Author Archive: Anthony Poponi

Spend a Day learning about Florida’s Sea Turtles

Ever wonder about your “Nocturnal Neighbors”? No, not those noisy neighbors next door that are always up until 2 AM. I mean the ones visiting our beaches at night as they have for longer than you can imagine. That’s right, sea turtles! The three species of sea turtle using Brevard’s beaches struggle with the burden of crawling from the surf and finding a suitable nesting location near the dune. Once they find a suitable sight they deposit a hundred golf ball sized eggs into a carefully crafted nest chamber. Leaving them to be incubated by the heat of the summer sun, the mother turtle will never see her babies again. The hatchlings emerging two months later have very little chance of survival with only one in a thousand expected to make it to adulthood.

Learning About Florida’s Sea Turtles

Ever wonder about your “Nocturnal Neighbors”? Spend a Day learning about Florida’s Sea Turtles! Learn how to join NESTS — Neighbors Ensuring Sea Turtle Survival! Take a Sea Turtle Lighting Course!

Helping Sea Turtles

For those of you dropping by Green Orlando on a monthly basis, sea turtles are a topic you’ve heard about before. From day one its publisher, Eric Needle, has been inspired by the story of sea turtles and the efforts citizens of this county have made to help protect these summer visitors.

Brevard County and each of the municipalities in the county have lighting ordinances established to reduce the effects of lights illuminating the beach, which disorients nesting females and the hatchlings emerging a couple of months later. It’s a concerted effort by citizens throughout the county, to do what we can to help these imperiled reptiles and it’s easy. Seeing a massive nesting sea turtle or a cute hatchling is usually enough to illicit an emotional response from most everyone and when we’re tied emotionally to these creatures we work towards protecting them.

The Real Florida

So you’re in Central Florida for a conference, on vacation, or maybe you live here! But have you ever seen the real Florida? Many of us, residents included, have no idea how diverse, how immense and how beautiful the natural Florida outdoors are.

Music For Hope

Suicide seems like a distant thought to many of us. Though each of us probably knew someone, maybe close, maybe a distant acquaintance, who attempted or committed suicide it feels almost like something irrelevant in our daily lives.

Interview: Lealyn Wiggins, Curves

The wildly popular fitness franchise Curves for Women has 16 locations in Brevard County and serves millions of women worldwide in their desire to be fit and healthy.

Interview: David Godfrey, Caribbean Conservation Commission

The return of weary travelers begins again this spring as it has for years beyond our counting, as female sea turtles migrate back to Brevard’s beaches to begin the cycle of life anew. Last years’ hurricanes left Brevard’s beaches in shambles and likely destroyed any nests incubating at the time of the storms.

Interview: Jim Egan, Marine Resources Council

Jim Egan is the Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the Indian River Lagoon. Jim oversees a staff of twelve scientists and over seven hundred volunteers involved in efforts to preserve our local Marine Resources. Every program is science-based but driven by local volunteers of every age.

Local Knowledge

Nature Tours with a Flare for Fun
Are you interested in learning more about the natural areas in your own backyard but don’t know where to start? Then Local Knowledge is the guided nature tour service for you.

Daily Bread

Imagine, if you can, your life without the simplest of your needs being fulfilled. You have gone days without a shower, a shave, or a hot meal. Eating only what has been given or begged for and wearing the only clothes you have for another day. With over 2,300 homeless counted in Brevard in last year’s census, the need for help is great.