http://marconews.com/news/environment/marconews.com Stories: Habitaten-usenvironmenthttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/18/collier-monitoring-faye-possible-beach-erosion/Beach monitors in Southwest Florida will be keeping one eye on the sky and another on the coasts Tuesday. In anticipation of a wallop from Fay, either as a tropical storm or a hurricane, crews took pictures of Collier County beaches Monday to be able to measure erosion damage after the storm passes, coastal zone management director Gary McAlpin said. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:34:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/18/collier-monitoring-faye-possible-beach-erosion/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/17/i-spy-florida-alligator/Discovering the American alligator in Florida can be a daring feat. But it depends on where one looks for “el lagarto,” translated from Spanish origins, meaning the lizard. Given the State of Florida is home to the largest population of alligators in the United States, alligator gawking is simple for visitors. These cold-blooded reptiles can be spotted basking in the Florida sun, or ambling across local golf courses toward its lakes. Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:03:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/17/i-spy-florida-alligator/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/14/no-evidence-mold-found-marriott-marco-beach-resort/An inspector with the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation found no evidence of mold or condensation in three rooms at the Marriott Marco Beach Resort following a complaint received last week from a hotel guest. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:58:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/14/no-evidence-mold-found-marriott-marco-beach-resort/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/12/mangrove-restoration-project-moves-forward/The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve is working to fulfill a mangrove restoration project at the corner of Collier Boulevard (SR 951) and Capri Boulevard, between Naples and Marco Island. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:38:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/12/mangrove-restoration-project-moves-forward/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/10/researchers-out-determine-how-many-non-native-pyth/The snake hunter shakes his head as he crouches over a sandy trail that pushes through Collier-Seminole State Park. Hoping to spy subtle signs of his slithering prey, Paul Andreadis instead finds only pebble-sized pockmarks left by raindrops overnight and maybe tracks left by a deer, probably that morning. “No, nothing here,” said Andreadis, a snake researcher visiting Collier-Seminole last week from Denison University, located near Columbus, Ohio. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:37:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/10/researchers-out-determine-how-many-non-native-pyth/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/10/pipe-research-can-continue-collier-says/They look like ramshackle utility meters, a series of metal contraptions tied to wooden posts. Beneath them are 16 sections of iron pipe buried in the corrosive soil of Plantation Island. The sight is unusual for Plantation Island, less than a square mile of land east of Everglades City and surrounded by Everglades National Park. Mobile homes cover most of Plantation Island’s acreage, but this is unabashedly a research project. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:21:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/10/pipe-research-can-continue-collier-says/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/07/marco-loan-hideaway-beach-16-million/No one has questioned the urgency of Hideaway Beach’s need for protection from natural beach erosion. The question seems to be: who should pay for it? The answer depends on who you ask. There are about 620 households in the Hideaway Beach development. Many believe that the beach adjacent to their homes should be renourished using a combination of the taxes the Hideaway District levies on their homeowners as well as money generated for tourism by Collier County’s tax on hotels and short-term rentals. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:11:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/aug/07/marco-loan-hideaway-beach-16-million/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/28/water-what-you-pay-depends-where-you-live/Water. You can’t live without it, but what you pay for it in Collier County differs greatly, depending on where you live. At $45 a month for a 5,000 gallon residential water and sewer usage, Naples city residents pay the least for water and sewer, while residents in Golden Gate city pay nearly $100 for the same amount. Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:28:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/28/water-what-you-pay-depends-where-you-live/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/27/going-green-pays-saves-hotels-do-their-part-greene/There are currently nine green lodging hotels in Collier County with eight more in the application process, just weeks away from certification. Of the counties in the South Florida district, Collier still trails behind Monroe County, which currently has 17 certified hotels in the Florida Keys. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:02:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/27/going-green-pays-saves-hotels-do-their-part-greene/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/16/turtle-tag-researchers-take-close-look-marcos-goph/In the first major biological research project of its kind on Marco Island, gopher tortoises are getting more than just a once-over from a team of researchers. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:05:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/16/turtle-tag-researchers-take-close-look-marcos-goph/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/14/tigertail-beach-gets-spruce-volunteers/Friends of Tigertail Beach members and volunteers spent Saturday morning performing the quarterly clean-up along the beach. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:56:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/14/tigertail-beach-gets-spruce-volunteers/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/09/benefits-and-rules-artificial-reefs/Florida has one of the most active artificial reef programs in the Gulf and the Atlantic states. In addition to increasing habitat, artificial reefs improve fishing and diving opportunities, provide socio-economic benefits to local communities, minimize user conflicts and facilitate reef research. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:21:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/09/benefits-and-rules-artificial-reefs/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/08/death-manatee-near-marco-island-under-investigatio/A manatee bobbing in the waters near Marco Island is poked and prodded by the noses of several larger manatees, an apparent attempt to bring their ailing relative up for air. That’s the report received by Mitts Maravic of the Fish and Wildlife Commission over the Fourth of July weekend. A Marco Island man reported that a dying or dead manatee was located off Isles of Capri near channel marker 16. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:04:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/08/death-manatee-near-marco-island-under-investigatio/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/02/many-island-seawalls-falling-disrepair/Boaters and residents may miss a small crack in a cement seawall, but as the walls begin to fall, leaning into the canals, they become difficult to miss. They also become costly to replace. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:02:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/02/many-island-seawalls-falling-disrepair/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/26/sea-turtle-snached-tourists-minnesota-returned-gul/After hiding away in Minnesota and Naples, he came crawling home Thursday. A loggerhead sea turtle finally returned to his home in the waters off Southwest Florida on Thursday, four years after being smuggled out of state by a tourist vacationing on Sanibel Island. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:25:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/26/sea-turtle-snached-tourists-minnesota-returned-gul/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/26/solar-power-may-be-distant-horizon-marco-propertie/It seems all things electrical are up for discussion on Marco Island these days. Coal prices doubling and oil prices skyrocketing have people looking high and low for alternatives. These two main sources of electricity, coal and oil, have been the leading factors in Florida Power & Light’s recent 16 percent average rate increase and Lee County Electric Cooperative’s approximate five percent rate increase coming to customers’ bills this July. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:01:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/26/solar-power-may-be-distant-horizon-marco-propertie/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/13/mother-aby-manatees-released-after-spending-six-w/Friday the thirteenth was a good day for Gymnastic Chicken and her baby, Chicken Little. The two endangered Florida manatees were returned to their home near Calusa Island Marina and Yacht Club in Goodland after spending six weeks at Tampa’s Lowery Park Zoo. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:03:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/13/mother-aby-manatees-released-after-spending-six-w/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/12/diversions-shift-tide-barrier-islands/The world’s longest chain of barrier islands hugs the coast of the Lone Star State. This ribbon of sand and sea oats captivates with its beauty and wild spirit. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 04:00:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/12/diversions-shift-tide-barrier-islands/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/09/everglades-national-park-seeking-tour-boat-operati/Everglades National Park soon might have a new tour-boat operator for the first time in nearly 50 years. Park tours currently are run locally by Everglades City Mayor Sammy Hamilton Jr. through his business, Everglades National Park Boat Tours Inc., which was founded in 1959. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:10:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/09/everglades-national-park-seeking-tour-boat-operati/localhttp://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/08/name-rose-celebrating-national-rose-month/The Chinese were thought to have first cultivated rose gardens over 5000 years ago, and for centuries since, the beauty and fragrance of the “Queen of flowers” has been admired the world over. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:02:00 -0000http://marconews.com/news/2008/jun/08/name-rose-celebrating-national-rose-month/local