The first few sightings of iguanas on Siesta Key perhaps were more of a curiosity than anything else. However, as the Sarasota County Commission learned last week, the exotic lizards and their cold-blooded cousins the Burmese python have become a major threat to the ecosystem we relish in this area.
New College biology professor Meg Lowman prepared a report for the commissioners on "grand challenges," but invasive species was one of the three she singled out for special attention. The pythons may have taken center stage purely for the heebie-geebies/"yuck" factor, but Lowman made it plain that the problem of proliferating lizards is one the county needs to solve and solve quickly.
If anyone still has reservations about the severity of the lizard issue after reading her report, all they need to do is talk with George Cera, the man who removed 16,000 iguanas from Boca Grande after the lizards practically had taken over that island. As he explained to the Pelican Press – and as he points out clearly in his book, "Save Florida, Eat an Iguana" – the lizards had turned the ecosystem on that island topsy-turvy.
Siesta Key residents already have asked the county commissioners for help in ridding the island of the creatures. They have made it plain they are not finding humor in taking a daily iguana tally. And the commissioners have responded that they plan to address the issue during their 2009-10 budget discussions, but we question whether that is soon enough.
Commissioner Nora Patterson did recently seek some short-term relief, but her efforts fell flat. When she asked during the commissioners’ May 12 meeting whether the county could lend traps to residents, Amy Meese, the county’s natural resources manager, told her the traps are too small. Meese also was fretful about people getting hurt if they tried catching the creatures on their own.
Finally – the proverbial nail in the coffin – Meese said the county had no money or staff time allocated for lizard patrol.
Given that Cera says the iguanas are too fast to be trapped anyway, the point probably was moot.
Considering how quickly the sightings of iguanas are multiplying on Siesta Key – and Cera’s rule of thumb that for every single iguana spotted, 10 more are roaming the area – we truly are fearful of the consequences of the county’s not figuring out a way to launch a counterattack immediately. We concur wholeheartedly with island residents who say the last thing Siesta needs in this economic climate is a pox on its popularity because of a lizard infestation.
All of us relished the No. 2 ranking Siesta Public Beach just received from Dr. Beach. The last thing we need is for Siesta to win the ignominious distinction of having the Best Beach to Share with 2½-Foot-Long Scaly Critters Sunning Themselves after a Delicious Repast of Gopher Turtle Eggs and Anoles.
June 5th 2009 - 9:05AM