Bonneted Bat Critical Habitat & New Conservation Funding

florida bonneted bat by shalana gray

Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) designated 1.1 million acres of critical habitat for the Florida bonneted bat, Eumops floridanus, one of the largest and most endangered bats in North America. While no Florida bonneted bats have been observed on Sanibel, SCCF is currently establishing a monitoring regimen around Lee County to determine where individuals may be.

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Changes in Island Landscape Persist Post-Ian

The storm surge from Hurricane Ian drastically changed much of the landscape on the island. Besides seeing the immense quantity of dead vegetation throughout Sanibel, many people wondered what vegetation…

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SCCF Begins Bat Monitoring

SCCF’s Wildlife and Habitat Management Department is now doing acoustic monitoring for bat species on Sanibel Island. In partnership with the Miami Bat Lab — a joint lab between Bat…

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Grunts of Pig Frogs Silenced by Ian

A familiar sound that many residents and visitors associate with summer nights is the deep repeated grunt of the pig frog (Lithobates grylio), a large aquatic frog that is very…

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Lake O Vegetation Too Low

Lake Okeechobee

The rise in Lake Okeechobee levels has slowed down in the past few months, putting it closer to the top of the ecological envelope, which is the range that provides…

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SCCF Designs Landscape for Shell Museum

In partnership with SCCF and with the help of dozens of volunteers, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum installed over 800 plants of native vegetation and grasses. Museum volunteers along with…

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Restoration Progressing on Puschel Preserve

Restoration efforts have been quickly progressing on the Puschel Preserve. The last of the exotic trees such as Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia), javaplum (Syzgium cumini) and seaside mahoe (Thespesia populnea)…

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