The Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association in September named Suzi Fox, the late director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, the winner of its 2022 environmental award.
Fox, who died Sept. 30 in Bradenton, had planned to accept the award in person at an FSBPA annual meeting set for earlier this month in Bonita Springs, which was postponed due to Ian.
The award is for “outstanding contributions toward protection of the coastal environment.”
Fox was nominated for the award for three decades of protecting sea turtles and shorebirds and their coastal habitats on Anna Maria Island.
FSBPA’s announcement of the award praised Fox’s leadership of turtle watch, conservation work, public outreach and also her mentorship of school children.
The announcement concluded with a thank you to Fox for her “commitment to protecting beaches, dunes and the resident wildlife for us and future generations to enjoy.”
AMITW, in a Facebook post, shared the news of Fox’s death, writing, “Suzi Fox gave of herself tirelessly to support the sea turtles at AMI. She will be missed.”
Dozens of people responded, including representatives from turtle watch groups across the state and beyond.
“She was an extraordinary person and will be missed by so many,” South Walton Turtle Watch stated.
Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol on the Atlantic coast said, “Suzi is an inspiration to all of us in the sea turtle community. Sending hugs to her family, friends and fellow turtlers. Her loss will be felt immensely.”
Gulf and East Bay Sea Turtle Patrol said, “Such a sad day for so many. Let her work go on in all of us!”
The week beginning Oct. 3, AMITW volunteers were mourning their loss while also working to wrap up the 2022 turtle nesting season.
Debbie Basilius, AMITW treasurer, said Oct. 5 that she spoke with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff to discuss how AMITW moves forward, especially regarding permitting under the FWC.
Basilius said she didn’t have details from FWC but she learned it could be a lengthy process. In the interim, the volunteers will finish the season, which officially ends Oct. 31.
There were three nests left to hatch on island beaches as of Oct. 5: One near the 700 block of North Shore Drive in Anna Maria and two on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach.
Two nests excavated Oct. 1 and Oct. 5 yielded just under 200 unhatched eggs. Both nests were washed over either during a late summer king tide, Hurricane Ian or both.
In one nest, eggs — which are water permeable — were floating in water.
Sea turtle eggs can survive at most four hours under water and their survival rate decreases as the embryo grows, according to the FWC.
The volunteers remain hopeful the remaining nests will yield hatchlings and they continue to monitor them daily.
Esther falls to 9th place
Esther, a loggerhead sea turtle tagged and released June 20 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach as part of the Tour de Turtles, fell to ninth place as of Oct. 5.
The Tour de Turtles hard-shell category started Aug. 1 and can be followed at tourdeturtles.org. The race ends Oct. 31.
Esther traveled 441 miles through Oct. 5.
Tour de Turtles is an educational effort led by the Sea Turtle Conservancy, which started in 2008 to educate and gather research data.
The Waterline Resort, Mainsail Vacation Rentals, both on Marina Drive in Holmes Beach, and AMITW worked with the conservancy to make the tagging of Esther possible.
Each turtle has a cause. Esther’s is light pollution.