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APTA Meets the 2nd Saturday of each Month - 9AM at the Mission by the Sea Church

 


 


  Photo by Henry Wortman
Copyright Henry Wortman. All Rights Reserved

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News

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Posted September 2, 2010

APTA’s Annual Meeting

September 4, 2010

Mission by the Sea Church

Be sure to mail in your APTA 2010 Election Ballot so we receive it by

September 3, 2010 or hand deliver it before 10:00 at the Annual Meeting sealed in the envelope provided in the mail-out.

Ballot counting begins on September 4th at 9:00 AM.

APTA is working on a number of issues of interest to the community- participate in the discussion. We welcome your comments and questions.

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Posted August 22, 2010

August 17th Franklin County Commission Meeting

Airs on Mediacom Channel 3

Forgotten Coast TV (http://www.forgottencoasttv.com/) tapes each Franklin County Commission meeting and broadcasts the tapping on Mediacom Channel 3 each Monday from 7:00 PM -11:30 PM.

The August 17th County Commission meeting airs Monday August 23rd and includes a presentation by the "Franklin County-County-Wide Voting PAC".

August 17, 2010 Franklin County Commission Agenda

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Posted July 23, 2010

Franklin County EMO Press Release # 23

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Posted July 20, 2010

Scientists Ask Public to Report Banded Birds

to Help Scientific Research

Posted at: http://oysterradio.blogspot.com/2010/07/scientists-ask-public-to-report-banded.html

HOUMA, La.- With large numbers of birds being rescued, treated, and relocated in the Gulf States as a result of the BP oil spill, people seeing banded birds are asked to report sightings. As part of this unprecedented unified response to the BP oil spill, we are asking the public to help report oiled wildlife, as well. A large percentage of captured birds are being successfully treated and released back into the wild.  These birds are being fitted with leg bands that provide identifying information to assist Federal scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and other organizations in studying these birds after release.
Scientific information being collected from this oil spill will expand the scope of knowledge that bird researchers and other scientists will have in the future to help ensure the health of migratory birds.  Among other information, scientists will learn the extent to which released birds return to their original habitat.

Birds are released only after wildlife specialists determine they are sufficiently prepared and exhibit natural behavior including waterproofing, self-feeding, normal blood values, and are free of injuries or disease. They are released in appropriate habitats where human disturbance is minimal. While the birds are often released in the Gulf area, they are released as far as possible from areas affected by the BP oil spill. Choosing release sites is complicated; biologists want to make sure that birds are released into the same populations from which they came, but with as little risk of getting re-exposed to oil as possible.

All birds released from rehabilitation are banded for identification purposes.  Ultimately, scientists use information gleaned from reports of banded birds to help answer a host of questions.  Among those questions are:  How long do formerly oiled birds survive?  Where do the birds travel?  Do immature birds select locations different than breeding-age adults?  Do captured birds return to the area where they were captured? Do rehabilitated birds breed in future nesting seasons – and where?   

Birds from the BP oil spill are banded with metal federal leg bands with a unique ID number.  In addition, brown pelicans also receive a large color leg band. Three colors of leg bands are being used:

  • Orange bands with no identification numbers or letters.
  • Red bands with identifying numbers and letters.
  • Pink bands with identifying numbers and letters.

People who see the birds are asked to report sightings to the National Bird Banding Lab online: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/default.htm Reporting the band number and the bird’s location will help biologists understand the movements and survival of the birds after their release

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Posted July 9, 2010

News Articles from NOAA Concerning

Long-Term Oil Threat to Florida

NOAA Models Long-Term Oil Threat to Gulf and East Coast Shoreline

July 2, 2010

CLARIFICATION on the Current Threat to Florida Peninsula and Florida Keys from Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil Spill

July 3, 2010

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Posted June 29, 2010

Fourth of July

Notes about Fireworks at the Point and

the "Unofficial" Parade

In past years the Alligator Point/St. Teresa Volunteer Fire Department has sponsored fireworks. This year however, the fire department does not have plans for a fireworks display.

The "unofficial" 4th of July Parade at the Point typically begins at the Marina with participants gathering prior to the usual 6:00 PM start.

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Posted June 27, 2010

Bill Wargo is a sea turtle's best friend

By Amanda Nalley,

Tallahassee Democrat Staff Writer, www.Tallahassee.com

Before the tourists come to swim or the residents walk their dogs, the beach at Alligator Point is greeted by the presence of Bill Wargo. Sand coats his black shirt, soaked from a morning downpour, but the 71-year-old Alligator Point resident doesn't seem to mind. His focus is on the beach, as he rides his yellow and black ATV down, scanning the sand for signs of sea turtles.

But Thursday, and for most of the past month, Wargo has had something else to be on the lookout for oil.

"We would likely be the first ones to see it," he said about his Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol team of more than 20 volunteers, which rides the seven-and-a-half miles of beach that make up Alligator Point and Phipps Preserve daily.

Though prepared to help remove oiled wildlife and sea turtle nests if it comes ashore, Wargo said, so far, he's seen no signs of oil.

But what he has seen of the sea turtles could be related.

"What is different about this year is we have had 14 crawls (when turtles come ashore to build a nest) and only one is an actual confirmed nest," said Wargo, who's been patrolling the beaches since 2003. "I have never had that many crawls without having more confirmed nests."

Wargo said usually half of the crawls are determined false, meaning a turtle digs a nest, but leaves without laying eggs. This year, eight crawls have been determined false. The other five are considered unconfirmed because no nest has been located.

"That doesn't mean they won't come back," said Wargo, noting that most sea turtles tend to go back to the same beach they were born to lay their eggs. "My theory is maybe because the oil spill is to the west, and since turtles come to us from the west maybe they are trying to get away from that oil. Maybe they are exploring these beaches for the first time and checking it out."

Sea turtles build a nest by crawling into the dunes and digging a 1- to 2-foot-deep hole in the sand. They lay about 50-200 eggs depending on the species. On average, it takes about 60 days for the eggs to hatch, after which the baby sea turtles dig their way out of the pit and make their way back to the ocean. The height of the May-to-October nesting season is usually between June and July at Alligator Point.

"I'm not surprised," said Jack Rudloe, director of the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea. "Everything is upset out there."

In the past month, Rudloe said he's not only heard reports of a larger than normal number of sea turtles offshore, but he said he's seen firsthand the effects of the spill and use of dispersants via fish kills, large amounts of dead razor clams and crabs coming ashore due to low oxygen conditions.

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Posted June 27, 2010

Boom Deployed at Alligator Point on June 26, 2010

by aptaweb

During his sea turtle patrol this morning, Bill Wargo, Director of the Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol, observed boom being deployed at several sites at Alligator Point.

As of today and as posted on www.beachview.com "there is no oil, nor oil products in our area". However, boom was placed in the last few weeks at areas around Apalachicola. Alligator Point was to receive boom after work was completed for sites west of us, all in preparation in the event oil should come to our waters.

Franklin County contracted with Calvin-Giordano, consulting environmental engineers, to develop a boom deployment contingency plan for the County. The plan dated May 7, 2010 has since been updated. The new graphic layout of the plan is posted at: http://deepwaterhorizonresponse.calvin-giordano.com/gis/. Refer to the Franklin County Boom Deployment Contingency Plans for specific details regarding the plan for Alligator Point and for Bald Point.

Here’s a slide show of photos taken by Bill Wargo of boom being deployed at Alligator Point on Saturday June 26, 2010.

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Posted June 18, 2010

Oil Spill Notes for the Point Communities

Our gulf waters remain free of the affects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. However, Franklin County has a plan to respond to the spill if it should come our way. Our residents are keeping posted and preparing for action if the need arises.

Use the "Deepwater Horizon Information Page" link on our homepage for sources of detailed information and current press releases. APTA endeavors to post information specific to our area here on our "News Page".

A new information resource is now available from the state emergency management office http://map.floridadisaster.org/gator/

Monitoring for Oil Spill contaminants

The members of the Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol, FWC and other monitor the gulf-side beach. If you should sight something believed to be associated with the oil spill, please report your finding to the Franklin County Emergency Management Office at 850-653-8977.

Boom Plan for Alligator and Bald Point

Alligator and Bald Point areas are designated Tier 3 sites, sites that have the highest priority in the Franklin County Boom Contingency Plan. A newly revised boom deployment map for our area will be posted once it gets vetted by the state.

The plan provides for 7000 additional feet of boom.

Note to Boat Owners

It is advised that boat owners have a plan for their boats in the event that hard booms are deployed at the mouth of Alligator Harbor to prevent oil from entering Alligator Harbor.

If hard boom deployment is ordered there may be less than 72 hour notice of this action. With the deployment, boat access in and out of the bay to the Gulf will not be allowed.

If your boat is soiled by oil there could be "official" prescribed methods for cleaning your boat.

Please give some advance thought as what you may need to do to secure and protect your water craft in the event that we must deal with the oil spill in our waters. 

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Posted June 16, 2010

APTA SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT

ALLIGATOR POINT WATER RESOURCES DISTRICT

By Sam Rogers, APTA President

In 1963, The Florida Legislature enacted legislation authorizing property owners on Alligator Point to establish a special taxing district to organize, and to fund through annual property taxes on Point property owners, and service fees, for the provision of fresh water to such properties within the proscribed boundary set forth in the Act. For all of those nearly 50 years your Alligator Point Water Resources District (APWRD) management has consistently provided an adequate and inexpensive supply of quality fresh water to property owners.

Today, APWRD is in sound financial condition and continues to provide quality product and service by a well managed professional staff. It has been suggested by some, that Franklin County water services, indeed all of the coastal big bend, should be consolidated into one gigantic organization, ostensibly, for reasons of efficiency.

Your Board of Directors opposes this position. The Board is concerned about the wisdom of any such consolidation at this time because of the potential for disruption of service and cost efficiency should control be shifted to some larger and less responsive entity. Your Board has appointed a special committee, chaired by APTA Past President Ken Osborne, to monitor such activities, and to provide liaison to APWRD.

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Posted June 9, 2010

Franklin County Boom Contingency Plan

On the Agenda for the June 12th APTA Meeting

By Sam Rogers, APTA President

Franklin County Commissioner Cheryl Sanders has offered to bring representatives from the firm of Calvin, Giordino and Associates to make a slide presentation on the details of the Franklin County Boom Contingency Plan, approved in May by the State.

Calvin Giordino is the consulting firm that was hired by the Franklin County Commission to prepare the boom deployment ahead of the approaching oil spill. It will be a very interesting presentation and I strongly urge all residents to attend.

APTA meets at the Mission by the Sea Church at 9:00 AM.

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Posted June 7, 2010

Franklin County Boom Contingency Plan

Franklin County Boom Contingency Plan – Click to open PDF

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Posted June 7, 2010

NOTE from APTAWEB: Readers are asked to click on the Deepwater Horizon Information Page located on the right side of our home page to find links to many sources of news and information about the oil spill, however when breaking news is received for our area we will endeavor to post it on our web site as soon as possible.

Oil boom deployment begins in Franklin County

From http://www.oysterradio.blogspot.com/

Fishermen and beachgoers will begin to see boom deployed in the Gulf of Mexico off of Franklin County.

Franklin County commissioners held an emergency meeting on Sunday to update the public about the ongoing work. The meeting was standing room only – with a number of Seafood workers and St. George Island residents in attendance.

The Tier 1 boom deployment, which is done in the Gulf, began Saturday with about 1500 feet of boom at Indian Pass. A company called Eagle/ SWS has also begun moving 36 thousand more feet of boom by crew boat from Port St. Joe to begin deploying at the mouths of other passes including west pass and the Bob Sikes Cut.

Once the Tier 1 work is complete, Tier 2 booming will begin which is done in the bay to protect important areas from oil.

Tier 3 work will follow which will be done by local groups to protect areas even further inshore.

About 250 thousand feet of boom will be situated in the county to be used in the various boom plans.

The local emergency Management Office is also going back to a level 2 activation on Monday to watch the oil spill more closely. That is a partial activation in which EOC personnel work 12 hours shifts 7 days a week. They also man the EOC hotline to provide local information.

If oil does begin to impact Franklin County they will move to level 3 activation which is full activation 24 hour a day.

Training will also begin on Tuesday for people who might be needed to remove tar from local beaches – the first training class will have 40 open spots. People interested in becoming involved should call (850) 653-1661.

Commissioners have also asked that the state begin looking at the possibility of closing up local passes completely with sand to keep any oil from washing in to the bay.

They said they don’t want to close those passes now while fishermen are still working, but they want approval before the fishing areas get closed off so we don’t wind up like Louisiana where the plan to build offshore berms was not approved until it was too late.

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Posted May 17, 2010

Beware of Oil Spill Scam Artists

From Oyster Radio; http://www.oysterradio.blogspot.com/

The Better Business Bureau is warning people in Northwest Florida to be on the lookout for scam artists looking to take advantage of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Already, scammers have been reported trying to convince consumers to pay for "volunteer training." If someone asks you to pay for training, walk away. Local officials and BP are offering training for those who want to volunteer to help with cleanup efforts at no charge.

There have also been rumors of contractors trying to sell some type of chemically-treated beds to cover beaches and other at-risk property to absorb oil. If this happens to you, make sure to check the company out and be extremely wary of out-of-state contractors who only provide a cell phone number or don’t provide any local contact information.

You can find out about a business’ history by visiting Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website at
www.800helpfla.com.

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Posted May 17, 2010

It’s Turtle Nesting Season

By Bill Wargo, AP Sea Turtle Patrol

Nesting time for us is approaching.  Several nests to our west have been found which means that the turtles are out there and moving our way. Of course, there's no way yet to determine if the oil spill will affect nesting activity. You've probably heard comments about the "Loop Current" that swirls out in the Gulf in a clockwise rotation and migrates in and out depending on conditions. This is just another name for the "Gulf Stream" which sea turtles enter and follow once they come in from the Florida Straits or from the Caribbean, thus the reason why they approach the western Gulf first and then follow the stream eastward toward us. 

Most seasons our first crawls appear May 28-30 or during the first week of June.  However, we have had crawls before those dates and as early as May 12. So, keep your eyes open and don't forget to look into the dunes or over escarpments as well as the open beach. 

Thanks to all of you who have been HAZMAT trained and certified. This training/certification is required for any of us who will work directly with oiled sea turtles, hatchlings, and other wildlife.  FWC is sending chemical suits, gloves, boots, containers, plastic bags, cages, etc. In the event that we will have to contend with any of this, I will call an organizational meeting to discuss and plan the mandates and strategies associated with the process. Hopefully, it won't be necessary.

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May 11, 2010

Deepwater Horizon Information Page

APTA has developed an "Information Page" containing a wealth of information regarding the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill relative to the Alligator Point Communities.

Simply click on the "Deepwater Horizon Information Page for the Alligator Point Communities" icon located on our home page and then select the items you wish to open.

Please reference this page for up-to-date information on the oil spill. Many sites are carrying daily press releases that you can readily access by using our site to locate the information you need.

Thank you to all of those that took part in the "Pre-Cleanup". Paul Parker, Dini Dolan and Steve Fling as coordinators state that there was a good turn out and that the beaches were pretty clean.

A note to gulf front property owners: Officials have stated that it is much easier to clean an area from an oil spill if the beach area is clean. Even though volunteers walked the beach to pick up debris, you may wish to survey your property for debris that should be picked-up.

The Alligator Point Communities have not been impacted by the oil spill that remains far west from our area, but it is very prudent to be aware of the situation and to be prepared.

Visitors to our area can use links on our "Deepwater Horizon Information Page" to find out current conditions in our area.

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Posted April 13, 2010

Techniques for Creating Living Shorelines in Northwest Florida

By Rosalyn F. Kilcollins
Coastal Training Program Coordinator
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

Rosalyn.Kilcollins@dep.state.fl.us

Please see the attached flyer for information about the upcoming workshop, "Techniques for Creating Living Shorelines in Northwest Florida."  For your convenience, this event will take place twice in the Florida Panhandle, on May 26-27 at the Apalachicola Community Center in Apalachicola, FL and on June 8 at the Gulf Power Auditorium in Pensacola, FL.  

Details are included in the attached flyer. On-line registration is available for both events at http://www.gulfalliancetraining.org.

For more details about the workshop, please contact:

Gulf of Mexico Coastal Training website: http://www.GulfAllianceTraining.org/

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Posted April 13, 2010

Franklin County Emergency Notification System

Sign-up for Franklin County Alerts

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has instituted an emergency notification system. "The Wireless Emergency Notification System works as a reverse 911 system and allows emergency officials to call every home in the county or just call certain sections of the county depending on the type and location of an emergency. The system will provide evacuation and re-entry notifications, Amber Alert notifications, road closure notifications and NOAA severe weather warnings in any specific area of Franklin County."

All land line phones are automatically connected to the system. Anyone who wishes to receive emergency alerts on wireless phones or internet E-mail accounts must sign up. Click on the "Franklin County Emergency Notification System" icon located on APTA’s homepage.

You can also register by calling the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 850-670-4829.

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Posted April 13, 2010

Franklin County Emergency Management Office

to Issue Re-Entry Tags for Residents

by APTAWEB

The Franklin County Emergency Management Office is issuing re-entry tags for residents required to evacuate the Point ahead of a storm or other emergency. The tag hangs from the rear view mirror of your car to facilitate re-entry to your property by making it easier for police to recognize you as a resident.

To register online for the re-entry tag go to:

http://www.FranklinEmergencyManagement.com . Scroll down the items on the left side of the homepage to find the link to the form.

Contact Emergency management if you wish to have the tag mailed to you.

Emergency Management
28 Airport Road
Apalachicola, FL 32320
Phone: 850-653-8977
Cellular: 850-899-8977
Fax: 850-653-3643
Email:
em1frank@gtcom.net

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