Sarasota Bay Watch outlines sea of support for Sister Keys

When Sarasota Bay Watch members decided to start an “Adopt an Island” program, Sister Keys was a logical starting point. The group has held cleanups for three consecutive years on the mangrove islands and has a good relationship with the town of Longboat Key. But for Sarasota Bay Watch founder Rusty Chinnis, the group’s adoption of the islands, which the Town Commission approved at its June 6 meeting, has special meaning.

Chinnis remembers the period in the 1980s — about four or five years after he moved to Longboat Key — when Tidy Island and Jewfish Key were developed. Then, in 1989, he saw the advertisement that stated that Sister Keys were up for sale through Taylor and Associates Real Estate, offering the potential to build and develop 73 acres.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if there was one island in Sarasota Bay that didn’t have a house on it?’” he said.

The plan wasn’t the first time Sister Keys had been considered for development: In the 1970s, developers proposed a luxury development that would be known as the Shangri-Isle Club, compete with a landing strip for airplanes, yacht club, boat dock, private homes and condominiums. That plan never materialized, and the islands remained dormant until 1989.

But upon seeing the 1989 advertisement, residents mobilized, led by Chinnis, Virginia Sanders and Anna Miller, forming the Sister Keys Conservancy to conserve the islands. They raised about $50,000 through events such as bake sales and “Music in the Park.” Although the amount was just a fraction of what the group needed to purchase the island, the timing of their goal was favorable: At the time, the town needed additional open space as part of its Comprehensive Plan. So, in July 1992, the town approved approximately $1 million for the purchase of Sister Keys.

Today, Chinnis said the Sister Keys don’t look like they did 30 years ago, when he first moved to Longboat Key. They look more like they probably did 100 years ago, he said, thanks to a $1.2 million mitigation project completed in 2008, in which non-native, invasive vegetation such as Brazilian peppers and Australian pines were removed and replaced with native plants. But 30 years later, one thing remains the same: Sister Keys remain undeveloped.

According to Chinnis, Sarasota Bay Watch will work with other groups to secure grants to protect the seagrass that surrounds Sister Keys and to improve nearby oyster beds.

“It’s kind of neat to have been one of the cofounders of the Sister Keys Conservancy and to see that be successful,” Chinnis said. “And now, we can continue to show people the connection between our economy and the bay. Everybody moved here because they liked the beaches and bay and birds.”

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected].