Page 59 - Panama City Living May/June 2019

THERE IS NO BRIDGE, NO STORE, NO RESTAURANT, AND NO PUBLIC FACILITY OF ANY KIND.
A dirt road runs much of the length of the island, through pine flatwoods and oak scrub, next to tile marsh and sandy shores.
THERE ARE NO PUBLIC FACILITIES ON THE ISLAND. NO RESTROOMS, NO RESTAURANTS, NO STORES, NO FOOD, NO WATER. YOU CAN WALK ACROSS THE IS- LAND FROM THE FERRY LANDING TO A BEACH CROSS- OVER. NO CAMPING IS ALLOWED.
Visitors have two options available to them for traveling to the island:
A small, private airfield allows visitors and homeowners to land on Dog Island after calling and obtaining permission, with visitors paying a $10 landing fee, and owners pay- ing a $150 annual fee to access the area. The airfield has a maintained 2,800-foot-long grass landing strip, making for a quick and easy landing. Ivan Beckerman, the volunteer manager of the airport and full-time island resident, also says there is no fuel station or mechanical services at the airport and encourages incoming aircraft to make sure they’re good to go and fuel up while in Carrabelle.
Those taking their personal boat can leave it at the island’s yacht club for $20 a night.
A passenger ferry, which started in 1955, travels from Car- rabelle, Florida, to the island. (Schedule: https://sites.goo- gle.com/site/dogislandbeachhouse/ferry-information) Call Captain Russell "Rusty" Cohoon for scheduling and pricing; (850) 697-8909.
Private charters (confirm local charters in Carrabelle): All-Aboard Cruise & Tow, Capt. Rusty Cohoon,(850) 697-8909 Capt. Chester Reese, naturalworldcharters.com
Captain Tim “SGT” Peterson, captsgtpetersons.com
Captain Terry Martin, gritwateroutfittersusa.com
What do you do on an island with nothing to do? Walk on the beach; you will often be the only person there. Hike the nature trails (if you can get someone to tell you where they are). Fish, sail, kayak, swim, read, barbecue, or bird watch. Over 200 species of birds have been seen on the island. Dog Island and Audubon’s nearby Lanark Reef are dedicated to preservation. Dog Island sits along the Eastern Flyway, so one may see peregrine falcons, spoonbills, bald eagles, songbirds, and many different types of shorebirds migrating through. Sage and rosemary grow wild all over the island in and among the pines and oaks. Several ponds harbor alligators in the salt marsh looking to feed on fish. And speaking of fish, the island has some of the finest grass flats in all of Florida. Redfish, Sea Trout, and Tarpon are but a few of the species that can be caught from shore.
Stargazing is a favorite pastime on Dog Island. If you have a house there, you work on the house. It is a long-standing island joke that island property owners don’t have time to go to the beach—they have to keep the house and water system working. The island now has power and phone service, but no water system. Islanders learn to be very self-sufficient. A handful of people live on the island full-time. Most are there on weekends and holidays.
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www.PanamaCityLiving.com • May–June 2019 • 59
DOG ISLAND FACTS
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BY WATER BY AIR
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