Read more about the article Empowering the next generation
Fourteen-year-old Brice Claypoole is a fierce defender of the environment but doesn’t have a vote. That is up to us, but only for a while. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Empowering the next generation

You don’t have to convince an angler of the importance of a healthy grass flat or a robust stand of mangroves or persuade them that we’re losing this precious resource…

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Read more about the article Stand up for mangroves
This photograph shows the importance of mangroves to protect property. The foreground property in Englewood was protected from damage during Hurricane Ian while the adjacent property with no mangroves was devastated.

Stand up for mangroves

Readers of this column are familiar with the rampant illegal mangrove trimming in Manatee County and the efforts of Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) to address them. That frustration led to SCWK…

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Read more about the article Reel Time: Suncoast Waterkeepers lead post-Ian cleanup
Volunteers from Sarasota Bay Watch and Suncoast Aqua Ventures work with residents to clear the canals of Holiday Estates of the debris left by Hurricane Ian. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Reel Time: Suncoast Waterkeepers lead post-Ian cleanup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YDCQTV-rdY&t=2s   Hurricane Ian left a wake of debris in a wide swath of waterways across the state. One particularly hard-hit area on the Suncoast was Lemon Bay at the…

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Read more about the article Becoming a blue economy
From left, front, Blue Economy panelists Dr. Tracy Fanara and Maya Burke, and at back Anna Maria Island residents and advocates Ed Chiles, Capt. Scott Moore and Dr. Bob Carter. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Becoming a blue economy

The title of the program, “Becoming a Blue Economy” at The Center of Anna Maria Island would have been enough to attract my attention. Add the subtitle, “Sustainability Forum,” and…

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Read more about the article Meet Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Abbey Tyrna
Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Abbey Tyrna takes a water sample from one of the area’s creeks. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Meet Suncoast Waterkeeper Executive Director Abbey Tyrna

Suncoast Waterkeeper’s new Executive Director, Abbey Tyrna, brings an impressive record of accomplishments to the organization. Tyrna received her doctorate in geography in 2015 from Pennsylvania State University, where she…

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Read more about the article How to plan a successful fishing trip
When you're heading out to fabled fishing waters, having everything in order increases your odds of success. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

How to plan a successful fishing trip

Planning any fishing trip can be a challenge, given the peculiarities of weather and the idiosyncrasies of fish. Add a few thousand miles, a different language and an exotic species or…

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Read more about the article Pursuing a developer’s destruction of mangroves
An aerial view of the mangroves west of the Aqua by the Bay development reveals mangroves that have been cut excessively and appear to be dead or dying. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Pursuing a developer’s destruction of mangroves

People who fish locally know the importance of mangroves. Intertwined with their twisted roots is a web of life that’s inextricably bound to the snook, redfish, trout, flounder, grouper and…

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