Update: Sandpiper Bay Park on Westmoreland

Good news! The picnic tables have arrived at our Sandpiper Bay Westmoreland Park.  They were installed on the original concrete pads of the old tables, which were removed.   Our two new picnic tables are made from recycled plastic lumber and they sit under the trees for shade.  Thank you to the City of Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Brad Keen and his team for providing these tables to our lovely natural park.

A big thank you to Barry Lee for working with Board Member Robin Montcerisier on the park improvement plan.  We look forward to continuing future  improvements and additions for our Sandpiper Bay residents to enjoy.

We now have three picnic tables and two benches.  Be sure to come by and take a walk through the park and enjoy the views on Howard Creek!

Sandpiper Bay Community Members & Friends

Sandpiper Bay Community Members & Friends,

I would like to thank those attendees at our Music Bingo & Dinner at the Santa Lucia River Club on 22 Wednesday. Hoping you enjoyed the event as much as I did, and would be grateful for any feedback that you would like to share.

This Music Bingo was like no other as we had a benefactor supplying generous gift cards ($10 to $25 values each) to Sandpiper Bay local establishments. I even had a donation for some of the cookies we enjoyed for dessert. For me this is the part of being part of such a fabulous community like Sandpiper Bay, that we try to help each other when possible and contribute to our community enjoyment.

A special thank you to the friends and staff at the Santa Lucia River Club that opened the doors to the Sandpiper Bay Community and so helpful in making the evening happen. This being our first event together in many years, I know with their hospitality we will be returning. As always a Thank You to Al for bringing Music Bingo to us and making the evenings lively.

None of this could happen without you our Sandpiper Bay Community Members and our Sandpiper Bay friends that like to participate with us.

I look forward to seeing everyone at next months Music Bingo at the Saints Pub, Tuesday 28 March.

Thank you once again,
R. Sawers Tosh Social Events
Sandpiper Bay Community

sandpiperbaycommunity.org

 

 

 

SBC Board Members Attend PSL Historical Society’s Membership Gathering

Kathy Dunkel and Sandy Pikulski attended the Port St Lucie Historical Society’s Membership Gathering. Guest Speaker Roger Orr, who gave  a behind the scenes view of how Port St, Lucie came to be a city, including all of the obstacles that had to be overcome.

It was an enjoyable and interesting evening! Please join us in supporting the Historical Society by becoming a member. You can join on their website: https://pslhistory.org/

COYOTES ARE BECOMING MORE PREVALENT IN SANDPIPER BAY

COYOTE HAZING GUIDELINES:

How to Haze for Effective Reshaping of Coyote Behavior

Generally, coyotes are reclusive animals who avoid human contact. Coyotes who’ve adapted to urban and suburban environments, however, may realize there are few real threats and approach people or feel safe visiting yards even when people are present. These coyotes have become habituated (lost their fear of humans), likely due to the ready availability of food in our neighborhoods. Sometimes, this food is deliberately provided by people who like to watch wild animals or misguidedly feel they are helping them by feeding. These bold coyotes should not be tolerated or enticed, but definitely given the message that they should not be so brazen.

Hazing is a method that makes use of deterrents to move an animal out of an area or discourage an undesirable behavior or activity. Hazing can help maintain a coyote’s fear of humans and deter them from neighborhood spaces such as backyards and play spaces.

The following guidelines are adapted from the Denver, Colorado coyote problem mitigation program’s Hazing Guidelines, written by the Natural Areas Program of the Denver Parks and Recreation Department in October 2009. These guidelines have proven very successful at correcting problematic coyote behavior both in the short and longer term.

 

Methods of Hazing include:

Using a variety of different hazing tools is critical; coyotes can habituate to individual items, sounds, and actions.

Yelling and waving your arms while approaching the coyote

Noisemakers: Voice, whistles, air horns, bells, soda cans filled with pennies or dead batteries, pots and pans banged together

Projectiles: sticks, small rocks, cans, tennis balls, rubber balls

Other: hoses, water guns with vinegar water, spray bottles with vinegar water, pepper spray, bear repellant, walking sticks

 

“Go Away Coyote!”

The simplest method of hazing a coyote involves being loud and large:

o Stand tall, wave your arms and yell at the coyote, approaching it if necessary, until it runs away.

o Follow this link for a demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDm9wjfcdbw&feature=player_embedded)

If a coyote has not been hazed before, he may not immediately run away when you yell at him. If this happens, you may need to walk towards the coyote and increase the intensity of your hazing.

The coyote may run away, but then stop after a distance and look at you. It is important to continue to haze the coyote until he completely leaves the area. You may need to use different tactics, such as noisemakers, stomping your feet, or spraying the coyote with a hose, to get him to leave.

 

Dog-walking Tools

There are several tools that you can carry with you while walking your dog that can be used to repel coyotes. (Remember to always walk your dog on a leash.) These include:

o Homemade noisemakers (follow this link for “recipe”): http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/programs/conservation/urbanWildlife/coyot es/deterrent.php

o Whistle or small air horn (you can purchase small air horn “necklaces”)

o Squirtguns

o Pepper spray

o Pick up sticks or rocks and throw them towards the coyote

 

In Your Yard:

Remember, keeping pets and pet food inside is the best way to keep coyotes out of your yard. If you do encounter coyotes, all of the above methods can be used in your yard at home. First, try the “Go Away Coyote!” method (yell and wave your arms as you approach the coyote). Here are some additional methods you can also use:

Squirt the coyote with your garden hose

Bang pots and pans together

 

Remember:

NEVER run away from a coyote!

The coyote may not leave at first, but if you approach it closer and/or increase the intensity of your hazing, it will run away.

If the coyote runs away a short distance and then stops and looks at you, continue hazing it until it completely leaves the area.

After you have successfully hazed a coyote, he or she may return again. Continue to haze the coyote as you did before; it usually takes only one or two times to haze a coyote away for good.

Coyotes are skittish by nature and as a rule do not act aggressively towards aggressive people. However, engaging animals that are sick or injured can result in unpredictable behavior. If you suspect that a coyote is sick or injured, contact the proper authorities and DO NOT interact with the coyote.

 

Tips for Success:

The more often an individual coyote is hazed, by a variety of tools and techniques and a variety of people, the more effective hazing will be for changing behavior.

The coyote being hazed must be able to recognize that the potential threat is coming from a person. (Hiding behind a bush and throwing rocks, for example, will not be effective.)

Techniques and tools can be used in the same manner for one animal or multiple animals. Usually there is a dominant animal in the group who will respond, and others will follow her lead.

Certain levels of hazing must always be maintained so that future generations of coyotes do not learn or return to unacceptable habits or behaviors.

Educating the public about removing coyote attractants, proper pet care and safety, and coyote behavior are critical parts of a successful coyote plan.

 

For more information and tips, see: www.humanesociety.org/animals/coyotes

More coyote info is available on our website at www.myfwc.com/coyote.

INTERESTING CELL PHONE AND ATM EMERGENCY INFORMATION

There are a few things that can be done in times of emergencies… Your mobile phone can actually be a lifesaver or an emergency tool for survival.   Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST  

Emergency Services  

The Emergency Number worldwide for all Mobile Phones is 112 .

If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and your mobile will search any existing network in your area to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. This works on all phones worldwide and is free.

SECOND  

Have you locked your keys in the car?  

If your car has remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:

If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone. 

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you.

Distance is no object. You could be thousands of miles away,

 

Editor’s  Note : I didn’t believe this when I heard about it! I rang my daughter in Sydney from Perth when we went on holiday.  She had the spare car key.  We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!’ 

THIRD

Is your mobile phone battery flat ?

All mobiles have Hidden Battery Power.

To activate, press the keys *3370# (remember the asterisk).  Do this when the phone is almost dead.  Your mobile will restart in a special way with this new reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery life.  This reserve will get recharged when you charge your mobile next time. 

This secret is in the fine print in most phone manuals.  Most people however skip this information without

realizing it.

FOURTH

How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To  check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your  phone: *#06#

Ensure you put an asterisk BEFORE the *#06# sequence.

A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. 

If your phone ever gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.  They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.

You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody did this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones. 

This secret is also in the fine print of most mobile phone manuals.  It was created for the very purpose of trying to prevent phones from being stolen.  

Also -ATM   PIN Number Reversal – Good to Know   !!  

If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can notify the police by entering your PIN # in reverse.

For example, if your pin number is 1234, then you would put in 4321. The ATM system recognizes that your PIN number is backward from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested, but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to the location.

All ATM’s carry this emergency sequencer by law.