Friends of Cayo Costa keeping island strong
The Friends of Cayo Costa held its 8th annual Evening for the Island benefit dinner at Tarpon Lodge Feb. 6. Proceeds from the dinner, which included a specialty meal prepared by chefs Heath Higginbotham and Cynthia Acurio, a silent auction and special updates, go to support the largest barrier island in the state.
The Friends of Cayo Costa is a sub-group of the Barrier Island Parks Society, which means it is a steering committee focused on Cayo Costa and the other islands – Don Pedro, Stump Pass and Gasparilla, where the group is headquartered. After a discussion about renaming the island, a seed of support grew for Cayo Costa, and its steering committee was born.
According to committee Chairman Elaine McLaughlin, the dinner, which was sold out as usual, went extremely well.
“Ricardo, who is the manager of all four of the parks, gave a presentation with an update on the island, and I did an update on what’s been going on with friends for the past year,” said McLaughlin.
The silent auction, she said, is one of the group’s major fundraisers. Some of the items auctioned off this year included a three-night stay in the Smoky Mountains, a getaway to South Seas Plantation, lodging at the Outrigger and Gullwing resorts on Fort Myers Beach and a cottage stay in Bokeelia, as well as the Tiny Homes in Matlacha. McLaughlin said there was also jewelry, including a handmade pendant made by local artist Fran Poppell, who was born on Cayo Costa and lives here on Pine Island.
The Friends mission, she said, is not only to protect the nature of the island but also its rich history, from the Calusa Indians to the original pioneer fishing families. “Mullet and Mangroves,” a documentary film about the history of these original Cayo Costa settlers, is available on PBS and also on the friendsofcayocosta.org website.
One of the other areas of focus is the Turtle Adoption Program, McLaughlin said.
“We talked about how successful last year’s turtle nesting was. We had almost 14,000 turtles hatch on Cayo Costa and we will begin the turtle-nest adoption again in May,” said McLaughlin. “It’s a very popular program. People adopt a nest for themselves or on behalf of their children or grandchildren. They get information on how that nest survived and what happened to it over the life of the nest.”
On the first Saturday of every November, there is an event they all look forward to called “Celebrate Cayo,” McLaughlin says. The Friends bring people to the island for a day of fun, food and eco-information. Often they have a local singer/songwriter perform while event-goers are having lunch.
Something McLaughlin said is important to know is that tickets to the annual Evening for the Island dinner are generally sold out well in advance, so she urges everyone who would like to take part in it to get their tickets early. Though the dinner is not yet scheduled for next year, she said it’s typically in late January or early February. She said everyone is invited to partner with the committee by becoming a member, or “friend” to the island. Several levels of membership are available and information about how to volunteer or support Cayo Costa can be found on the Friends website. One new level of membership is called the Boater Friends, designed for people who take their own boat to the island, but want to help in supporting this natural habitat, as no monies charged for camping are designated back to support of the island.
McLaughlin also encourages anyone who hasn’t been there to visit the great barrier island.
“It amazes me how many people have never been to Cayo Costa,” said McLaughlin. “It’s such a treasure and a beautiful unspoiled beach.”
To find out more about how to partner with this organization visit their website at www.friendsofcayocosta.org