Anna Maria Island provides more than pristine water and white sand beaches for residents and visitors. As one of Florida’s west coast barrier Islands, it is ecologically diverse and an important habitat for a variety of wildlife.
The Gulf provides abundant fish, mollusks and crustaceans that support a large population of bottlenose dolphins. Manatees, also known as sea cows, graze seagrasses in the Gulf and Sarasota Bay. Manatees have been listed as an imperiled species since 1967 and protected areas have been set aside for them in the Sarasota Bay.
The island is a sanctuary for sea turtles and shorebirds. About 90% of all sea turtle nesting in the United States takes place on Florida beaches. Manatee and Sarasota County host the highest density of loggerhead nests in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2022, there were 453 nests with a record of 35,850 turtle hatchlings and successful crawls to the Gulf. Shorebirds such as black skimmers, least terns and snowy plovers nest on Anna Maria Island from spring through early summer. Research has demonstrated that chronic disturbance from human activity around nesting birds has a negative impact on reproduction according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Shorebirds need space to nest, rest and feed undisturbed.
Like Anna Maria Island wildlife, visitors and residents depend on the water quality of Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico and the health of the beaches and they make an effort to maintain the beaches and swimming areas. AMI’s three cities are leading a combined effort to improve local water quality with the Islanders 4 Clean Water campaign. Locals serving with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring coordinate with county, state and federal efforts to conserve sea turtles and shorebirds. The Wildlife Inc. Education and Rehabilitation Center on AMI rescues and rehabilitates wild animals, and Mote Marine Laboratory cares for manatees, sea turtles and dolphins.
As stewards of Anna Maria Island’s resources and biological diversity, we are learning to make use of the earth’s natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, in a manner that ensures sustainability and equity into the distant reaches of time. This attitude of stewardship requires full consideration of the potential environmental consequences of all development activities. It compels us to temper our actions with moderation and humility, realizing that the true value of nature cannot be expressed in economic terms. It is important for us to understand the natural world and its role in our collective development – both material and spiritual. Therefore, sustainable environmental management must come to be seen not as a discretionary commitment that we can weigh against other competing interests, but rather as a fundamental responsibility that must be shouldered – a prerequisite for spiritual development as well as the individual’s physical survival.
We must carefully evaluate the environmental impact as well as social requirements before deciding to develop a three-story parking garage on Manatee Beach.
– Eileen Jellison
