Environmental Update Regarding Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Restoration Project

The City of Marco Island has approved resuming nighttime work on the  Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island restoration project. This approval is based on parameters provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recognizing that the  project permit allows 24 hour-a-day work, and by continuing nighttime operations the project  will finish sooner. A sea turtle specialist will continue on-site supervision during the remainder  of the project. The work area will be limited to 500 feet and vehicles will not traverse the  beach at night.  

The City reported on May 16th that the contractor working on the restoration project drove an  all-terrain vehicle (ATV) over a marked “potential” sea turtle nest. The nesting area that was  affected by the ATV had been cordoned off by the Collier County sea turtle monitoring team  and identified as a potential nest. The monitoring team had conducted hand digging to identify  the presence of eggs and no eggs were seen, however, the area was cordoned off to alert the  work crew of a potential nesting site. A damage assessment was done and the contractor  developed an adaptive management plan for all future work. 

There was a separate incident unrelated to this project in which a dead turtle washed ashore on  May 16th. The turtle monitors contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission  (FWC) whose initial assessment was that the turtle may have been struck by a boat. The FWC  investigation into this incident is pending. Contrary to other reports, there have been no other sea turtle nests damaged during construction, nor has there been an oil spill in the construction area. 

Due to the new expansion of the beach and the enhanced elevation of the sand, sea turtle  hatchings are likely to be more successful during the 2023 season. Sea turtle nesting numbers are  on the rise as compared to last year with a number of them already utilizing the newly created  habitat. During the 2022 sea turtle nesting season, there were multiple sea turtle nests in the area, all of which were washed out due to the narrow beach and low elevation, resulting in zero  successful hatches in this area. False crawls are also up this year with data showing an increase in  false crawls throughout all of Collier County compared to last year.  

The bird habitat created at the north end of Sand Dollar Island has been well received by Black  Skimmers with 300-400 pairs already utilizing this area. Wilson’s Plovers and Least Terns have  already nested in this area. On May 24 and May 25, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife  Services and FWC will conduct crow predation management on Sand Dollar Island to protect the  eggs and chicks of the Least Terns, Black Skimmers, and Wilson’s Plovers.  

Working with the DEP, the restoration project is expected to be completed by the end of May with  demobilization to follow. The City of Marco Island is committed to completing this project as  quickly as possible and providing an improved habitat for continued sea turtle and shorebird  nesting.