Background to a blog about Tidy Island

A blog about Tidy Island? Why? Because the history of the island is like nothing else in Sarasota Bay. Because its ecology is unique. This blog contains a lot of science. But it needs only curiosity and an interest in the ecology of Tidy Island and this part of Florida’s Gulf Coast to enjoy.

Science and engineering are an important part of my life, even though I am well into retirement. When my career began, I knew a great deal about a few things (as is usual for young Ph.D.s). When it ended, I knew a little bit about many things (as is usual for old executives). Now, I am trying to go back to the way I was.

Subjects

Living on Tidy island makes it easy to decide on the list of the subjects that I want to know a lot about: Tidy Island, Mangroves, Salt Flats, Red Tides, Climate Change, and More. These subjects are the same as the menu items at the top of this page. They include brief descriptions of their connections to Tidy Island and will also include links to related posts. The menu items are good places for new visitors to check out and decide if they want to stick around.

Tidy Island – Its geology is different from the barrier islands that separate Sarasota Bay from the Gulf, Anna Marie Island and Long Boat Key. This difference, helped by the bad luck of early developers, spared Tidy Island from the destruction of coastal habitat inflicted on most of the Bay.

Mangroves – Tidy Island has every kind of mangrove found in Florida: red, black, white, and buttonwood. About two-thirds of the island is mangrove swamp. This is owned by New College of Florida for research purposes.

Salt flats – These were created by the 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane. They are ecologically unique and quite strange, but will not be here much longer because of increasing sea level. The hurricane also created the mangrove swamp and nearly changed Tidy Island into a peninsula.

Climate Change and More – Can’t ignore climate change when you live only six feet above sea level. I have no idea what will end up under More, will need to wait and see.

Site Design and Legal Stuff

This blog is only a hobby. It does not collect information about visitors. It is about Tidy Island but has no connection to the Tidy Island Condominium Association, which has its own website. Any opinions that I express here are mine alone and subject to change without notice. Thoughtful comments by visitors are welcome.

Bruce Kurtz