:30PM
VIA ZOOM MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin.
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:37pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Correspondence – None
Approval of Minutes: Louise D. made a motion to accept the May 19th,, 2021 minutes as written, Linda 2nd and all approved.
Financial Report: Peter D. – Checking account balance as of May 31st, 2021 was $20,786.97.
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
Collier County: Peter D. announced Nancy L. has officially registered and is running for District 2 Commissioner and encouraged her support. No news yet on whether Andy Sols’ intends to run again.
Old Business:
MAG Speakers – Peter D. shared the tentative speaker lineup for the Fall meeting however, dates and availability still need to be confirmed. As a result, no mention of dates are to be added to website yet.
New Business:
Conservancy- An Annual Membership was discussed with dues being $135 /year. John A. made a motion to approve the membership expenditure, Ted R. 2nd and all approved.
Website – Peter D. asked about the status of our website. Nancy L. advised that the last 2 approved minutes have been posted online and that she will update Fall ’21 speaker line up without dates.
Next Meeting- October 20, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Ted R. made a motion, 2nd by Tom S,. to adjourn at 3:15PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
MAY 19, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth, Tom Sabourin along with guests, Susan O’Brien (PBSD) and guest speaker, April Olson, Senior Environmental Planning Specialist, the Conservancy of SWFL (joined in at 1:45PM)
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:32pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Correspondence – 5/17/21 Thank you letter via email received from Jean Findlater (attached)
Approval of Minutes: A motion to accept the April 27th, 2021 minutes as presented were approved with the notation that word ‘Bay’ had already been added to Pelican.
Financial Report: Peter D. – no financial update/change in previous checking account balance ($21,036.80) other than the $250 gift made in honor of Jean Findlater.
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
PBSD:
Collier County:
April then provided MAG with the PowerPoint presentation being presented to the Board of County Commissioners, on May 25th , 2021, on the next proposed Bellmar and Longwater villages that are being recommended for approval, along with a town of Big Cypress. After some discussion and Q&A, April said she would send MAG a concise summation of talking points on them (attached).
Old Business:
MAG Speakers – Peter D. advised that Charlie Sobczak (a top SWFL naturalist and premier author) has a new speech and he will set him up /confirm him as our guest speaker for October ’21 for $150.00 . In addition, Peter will try to get Dr. Mike Parsons, FGCU Professor of Marine Science and Director of the Coastal Watershed Institute, for November.
New Business:
Summer Schedule – Summer hiatus unless the Board chooses to meet via Zoom. In Person meetings will resume in October.
Website – Peter D. asked about the status of our website. Nancy L. advised that the last 2 approved minutes have been posted online and that she will update Fall ’21 speaker line up.
Next Meeting- June 23, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Ted R. made a motion, 2nd by Linda R,. to adjourn at 3:01PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
APRIL 27th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:33pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: John A. made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Linda R. seconded and approval was unanimous.
Financial Report: Peter D. -
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
At the conclusion of the BCC discussion, Linda said the Commissioners voted to sign 2 non-binding letters of agreement to keep the study process moving along but felt Andy Solis (and the BCC as a whole) did nothing to help support PB, Seagate, Naples Cay’s requests to be included in Area 2 in the study.
In further discussion, the floodwall described in the study was defined and discussed to be better understood. Ted R. wondered about the sand dunes and how high they will be and also whether the mangroves will survive. John A. expressed disappointment in that the letters written to the USACE last fall still have had no response and Fil R. mentioned that there is a water shelf at the beach that creates a safety issue with getting in and out of the water.
Clam Pass – It is moving well, the flow is good and some slight red tide is currently present.
PBSD:
Collier County:
Old Business:
New Business:
Summer Schedule – June will be the last meeting before the summer hiatus unless the Board chooses to meet via Zoom.
MAG Files – Peter D. has created multiple notebooks with MAG and other pertinent member organization articles and reports and wondered where all MAG’s files are being stored. Ted Raia advised the are in the PBSD office.
Next Meeting: May 19, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:58PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
MARCH 24th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, , Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:36pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: Ted R. made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Louise seconded and approval was unanimous.
Financial Report: Peter D. & Tom S.-
Updates/Reports:
PBF Election - Voting ended on 4/22 and the results are not yet known.
PBSD Election - Peter reported that out of 6,935 possible voters, only 1,532 people voted. PBSD elections results were: re-elected Joe Chicurel (3rd most votes). Newly elected were John (Jack) Cullen (1st), Susan Hamilton (2nd) and Mike Rodburg. Dave Mangan replaced Jacob Damouni – commercial.
LA Fitness/ Pickleball Courts: Mona (Beitchman) Freedman met with Jane Brown and Kim Rosenberg after having dinner in Tallahassee with her commercial contact for the Pavilion’s ownership (Regency). The outcome of her meeting was that there was no interest on the part of Regency to ‘condominiumize’ the center and that no further action was needed.
Additionally, all were advised that the owner of the Marketplace is against selling the Steinmart space.
Discussion followed regarding an interest in changing PB’s governing documents to allow for the lease of recreational space. Ted suggested it would be great to do so, rent the Steinmart space, raise the Community Center and put pickleball back by the parking lot. That said, St. Lucia might be a good ally to have due of their opposition to using the Commons area site.
District Two Commissioner Election – Mona advised that Alfie Oaks may have a female attorney to run but no one has had any confirmation.
Clam Pass – Peter says water quality is looking good but noted that recent storms have eroded the beach sand up to the dunes and that we’ll need to watch to see if the sand comes back up.
RLSA – Linda advised that April 1st was the next CCPC meeting to further discuss the proposed Bellmar village and that financial neutrality is to be a big issue.
Old Business:
Jeanne Findlater - Peter checked into a plague in the butterfly garden in honor of Jean and was told they are no longer doing them. Consensus, instead, was to get a gift certificate for up to $250. Fil & Linda will decide and report back next month.
Status of Speaker Program – As long as the Community Center continues to operate under COVID guidelines, we will continue using Zoom and delay speakers. Peter will check the status with Gwen and advise of the possibility of (perhaps) having a live meeting in May.
Next Meeting: April 28th, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:26pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
FEBRUARY 24th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Ted Raia, Fil Raia, Linda Roth, Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:31pm, determined a quorum and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: Peter made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Ted seconded the motion and all voted unanimously to approve.
Financial Report: Peter reported the SunTrust checking balance as of 2/21 was $21,167.71 and that MAG received a $100 donation. All agreed a ‘Thank You’ note was in order.
Peter advised all that he asked Tom to check to see if MAG needs to file an annual report and/or return and will confer with him.
Updates/Reports:
PBF Election - Peter gave a brief summary of the Directors talk on 2/17. There are 2 open positions on the PBF Board with 4 candidates running. Peter offered that he was open to discussing the candidates seeking election privately with anyone who hadn’t yet voted and/or were undecided.
He also mentioned that the PBSD had 4 or 5 positions to fill and encouraged everyone to vote.
Pelican Bay Foundation – Pickleball Courts: Ted and Peter shared that much of the 2/17 discussion centered around the Community Center and the need for a bigger building to expand fitness, office and meeting space demands and add more parking.
All present agreed they were not in favor of encroaching the wetlands area for pickleball. Louise, however, advised the PBF report says they can build on that 3.5 acre site. Ted commented that (of course) an engineer can “engineer” a solution if the powers that be want it. He also mentioned that another meeting was scheduled for February 25th to further discuss.
Guest Speaker, Mona (Beitchman) Freedman - Mona joined the meeting as a guest speaker (2pm) to discuss the LA Fitness building and shed some light on the Nordstrom building/Waterside Shops.
Mona, a Bay Colony resident is somewhat familiar with commercial real estate as she owns some CVS’s.
Mona explained that Waterside is considered an A+ retail market location and that selling to PB would be a big blemish for them. PB purchasing that building would do no good for their high end merchant market, it would only hurt it.
The Pavilion shopping center, however, is probably a B- retail location because its anchor is LA Fitness. Historically, gyms do not bring /draw customers in. Members work out and leave. In addition, given the COVID climate and change in people’s work out habits, there’s no doubt that LA Fitness, a privately held company that’s in debt, is struggling to pay the rent that (in theory) they should be paying.
As a result, Pavilion’s ownership (Regency, Jacksonville) MAY have more incentive than ever to be induced to entertain subdividing /‘condominiumizing’ some of the shopping center in hopes of stabilizing the location and its rating.
Mona explained the problem everyone in PB has previously had in trying to reach out to these center owners is that they are never getting through all the levels of “NO’ to get to the right person… you have to get to the decision maker.
Mona has a good friend who is in commercial real estate who knows the people in upper management at Regency and will be having dinner with him in two weeks. At that time, she is hoping to get through enough of those ‘no’ levels to be able to pitch the idea to see if there might be any interest.
In closing, Mona encouraged Peter and Ted to share this information at their meeting the following day and/or encourage the PBF to get 80% of PB owners approval to change the Foundation articles to allow PB to lease space.
RLSA – Linda advised all to support the Conservancy in their efforts to get the CCPC to vote down the proposed ‘town concept’ villages (Bellmar, Longwater) that were continued from the February meeting. Collier Enterprises is putting a lot of pressure on the CCPC to approve them, however, these villages only benefit Collier Enterprises, not Collier residents and will harm our protected environment/natural resources.
One Naples - Nancy advised that there would be a SVB rally by the One Naples site on Saturday morning with the raising of a 30ft wall mock up and encouraged MAG’s support in attending that rally and the Commission meeting on March 1 & 2, 2021.
COVID vaccines – Peter advised that CVS would be opening within a couple weeks to distribute vaccines. Others have had good success with Naples Senior Center.
Old Business:
Jeanne Findlater - Peter is looking into a plague for a bench in the butterfly garden to honor Jean‘s service/dedication to MAG.
Status of Speaker Program – MAG is still operating under COVID guidelines w/Zoom so no speaker for March.
Next Meeting: March 24th, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, Ted made a motion to adjourn and Fil 2nd. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 3:00pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP ANNUAL MEETING
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 24, 2020
Present: Peter, Mary Vance, Louise, Tom, John, Jeanne, Linda, Ted, Fil. There were no members at large present at the meeting. We were pleased to have our new part-time MAG Administrator Nancy Lewis join us on Zoom. COVID -19 protocols are still in effect for Pelican Bay.
The January, 2020, minutes were approved. There were no minutes for February, March and April due to meeting cancellations caused by the Pandemic shut-down.
Nancy reported that our bank balance is $21658.79. She inquired about the status of our tax return. MAG has never submitted one.
Relationship Update with PBPOA and MAG Files: Peter reported that our files have been transferred to the PBSD office in the Sun Trust Building on Laurel Oak Drive. The PBPOA did not have sufficient space in their new office to continue storing MAG files.
Cancellation of Speakers: February, March, April speakers were cancelled due to the COVID shut-down. We don’t know if we will be allowed to hold actual meetings in the Fall. The feasibility of using ZOOM was discussed. There were varying opinions about whether this would work well for speaker presentations. It was decided to demo this idea for our October meeting.
One Naples and RLSA Update: One Naples is still in the review stage and there is nothing new to report according to Ted.The Pelican Bay Foundation will not take a position against One Naples. It does have a concern about the negative impact the development could have on traffic in the area. The PBPOA is opposing the project.
The NDN did not publish Ted’s letter in support of the Conservancy’s law suit against the RLSA development plan. He received no response to an inquiry about the possible placement of an ad in the newspaper. Rivergrass is the first village to be approved by The Board of County Commissioners. Louise noted that a neighborhood information meeting was taking place on June 25, 2020, as a preliminary move for a new “village” off Oil Well Rd, to include up to 2600 dwellings, plus commercial, governmental, and institutional space, on 1000 acres.
Mailing List update: MAG mailing lists will be separate from the PBPOA list. Permission will be needed to use their list. The MAG list has been combined from a number of lists into one list. Louise, Jeanne and Nancy will resolve questions regarding some gmail accounts requiring a password. Peter and Louise will manage how these lists are used.
Election of Officers: Louise proposed the following ballot which was seconded by John.
President: Peter Duggan, DP
Vice President: Ted Raia and Tom Sabourin, DVP
Treasurer: Tom Sabourin, DT
Secretary: Fil Raia, DS
Director: Louise Dowd, D
Director: Linda Roth, D
Director: John Adams, D
Director: Mary Vance Duggan, D
Director
Emeritus: Jeanne Findlater
Next Meeting: November, 2020. Speaker will be naturalist Charles Sobczak. This could be a trial for future Zoom meetings if Covid-19 rules are still in effect.
Adjournment: 2:30 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Fil Raia, Secretary
Minutes for the Meeting of January 22, 2020
Present: Peter, Mary Vance, Jeanne, Linda, John, Tom, Ted, Louise, Fil. There were 38 members at large attending with others turning away because of lack of space in the room.
Speaker: Adam DiNuovo gave a presentation on Black Skimmers. They are birds common to our shores here in Pelican Bay. Adam is a member of the National Audubon Society and has been assigned here to study these birds. Attendees learned why protecting these creatures from stress while they are resting is so important to their survival. MAG continues in its attempt to spread this important message in a kindly way to the many visitors to our beaches. Adam took questions throughout his presentation. There was such a keen interest in his topic that the talk lasted for most of the meeting. We look forward to having him speak to the group again.
RSLA: Peter, Tom and Ted attended the RSLA workshop of the Collier County Board of Commissioners this week. Conservationists are against the proposed RSLA development plan which morphs into more units per 5 acres with the use of the transfer of credits system. Land in Collier county has 8 layers of credit values based on uses. Our Commissioner Solis and Commissioner and landowner McDaniel of district 5 are supporters of the plan. Peter stressed the importance of paying attention to the next commissioner elections because of critical issues of water, wildlife, tax base and traffic at stake in our area.
One Naples: Mention was made of the development being planned for the Vanderbuilt Beach area which abuts Pelican Bay. This plan would have a great impact on our immediate neighborhood and should also be carefully monitored.
Next Meeting: February 19, 2020 at 1:30 pm. The speaker will be Dr. Greg Tolley, Professor of Marine Science and Executive Director of The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Adjournment: 3:10pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Filomena Raia, Secretary to the Board
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: John Adams, Mary Vance Duggan, Peter Duggan, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Peter Duggan announced his official retirement as President of the Mangrove Action Group and introduced Tom Sabourin, 1st Vice President, as his successor.
PLEDGE: Tom Sabourin
ATTENDEES/GUESTS: There were approximately 25 in attendance including, as recognized: Mary Johnson (Past MAG), Mike Ruffolo (PBF), Susan O’Brien (past PBSD) and Nick Penniman (Board Member, Conservancy of SW Florida & Author).
ANY ADDENDA/CHANGES TO AGENDA: Our speaker presentation will be moved up in front of the balance of board business in order to honor the guest speaker’s time.
GUEST SPEAKER INTRODUCTION: Tom S. introduced our featured Guest Speaker, Laura Flynn, President of Coastal Resources Group
GUEST SPEAKER: Ms. Laura Flynn has worked for 20 years as a wetland scientist and practitioner specializing in the restoration and conservation of coastal habitats with a primary focus on mangrove and salt marsh ecosystems.
- Her past experience working throughout Florida and the Caribbean with Roy R. Lewis III, an international mangrove and seagrass expert, has allowed her to develop an extensive skill set for comprehensive environmental assessments and a science-based approach for restoration planning.
- Most recently, her work has focused on mangrove restoration in the Florida Keys, Jamaica, and Antigua/Barbuda to include careful consideration of climate change effects on vulnerable coastal habitats and work with team members to develop these projects with consideration of future challenges.
- Currently, Ms. Flynn is working with researchers at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and their partners evaluating the degradation, resilience, and associated impacts to ecosystem services following hurricane Hurricane Irma.
MANGROVE RESTORATION PRESENTATION:
What Makes Mangroves Unique? Special Adaptations:
- Salt Exclusion: Mangroves have specialized salt glands that push salt out of their system.
- Root Aeration: Prop roots, Pneumatophones and Knees (they project above the mud and have small openings (lenticels) through which air enters, passing through the soft spongy tissue to the roots beneath the mud.
- Vivipary: Mangroves are viviparous. They disperse propagules (bean-like seeds) via water with varying degrees of vivipary or embryonic development while the propagule is attached to the parent tree.
Where Have the Mangroves Gone?
- Propagules: After mangrove flowers are pollinated the plants produce seeds that immediately begin to germinate into seedlings. The propagules, then fall off the tree, and can be swept away by the ocean current.
- Mangroves are moving North: Mangroves typically grow in sheltered tropical and subtropical coastal areas, however, with planet /climate changes, they are beginning to move further north, as far north as Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast and St. Augustine on the Atlantic Coast. Black mangroves can occur farther north in Florida than the other two species, and mangroves are also now moving into Louisiana and Texas.
- Climate changes are threatening huge areas of salt marshes: Rising temperatures are causing temperate zones to become more tropical. Prior to warmer temperatures and milder winters, these propagules might not have survived. But now they threaten to displace native, more cold-tolerant salt marshes. This could dramatically alter the coastlines of national parks and other natural areas and have deep impacts on the plants and animals that live there.
- Mangroves lost: Research indicates at least 35 % of the world's mangrove forests may have been lost between 1980 and 2000. The United Nations environment program estimated that shrimp farming causes 25% of the destruction of mangrove forests.
Good News! Trends are changing:
Mangrove losses worldwide have lessened by about ½ since 2007 because of education and awareness of the benefits of Mangrove Forests.
Important Benefits of Mangrove Forests:
- Construction Materials
- Fuelwood
- Medicine
- Cultural Heritage/Religious Value
- Biodiversity
- Food
- Recreation
- Ecotourism
- Aesthetics
- Education
- Scientific Research/Employment
- Climate Regulation
- Coastal Protection
- Environmental coastal protection: Mangroves reduce storm impact by reducing flooding and erosion from storms. Trends are changing and it appears as if hurricanes are becoming normal.
- Carbon storage: Mangroves sequester carbon and store it in their biomass and underlying soil.
- Breeding/nursery grounds: Mangroves act as nurseries for fish, as well as, filter pollutants from water and reduce soil contaminants.
~ ECOLOGICAL MANGROVE RESTORATION (EMR) ~
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries.To learn more from CIFOR, click on the link below for the complete guide:
MANGROVE ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION GUIDE: LESSON LEARNED
Mangrove losses worldwide have lessened by about ½ since 2007 because of education and wareness of the benefits of Mangrove Forests.
BOARD REPORTS:
- CORRESPONDENCE: None
- MINUTES: (approval /additions or corrections): Ted R. made a motion to approve the January meeting minutes as written, Peter D. seconded and all approved.
- FINANCIAL REPORT: Peter D. reported Truist checking balance to be $18,854.66, as of 02/28/23.
NEW BUSINESS:
- Nomination/Election of New Director – Linda R. made a motion to nominate Mary (McLean) Johnson, Ted R. seconded and the motion carried unaminously. Welcome back Mary!
- Election of Board Officers – Tabled for a future meeting
- Membership – MAG membership was briefly discussed in order to increase awareness of the need to preserve our coastal ecosystem and to continue to fund speakers and programs. ‘Party with a Purpose’, writing articles for the PB Post and charging for a series were ideas that were tossed around. Due to time constraints, it was agreed to continue the discussion at a future meeting.
- USACE Request to Study Re-initation – Peter D. & Linda R. brought forth that there is a request coming to the Board of Collier County Commissioner in April from the integrated USACE and Collier County project team for the re-initiation of the Collier County Coast Risk Management (CSRM) feasibility study. They are looking to reengage the Collier County community to address public comments and concerns from the first reiteration of the study and to reformulate the 2021 plan using updated information and lessons learned.
NOTE: As a result, we MAY have an additional special MAG meeting in April (tentatively April 10th) with guest speaker April Olson (the Conservancy of SW Florida), to discuss this proposed re-initiation of the USACE Coastal Storm Risk Management plan. If so, April will explain what was proposed in 2021, what changes they might be proposing now and what the potential impact of this CSRM might be. That said, we will not definitely know about the meeting until April 3rd, when the Conservancy is expected to have their prepared statement ready for the public. If so, MAG will make a formal announcement at that time.
- Future Speakers:
- Peter D. announced that Nick Penniman and Franklin Adams, Authors of “Enjoyment of the Same, A History of Public Lands in Southwest Florida” will be our guest speakers for the April Meeting
- Tom S. advised he is still working to get Katie Laakkonen (oyster reefs in Naples Bay) as a speaker.
Next Scheduled Meeting Date - April 19, 2023 at 1:30PM, PB Community
ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business Ted R. made the motion to adjourn, motion 2nd by Tom S. and the meeting adjourned at 3:45PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
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MANGROVE ACTION GROUP MEETING MINUTES
Pelican Bay Community Center
NOVEMBER 17, 2021 @ 1:30PM
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Ted Raia, Fil Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin.
Guests present: Mary Johnson, Jane Ellsworth, Patricia Bush, Barbara Hein, Geoffrey Noble, Charles Sobczak, Molly Heuer Sobczak, Mona Beitchman, Cindy Bruckermann, and Susan O’Brien
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:39PM, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Special Recognition – Peter D. took a moment to recognize Mary Johnson, Susan O’Brien and Pat Bush for their past service and involvement with the Mangrove Action Group.
Correspondence – None
Approval of Minutes: Linda R. made a motion to approve the October 20,, 2021 minutes with 2 spelling corrections as noted by Peter D, Tom S . 2nd the motion and all approved.
Financial Report: Peter D. – Checking account balance remained the same in October ($20,786.97) with the only additional activity since then being the membership check sent to The Conservancy.
Guest Speaker Introduction – Peter D. introduced author, Charles Sobczak and his wife, Holly, the books he was written and shared how informative his last presentation was at The Conservancy.
Guest Speaker Presentation - Charles gave a beautiful, narrated slide presentation and shared how wildlife has become acclimated to humans explaining that animals have become a lot smarter… nature is wrapping itself around us. Wildlife, in many cases, no longer scatters when we are around.
Some of the winners of the changes in environment are Coyotes, White Tail Deer and Wolverine.
Moose are still struggling because of climate change as are Manatees because they are no longer in warm springs (they dried up). They are now found near power plants.
After the presentation, a Q& A followed.
REPORTS/UPDATES:
MAG (the history of) – Louise gave a brief update on the 50th anniversary article and advised that most of it will be a pictorial history from Tim Hill, Terrill & Associates
PB Foundation:
- South Beach – Beautifully clear
- Beach Renoursishment – Is scheduled for 12/1822 at North Beach
- Clam Pass – Dredging is scheduled for 1/10/22
OLD BUSINESS:
MAG Speakers for November/December - Peter D./Tom S.-
- December 15, 2021 - none
- January 19th, 2022 – Greg Tolley
Possibilities for future guest speakers are: Ray Judah, Nick Penniman (Big Sugar) and Mike Parsons. Peter D. and Tom S. will follow up.
NEW BUSINESS:
- Addenda to Agenda – Merger Discussion
A brief discussion followed as to the mission and function of each organization with some of the members/guests weighing in. It was decided that Ted R. will reach out to invite the PBPOA into further discussion.
Next Meeting Date – December 15, 2021 @ 1:30 PM at the Community Center
Adjournment – With there being no further business, the meeting concluded at 3:30PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
JUNE 23, 2021 @ 1:30PM
VIA ZOOM MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin.
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:37pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Correspondence – None
Approval of Minutes: Louise D. made a motion to accept the May 19th,, 2021 minutes as written, Linda 2nd and all approved.
Financial Report: Peter D. – Checking account balance as of May 31st, 2021 was $20,786.97.
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
- Clam Pass – Peter D. reported here was a big swing… bad drop off. Some discussion centered aroundconcern over water quality with higher nutrient levels. It was noted that the next Clam Bay Committee meeting would be July 13th and MAG should follow upon it for an update on the dredging project.
- Red Tide/Blue Green Algae – Peter D. reported there is no red tide at present
- Pathway In PB – The pathway is cement and pruning for it is dramatic. It’s not just trees being cut, it includes hedges and bushes, too. Railroad ties are also being redone.
Collier County: Peter D. announced Nancy L. has officially registered and is running for District 2 Commissioner and encouraged her support. No news yet on whether Andy Sols’ intends to run again.
Old Business:
MAG Speakers – Peter D. shared the tentative speaker lineup for the Fall meeting however, dates and availability still need to be confirmed. As a result, no mention of dates are to be added to website yet.
- Charlie Sobczak, top SWFL naturalist and premier author – possibly October 20th
- Professor Greg Tolley, Professor of Marine Science and Executive Director of The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University – checking for Nov.17th
- Dr. Mike Parsons, FGCU Professor of Marine Science and Director of the Coastal Watershed Institute– checking availability
New Business:
Conservancy- An Annual Membership was discussed with dues being $135 /year. John A. made a motion to approve the membership expenditure, Ted R. 2nd and all approved.
Website – Peter D. asked about the status of our website. Nancy L. advised that the last 2 approved minutes have been posted online and that she will update Fall ’21 speaker line up without dates.
Next Meeting- October 20, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Ted R. made a motion, 2nd by Tom S,. to adjourn at 3:15PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
MAY 19, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth, Tom Sabourin along with guests, Susan O’Brien (PBSD) and guest speaker, April Olson, Senior Environmental Planning Specialist, the Conservancy of SWFL (joined in at 1:45PM)
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:32pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Correspondence – 5/17/21 Thank you letter via email received from Jean Findlater (attached)
Approval of Minutes: A motion to accept the April 27th, 2021 minutes as presented were approved with the notation that word ‘Bay’ had already been added to Pelican.
Financial Report: Peter D. – no financial update/change in previous checking account balance ($21,036.80) other than the $250 gift made in honor of Jean Findlater.
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
- Collier County Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study – Nancy L. updated MAG on her conversation with Jim Hoppensteadt. The PB Foundation’s position (at this point in time) is to wait to find out what the USACE final report comes back with and then see what the county’s position is on it. The Army Corp. still needs to get funding approval from the federal government (next year) and the county also will need to determine where their portion ($750+M) would come from.
- Clam Pass – Ted R. advised there was no update except that it looked good a week ago. Susan O’Brien added that the tidal ratios are down and there’s been some sand build up. She also mentioned the next scheduled Clam Bay meeting is June 1st,2021.
- Red Tide/Blue Green Algae – Peter D. reported red tide has been popping up and holding off the Snook and Redfish season because it’s lingered.
- Manatees – Peter D. advised of the recent reports in the paper that Florida has lost an alarming amount of manatees this year.
PBSD:
- Oakmont Lake – Susan O’Brien advised the PBSD has approved up to $2.1M for the pond bank remediation project with Geoweb mesh. She reported this remediation project will also be the blueprint used for the other 43 lakes the PBSD is responsible for.
Collier County:
- RLSA – April Olson began by providing MAG with an update on the Conservancy losing the court battle against the County and Collier Enterprises over Rivergrass village last week. She advised that the presiding judge limited the issues that could be heard. He declined to hear the Conservancy’s testimony on the fiscal neutrality methodology used vs. what the actual costs might be to taxpayers and traffic congestion, stating that these were not environmental issues. In the end, April let us know that the Conservancy’s fight over Rivergrass is certainly not over and they are appealing the judge’s decision.
April then provided MAG with the PowerPoint presentation being presented to the Board of County Commissioners, on May 25th , 2021, on the next proposed Bellmar and Longwater villages that are being recommended for approval, along with a town of Big Cypress. After some discussion and Q&A, April said she would send MAG a concise summation of talking points on them (attached).
Old Business:
MAG Speakers – Peter D. advised that Charlie Sobczak (a top SWFL naturalist and premier author) has a new speech and he will set him up /confirm him as our guest speaker for October ’21 for $150.00 . In addition, Peter will try to get Dr. Mike Parsons, FGCU Professor of Marine Science and Director of the Coastal Watershed Institute, for November.
New Business:
Summer Schedule – Summer hiatus unless the Board chooses to meet via Zoom. In Person meetings will resume in October.
Website – Peter D. asked about the status of our website. Nancy L. advised that the last 2 approved minutes have been posted online and that she will update Fall ’21 speaker line up.
Next Meeting- June 23, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: There being no further business, Ted R. made a motion, 2nd by Linda R,. to adjourn at 3:01PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
APRIL 27th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:33pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: John A. made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Linda R. seconded and approval was unanimous.
Financial Report: Peter D. -
- The current SunTrust checking account balance is $21,036.80.
- A $250 donation is going to be sent to the Conservancy in honor of Jean Findlater (as the charity of her choice).
Updates/Reports:
PB Foundation:
- Collier County Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study - Linda Roth provided an update from the BCC meeting discussion with regard to Area 2 where comment was made that PB high rises with 1st level parking are considered to better protected and therefore, less vulnerable. As things stand, PB, Naples Cay and Seagate remain excluded from this 50 year study /protection plan in Area 2. To date, Pelican Bay has had no response or any continued discussion with the USACE to its request to have the Army Corps. review and reconsider inclusion.
At the conclusion of the BCC discussion, Linda said the Commissioners voted to sign 2 non-binding letters of agreement to keep the study process moving along but felt Andy Solis (and the BCC as a whole) did nothing to help support PB, Seagate, Naples Cay’s requests to be included in Area 2 in the study.
In further discussion, the floodwall described in the study was defined and discussed to be better understood. Ted R. wondered about the sand dunes and how high they will be and also whether the mangroves will survive. John A. expressed disappointment in that the letters written to the USACE last fall still have had no response and Fil R. mentioned that there is a water shelf at the beach that creates a safety issue with getting in and out of the water.
- Pickleball Courts: Nothing new is going on with them at this point. This is considered a long term project.
- COVID shots at Community Center - Peter advised that the vaccine shots will continue to be given out on Wednesdays through May.
Clam Pass – It is moving well, the flow is good and some slight red tide is currently present.
PBSD:
- Oakmont Lake – The repair could cost anywhere from between $1 - 2.2M depending which repair option the PBSD chooses and will most likely require a couple of large trees to be cut down. It was noted that whatever repair option they choose for Oakmont will also be the precedent set for repair of the other lakes as well. Peter will check into this more with Susan O’Brien and report back next month.
Collier County:
- District 2 - Louise advised she would be attending the RWSFF luncheon where Alfie Oakes is going to speak and shared that Alfie has publicly commented that if Solis doesn’t mend his ways, he will run against him. Louise was going to speak to Alfie to see if he plans to run and report back.
- RLSA – Linda R. reported that on May 10th the Rivergrass trial will start and May 25th will be the BCC hearing on Bellmar (only 1.5 mile from panther habitat) and the town of Big Cypress.
- Smart Growth Now - Peter D. gave a brief update on the launch of Linda Penniman’s Florida Center for Government Accountability (www.flcga.org)
Old Business:
- Jeanne Findlater - included in Financial Report
- Status of Speaker Program – Peter D. advised that Charlie Sobczak (a top SWFL naturalist and premier author) is open to speaking to MAG any time in the Fall (Oct-Dec).
New Business:
Summer Schedule – June will be the last meeting before the summer hiatus unless the Board chooses to meet via Zoom.
MAG Files – Peter D. has created multiple notebooks with MAG and other pertinent member organization articles and reports and wondered where all MAG’s files are being stored. Ted Raia advised the are in the PBSD office.
Next Meeting: May 19, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:58PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
MARCH 24th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Mary Vance Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Fil Raia, Ted Raia, , Linda Roth and Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:36pm, determined a quorum was present and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: Ted R. made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Louise seconded and approval was unanimous.
Financial Report: Peter D. & Tom S.-
- Peter reported the SunTrust checking account balance as of 3/1 was $21,267.71 and included the $100 donation from Keith & Julie Brooks. All agreed a ‘Thank You’ note was in order and Nancy will send.
- Peter advised that the last purchase with Mag funds (other than admin.) was for the Oyster Catch.
- Tom advised the annual report had been filed (attached) and that there was no need to file a tax return.
Updates/Reports:
PBF Election - Voting ended on 4/22 and the results are not yet known.
PBSD Election - Peter reported that out of 6,935 possible voters, only 1,532 people voted. PBSD elections results were: re-elected Joe Chicurel (3rd most votes). Newly elected were John (Jack) Cullen (1st), Susan Hamilton (2nd) and Mike Rodburg. Dave Mangan replaced Jacob Damouni – commercial.
LA Fitness/ Pickleball Courts: Mona (Beitchman) Freedman met with Jane Brown and Kim Rosenberg after having dinner in Tallahassee with her commercial contact for the Pavilion’s ownership (Regency). The outcome of her meeting was that there was no interest on the part of Regency to ‘condominiumize’ the center and that no further action was needed.
Additionally, all were advised that the owner of the Marketplace is against selling the Steinmart space.
Discussion followed regarding an interest in changing PB’s governing documents to allow for the lease of recreational space. Ted suggested it would be great to do so, rent the Steinmart space, raise the Community Center and put pickleball back by the parking lot. That said, St. Lucia might be a good ally to have due of their opposition to using the Commons area site.
District Two Commissioner Election – Mona advised that Alfie Oaks may have a female attorney to run but no one has had any confirmation.
Clam Pass – Peter says water quality is looking good but noted that recent storms have eroded the beach sand up to the dunes and that we’ll need to watch to see if the sand comes back up.
RLSA – Linda advised that April 1st was the next CCPC meeting to further discuss the proposed Bellmar village and that financial neutrality is to be a big issue.
Old Business:
Jeanne Findlater - Peter checked into a plague in the butterfly garden in honor of Jean and was told they are no longer doing them. Consensus, instead, was to get a gift certificate for up to $250. Fil & Linda will decide and report back next month.
Status of Speaker Program – As long as the Community Center continues to operate under COVID guidelines, we will continue using Zoom and delay speakers. Peter will check the status with Gwen and advise of the possibility of (perhaps) having a live meeting in May.
Next Meeting: April 28th, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:26pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP
FEBRUARY 24th, 2021 @ 1:30PM VIA ZOOM
MEETING MINUTES
Present: John Adams, Peter Duggan, Louise Dowd, Nancy Lewis, Ted Raia, Fil Raia, Linda Roth, Tom Sabourin
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance – Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:31pm, determined a quorum and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes: Peter made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Ted seconded the motion and all voted unanimously to approve.
Financial Report: Peter reported the SunTrust checking balance as of 2/21 was $21,167.71 and that MAG received a $100 donation. All agreed a ‘Thank You’ note was in order.
Peter advised all that he asked Tom to check to see if MAG needs to file an annual report and/or return and will confer with him.
Updates/Reports:
PBF Election - Peter gave a brief summary of the Directors talk on 2/17. There are 2 open positions on the PBF Board with 4 candidates running. Peter offered that he was open to discussing the candidates seeking election privately with anyone who hadn’t yet voted and/or were undecided.
He also mentioned that the PBSD had 4 or 5 positions to fill and encouraged everyone to vote.
Pelican Bay Foundation – Pickleball Courts: Ted and Peter shared that much of the 2/17 discussion centered around the Community Center and the need for a bigger building to expand fitness, office and meeting space demands and add more parking.
All present agreed they were not in favor of encroaching the wetlands area for pickleball. Louise, however, advised the PBF report says they can build on that 3.5 acre site. Ted commented that (of course) an engineer can “engineer” a solution if the powers that be want it. He also mentioned that another meeting was scheduled for February 25th to further discuss.
Guest Speaker, Mona (Beitchman) Freedman - Mona joined the meeting as a guest speaker (2pm) to discuss the LA Fitness building and shed some light on the Nordstrom building/Waterside Shops.
Mona, a Bay Colony resident is somewhat familiar with commercial real estate as she owns some CVS’s.
Mona explained that Waterside is considered an A+ retail market location and that selling to PB would be a big blemish for them. PB purchasing that building would do no good for their high end merchant market, it would only hurt it.
The Pavilion shopping center, however, is probably a B- retail location because its anchor is LA Fitness. Historically, gyms do not bring /draw customers in. Members work out and leave. In addition, given the COVID climate and change in people’s work out habits, there’s no doubt that LA Fitness, a privately held company that’s in debt, is struggling to pay the rent that (in theory) they should be paying.
As a result, Pavilion’s ownership (Regency, Jacksonville) MAY have more incentive than ever to be induced to entertain subdividing /‘condominiumizing’ some of the shopping center in hopes of stabilizing the location and its rating.
Mona explained the problem everyone in PB has previously had in trying to reach out to these center owners is that they are never getting through all the levels of “NO’ to get to the right person… you have to get to the decision maker.
Mona has a good friend who is in commercial real estate who knows the people in upper management at Regency and will be having dinner with him in two weeks. At that time, she is hoping to get through enough of those ‘no’ levels to be able to pitch the idea to see if there might be any interest.
In closing, Mona encouraged Peter and Ted to share this information at their meeting the following day and/or encourage the PBF to get 80% of PB owners approval to change the Foundation articles to allow PB to lease space.
RLSA – Linda advised all to support the Conservancy in their efforts to get the CCPC to vote down the proposed ‘town concept’ villages (Bellmar, Longwater) that were continued from the February meeting. Collier Enterprises is putting a lot of pressure on the CCPC to approve them, however, these villages only benefit Collier Enterprises, not Collier residents and will harm our protected environment/natural resources.
One Naples - Nancy advised that there would be a SVB rally by the One Naples site on Saturday morning with the raising of a 30ft wall mock up and encouraged MAG’s support in attending that rally and the Commission meeting on March 1 & 2, 2021.
COVID vaccines – Peter advised that CVS would be opening within a couple weeks to distribute vaccines. Others have had good success with Naples Senior Center.
Old Business:
Jeanne Findlater - Peter is looking into a plague for a bench in the butterfly garden to honor Jean‘s service/dedication to MAG.
Status of Speaker Program – MAG is still operating under COVID guidelines w/Zoom so no speaker for March.
Next Meeting: March 24th, 2021 @1:30PM via ZOOM.
Adjournment: With no further business, Ted made a motion to adjourn and Fil 2nd. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 3:00pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Lewis, Secretary
MANGROVE ACTION GROUP ANNUAL MEETING
ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES JUNE 24, 2020
Present: Peter, Mary Vance, Louise, Tom, John, Jeanne, Linda, Ted, Fil. There were no members at large present at the meeting. We were pleased to have our new part-time MAG Administrator Nancy Lewis join us on Zoom. COVID -19 protocols are still in effect for Pelican Bay.
The January, 2020, minutes were approved. There were no minutes for February, March and April due to meeting cancellations caused by the Pandemic shut-down.
Nancy reported that our bank balance is $21658.79. She inquired about the status of our tax return. MAG has never submitted one.
Relationship Update with PBPOA and MAG Files: Peter reported that our files have been transferred to the PBSD office in the Sun Trust Building on Laurel Oak Drive. The PBPOA did not have sufficient space in their new office to continue storing MAG files.
Cancellation of Speakers: February, March, April speakers were cancelled due to the COVID shut-down. We don’t know if we will be allowed to hold actual meetings in the Fall. The feasibility of using ZOOM was discussed. There were varying opinions about whether this would work well for speaker presentations. It was decided to demo this idea for our October meeting.
One Naples and RLSA Update: One Naples is still in the review stage and there is nothing new to report according to Ted.The Pelican Bay Foundation will not take a position against One Naples. It does have a concern about the negative impact the development could have on traffic in the area. The PBPOA is opposing the project.
The NDN did not publish Ted’s letter in support of the Conservancy’s law suit against the RLSA development plan. He received no response to an inquiry about the possible placement of an ad in the newspaper. Rivergrass is the first village to be approved by The Board of County Commissioners. Louise noted that a neighborhood information meeting was taking place on June 25, 2020, as a preliminary move for a new “village” off Oil Well Rd, to include up to 2600 dwellings, plus commercial, governmental, and institutional space, on 1000 acres.
Mailing List update: MAG mailing lists will be separate from the PBPOA list. Permission will be needed to use their list. The MAG list has been combined from a number of lists into one list. Louise, Jeanne and Nancy will resolve questions regarding some gmail accounts requiring a password. Peter and Louise will manage how these lists are used.
Election of Officers: Louise proposed the following ballot which was seconded by John.
President: Peter Duggan, DP
Vice President: Ted Raia and Tom Sabourin, DVP
Treasurer: Tom Sabourin, DT
Secretary: Fil Raia, DS
Director: Louise Dowd, D
Director: Linda Roth, D
Director: John Adams, D
Director: Mary Vance Duggan, D
Director
Emeritus: Jeanne Findlater
Next Meeting: November, 2020. Speaker will be naturalist Charles Sobczak. This could be a trial for future Zoom meetings if Covid-19 rules are still in effect.
Adjournment: 2:30 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Fil Raia, Secretary
Minutes for the Meeting of January 22, 2020
Present: Peter, Mary Vance, Jeanne, Linda, John, Tom, Ted, Louise, Fil. There were 38 members at large attending with others turning away because of lack of space in the room.
Speaker: Adam DiNuovo gave a presentation on Black Skimmers. They are birds common to our shores here in Pelican Bay. Adam is a member of the National Audubon Society and has been assigned here to study these birds. Attendees learned why protecting these creatures from stress while they are resting is so important to their survival. MAG continues in its attempt to spread this important message in a kindly way to the many visitors to our beaches. Adam took questions throughout his presentation. There was such a keen interest in his topic that the talk lasted for most of the meeting. We look forward to having him speak to the group again.
RSLA: Peter, Tom and Ted attended the RSLA workshop of the Collier County Board of Commissioners this week. Conservationists are against the proposed RSLA development plan which morphs into more units per 5 acres with the use of the transfer of credits system. Land in Collier county has 8 layers of credit values based on uses. Our Commissioner Solis and Commissioner and landowner McDaniel of district 5 are supporters of the plan. Peter stressed the importance of paying attention to the next commissioner elections because of critical issues of water, wildlife, tax base and traffic at stake in our area.
One Naples: Mention was made of the development being planned for the Vanderbuilt Beach area which abuts Pelican Bay. This plan would have a great impact on our immediate neighborhood and should also be carefully monitored.
Next Meeting: February 19, 2020 at 1:30 pm. The speaker will be Dr. Greg Tolley, Professor of Marine Science and Executive Director of The Water School at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Adjournment: 3:10pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Filomena Raia, Secretary to the Board
Chick in the GlenCove Garden, Sheridan Arnold
MINUTES for the Meeting of December 19, 2019
Present were Board members Peter, Ted, Linda, John, Tom, Mary Vance, Louise and 24 guests. Among the guests were Kelly McNab of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and members of the Pelican Bay Services Division.
President Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM and the October minutes were approved. There was no meeting in November.
Peter introduced the guest speaker, Mary Lusk, PhD. Dr. Lusk is a University of Florida Professor in the Soil and Water Science Department. She gave a very informative talk on nutrients, from fertilizers to pet waste, affecting stormwater drainage. Most interesting was the methodology of tracking the source of pollutants and the use of isotopes of Nitrogen. Throughout her presentation she welcomed and fielded many questions from all the attendees. Her talk included the production and use of reclaimed water and the future of ridding it of all nutrients. Florida is the largest user of reclaimed water using 454 million gallons per day. She could be reached at Mary.Lusk@UFL.edu.
The regular meeting followed the presentation.
South Beach will be fully operational Thursday, December 19.
The Board voted approval of giving $500.00 to Kay Potters memorial. Kay was one of the founders and first president of the Mangrove Action Group.
The Pelican Bay Property Owners Association will be moving its office and our files that are stored there will have to be moved. We will pay for moving the files to the new office.
The current balance with SunTrust Bank is $21,640.96
The next MAG meeting is January 22 and the speaker will be Adam DiNouvo, Collier Monitoring and Stewardship Program Manager for the Audubon Florida.
Respectfully,
Mary Vance Duggan
Acting Secretary
Present were Board members Peter, Ted, Linda, John, Tom, Mary Vance, Louise and 24 guests. Among the guests were Kelly McNab of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and members of the Pelican Bay Services Division.
President Peter Duggan called the meeting to order at 1:30 PM and the October minutes were approved. There was no meeting in November.
Peter introduced the guest speaker, Mary Lusk, PhD. Dr. Lusk is a University of Florida Professor in the Soil and Water Science Department. She gave a very informative talk on nutrients, from fertilizers to pet waste, affecting stormwater drainage. Most interesting was the methodology of tracking the source of pollutants and the use of isotopes of Nitrogen. Throughout her presentation she welcomed and fielded many questions from all the attendees. Her talk included the production and use of reclaimed water and the future of ridding it of all nutrients. Florida is the largest user of reclaimed water using 454 million gallons per day. She could be reached at Mary.Lusk@UFL.edu.
The regular meeting followed the presentation.
South Beach will be fully operational Thursday, December 19.
The Board voted approval of giving $500.00 to Kay Potters memorial. Kay was one of the founders and first president of the Mangrove Action Group.
The Pelican Bay Property Owners Association will be moving its office and our files that are stored there will have to be moved. We will pay for moving the files to the new office.
The current balance with SunTrust Bank is $21,640.96
The next MAG meeting is January 22 and the speaker will be Adam DiNouvo, Collier Monitoring and Stewardship Program Manager for the Audubon Florida.
Respectfully,
Mary Vance Duggan
Acting Secretary
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