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Iguanas overrun island
Boca Grande to cut population's growth
By WENDY FULLERTON, wfullerton@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on April 26, 2004
Leapin' lizards.
Iguanas are causing such a ruckus on Boca Grande that island residents want to have them knocked off.
An iguana heads toward some shade at an ecosystem restoration project area along Gulf Boulevard in Boca Grande on Thursday.
TODD STUBING/Special to news-press.com
"They are crawling everywhere,'' said planning consultant Dave Depew, who is helping residents draft a community plan to guide growth and development on the island. Iguana population control is part of that plan.
"It's gotten to a point where they are quite a pest,'' he said.
Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Charlotte Harbor on the east, the island's non-native reptiles outnumber people by more than 2 to 1. There are about 1,000 year-round residents.
As temperatures start to rise, their presence becomes more noticeable along the 7-mile resort island.
The invasive critters sunbathe on rocks, climb trees and lay eggs throughout the island. They munch on flowers, especially hibiscus, and vegetable gardens. Some residents fear they're harming native vegetation and species such as the endangered gopher tortoise by getting into their giant nesting burrows.
To the dismay of homeowners, the fearless climbers with sharp toenails find their way into the attics, air conditioning ducts and dryer vents.
They're even known to plod through the plumbing and come straight out through the toilet.
Mark Spurgeon, 46, owner of Boca Grande Real Estate Co., said he's known a couple of real estate agents who've found an iguana draped across the back of a couch they're showing.
"That doesn't do good for a sale of that property,'' he said. "It's one exotic we could do without.''
The iguana is native to the tropical forests of Mexico and Central and South America. Unleashed into the wilds a few decades ago by at least one resident, Boca Grande is home to mostly the Mexican spinytail iguana with a few green iguanas mixed in.
Over the years, they've multiplied because they lack any natural predators.
Now islanders are plotting their attack. A few have armed themselves with pellet guns for protection.
Depew said the idea is to have an iguana catcher much the same as animal control officers round up stray cats and dogs. Lee County officials have been asked to come up with a specific plan for doing so.
Iguanas are "as thick as palmetto bugs up there,'' he said. But they're a lot more difficult to kill.
"You can't just step on them,'' Depew said.
Boca Grande isn't the only tropical island paradise under siege from the exotic critters. The Keys are facing similar problems.
And the cold-blooded iguanas are branching out.
They've swum the pass south to Cayo Costa State Park. There are also colonies on Keywaydin Island and in the confines of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Collier County. Spurgeon said he's spotted a couple on the mainland side of the Boca Grande Causeway.
Andy Nagle, manager of The Gasparilla Inn, said his guests enjoy spotting the exotic reptiles, but they've damaged a few of the historic cottages.
"I've got nothing against them personally,'' he said. "Kill's a strong word. I have trouble stepping on an ant every now and then.''
But, he added, "I do think they need some control.'
Joe Wasilewski, board president of the International Iguana Society, agreed something needs to be done.
The group is dedicated to the preservation of iguanas and the natural habitats in which they live.
"I have a hard time with the euthanasia because I love iguanas,'' said Wasilewski, a Homestead resident. "But when reality sets in, there has to be some kind of final line.
"I hate to say it,'' he said. "I can catch them but I couldn't kill them.''
Zeke Sieglaff, 35, owner of Boca Grande Outfitters, could.
He and his wife were forced to flee their iguana-infested home about five years ago.
"We had to move out,'' he said. "They told us to turn off the air conditioner and let it decay. ... It's not good.''
Boca Grande to cut population's growth
By WENDY FULLERTON, wfullerton@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on April 26, 2004
Leapin' lizards.
Iguanas are causing such a ruckus on Boca Grande that island residents want to have them knocked off.
An iguana heads toward some shade at an ecosystem restoration project area along Gulf Boulevard in Boca Grande on Thursday.
TODD STUBING/Special to news-press.com
"They are crawling everywhere,'' said planning consultant Dave Depew, who is helping residents draft a community plan to guide growth and development on the island. Iguana population control is part of that plan.
"It's gotten to a point where they are quite a pest,'' he said.
Nestled between the Gulf of Mexico on the west and Charlotte Harbor on the east, the island's non-native reptiles outnumber people by more than 2 to 1. There are about 1,000 year-round residents.
As temperatures start to rise, their presence becomes more noticeable along the 7-mile resort island.
The invasive critters sunbathe on rocks, climb trees and lay eggs throughout the island. They munch on flowers, especially hibiscus, and vegetable gardens. Some residents fear they're harming native vegetation and species such as the endangered gopher tortoise by getting into their giant nesting burrows.
To the dismay of homeowners, the fearless climbers with sharp toenails find their way into the attics, air conditioning ducts and dryer vents.
They're even known to plod through the plumbing and come straight out through the toilet.
Mark Spurgeon, 46, owner of Boca Grande Real Estate Co., said he's known a couple of real estate agents who've found an iguana draped across the back of a couch they're showing.
"That doesn't do good for a sale of that property,'' he said. "It's one exotic we could do without.''
The iguana is native to the tropical forests of Mexico and Central and South America. Unleashed into the wilds a few decades ago by at least one resident, Boca Grande is home to mostly the Mexican spinytail iguana with a few green iguanas mixed in.
Over the years, they've multiplied because they lack any natural predators.
Now islanders are plotting their attack. A few have armed themselves with pellet guns for protection.
Depew said the idea is to have an iguana catcher much the same as animal control officers round up stray cats and dogs. Lee County officials have been asked to come up with a specific plan for doing so.
Iguanas are "as thick as palmetto bugs up there,'' he said. But they're a lot more difficult to kill.
"You can't just step on them,'' Depew said.
Boca Grande isn't the only tropical island paradise under siege from the exotic critters. The Keys are facing similar problems.
And the cold-blooded iguanas are branching out.
They've swum the pass south to Cayo Costa State Park. There are also colonies on Keywaydin Island and in the confines of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Collier County. Spurgeon said he's spotted a couple on the mainland side of the Boca Grande Causeway.
Andy Nagle, manager of The Gasparilla Inn, said his guests enjoy spotting the exotic reptiles, but they've damaged a few of the historic cottages.
"I've got nothing against them personally,'' he said. "Kill's a strong word. I have trouble stepping on an ant every now and then.''
But, he added, "I do think they need some control.'
Joe Wasilewski, board president of the International Iguana Society, agreed something needs to be done.
The group is dedicated to the preservation of iguanas and the natural habitats in which they live.
"I have a hard time with the euthanasia because I love iguanas,'' said Wasilewski, a Homestead resident. "But when reality sets in, there has to be some kind of final line.
"I hate to say it,'' he said. "I can catch them but I couldn't kill them.''
Zeke Sieglaff, 35, owner of Boca Grande Outfitters, could.
He and his wife were forced to flee their iguana-infested home about five years ago.
"We had to move out,'' he said. "They told us to turn off the air conditioner and let it decay. ... It's not good.''