The Big Deal About Big Marco Pass

Big Marco Pass is locally known as Sand Dollar Island, and Marco residents have been hearing a lot about the Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project located within the Big Marco Pass Critical Wildlife Area (CWA). It started in 2017 with a feasibility study initiated by Hideaway Beach Tax District. 

The Big Marco Pass CWA was established in 1988 “to provide protection to hundreds of nesting and foraging shorebirds and wading birds” according to FWC’s website. “The State of Florida Board of Trustees is the owner of the sovereign lands and the submerged lands at the mouth of Big Marco Pass, which encompasses Big Marco Critical Wildlife Area”This was confirmed by Kristin Taylor of FWC.

In September 2022, the City of Marco Island approved the Tigertail Lagoon/Sand Dollar Island Ecosystem Restoration Project. According to the Project’s Overview, “the Tigertail Lagoon and Sand Dollar Island system was impacted by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and was evolving toward closure” and “this project will further minimize the rate of landward migration of the spit.”Project funding was provided by the City of Marco Island and Hideaway Beach Tax District. 

The Project referenced Hurricane Irma, which made landfall in Florida on Marco Island on Sept. 10, 2017, at 3:35 p.m., as a Category Three storm with 115 mph wind. 

On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida and impacted the project and according to a report by Humiston and Moore Engineers, “resulting in additional onshore migration and over wash of the sand spit protecting the lagoon.” 

On November 1, 2022, construction started on the project with a 15-year Joint Coastal Permit (JCP) issued by FDEP, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and FWC. The permit also provides for periodic maintenance and allows for event-driven emergency repairs. 

But what about the wildlife? FWC has determined that the project will result in the “take” (harm) of State Listed Threatened species such as black skimmers and sea turtles. 

Female sea turtles returning to nest on Sand Dollar in May 2023 encountered dredging pipes, dredgers and night crew driving ATVs. For the first week of May, sea turtle monitors recorded 45 false crawls (vs. 11 from the same time in 2022), most occurring in the construction zone. According to Mary Nelson, Marco’s notable Turtle Lady, “the trucks and the renourishment is going to negatively impact the sea turtles.”

According to Brittany Piersma, Field Biologist for Audubon of the Western Everglades (AWE),“For the first time since 2015, Black Skimmers completely abandoned their Sand Dollar Island nesting site in the summer of 2023 without producing any chicks. Up to 600 pairs of skimmers have nested on Sand Dollar, producing hundreds of chicks each year.”

Adam DiNuovo, former Project Manager for Audubon Florida’s Black Skimmer project on Sand Dollar Island for many years, visited the site in July 2023. He is a seabird biologist with 20 years of expertise on terns and black skimmers. He remarked, “with so much habitat lost for beach nesting birds in Florida, it is sad to see arguably the best Black Skimmer habitat remaining in Florida lost to this project.”

On May 10, 2023, the City of Marco Island released an update: “When the project is completed, sea turtles and other wildlife will have a larger beach habitat on which to nest, mangroves will be restored, and water quality in the lagoon will be improved for recreational activities.”

 In June 2023, the Restoration Project was completed. 

On August 28, 2023, Hurricane Idalia managed to dump rain, and several feet of storm surge affected the newly restored Sand Dollar Island, creating breaches and sand erosions. 

On September 18, 2023, according to the City of Marco Island, “emergency repair works started to excavate the sand that washed over the lagoon and to recover the sand before more sand is lost with the incoming and outgoing tides.” 

After the September berm repairs, Andrew Tyler, a Marco resident, visited the area and shared his observation, “the demise of a sand berm under the influence of recurring wind-driven tides is entirely predictable. An onshore swell of three ft above low tide level would impact the berm that's there today, particularly if sustained for any duration."

On December 14, 2023, at the Hideaway Beach Tax District’s meeting, Mohamed A. Dabees, Vice President of Humiston and Moore Engineers, and Linda Ryan, Chair of the Hideaway Beach Taxing District, updated their Board members on their recent meeting with Collier County.

Present at the meeting were Collier County Manager Amy Patterson, District 1 Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro, Mr. Dabees, Ms. Ryan and City of Marco Manager Mike McNees. According to Ryan, they “discussed an interlocal cost-sharing agreement (Hideaway, City of Marco and Collier County) on the maintenance and repairs of Sand Dollar Island, to be presented to the Marco City Council for approval. Ryan added, “the tricky part will be figuring out all the details of the plan.”

On December 16, 2023, weather forecasters called for severe thunderstorms with localized flooding. On December 17th, Andrew Tyler visited the southern part of Sand Dollar and shared this observation: “much of the berm erected after Hurricane Idalia was washed away.”