St. Augustine — With sea turtle nesting season running from May 1 through Oct. 31. , St. Johns County Habitat Conservation and Beach Management is urging residents, visitors, and businesses to help to protect natural sea turtle habitats by observing all nesting season laws and regulations.
According to the County’s Environmental Supervisor Tara Dodson, everyone can protect nesting sea turtles by taking simple precautions, beginning with eliminating interior and exterior lights including those from beachfront homes.
“Lights can confuse a nesting female by causing her to become disoriented and rotate in circles when searching for a place to nest,” warned Dodson. “She may then either lay her nest on the beach or return back to the ocean without laying her nest at all.”
Dodson explained that the disorientation also affects hatchlings.
“A home’s bright light, a flashlight or a cell phone light mocks the moon and/or the horizons natural light causing the turtles to go towards the light instead of the ocean where they should be going,” she said.
For this reason, the lights at St. Johns County Ocean Pier Park will turn on at sunset and turn off at 9 p.m. during sea turtle nesting season. Vehicular beach traffic is only allowed from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
According to the County’s most recent data - ripe from its Sea Turtle Patrol - Leatherbacks will dominate this year’s numbers as they nest “in numbers bi-annually.” Green Sea Turtles and Loggerheads will follow suit. Because every category has a defining foot imprint, the turtle patrol is asking beachgoers to leave tracks undisturbed so they may collect their data.
Females dig holes to deposit approximately 100 leather eggs in the sand. Mamma covers and disguises the nest and heads toward the ocean never to return. Two months later, hatchlings poke out – simultaneously – and crawl through the sand and waddle to the water.
Mammas may repeat the process another three – five times per season.
To date, 10 nests have been counted with hatchlings expected to “poke out” in mid-June. Last year, 842 nests were counted for the season on St. Johns County 41-mile beach stretch. Sadly, only one in one-thousand survive.
“Human and nature’s natural impact is the reason for low survival rates,” continued Dodson. “Once a hatchling leaves its nest to venture into the sea they must overcome people, beach construction, sea walls, etc. Once in the sea, they have to overcome plastic debris, ghost carbs, seagulls and other sea animals.”
Thankfully, Americans don’t steal the turtles. Tidbit regarding the importance of cleaning plastic out of the ocean - Leatherbacks love jelly fish and will ingest a plastic bag thinking it is a jelly fish.
Once safely in the water, hatchlings swim miles out looking for “sargasso,” a large layer of seaweed where they will spend many years in safety.
“The importance of protecting nature is not just important to the species, it’s important to us,” said Dodson. We’re all in this together.”
Dodson quoted John Muir. “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
“Sea turtles are considered the Canary in the coal mine,” continued Dodson. “If they aren’t doing well there other things are happening in the ocean as well. We must respect nature because nature give us life.”
Dodson stressed that beachgoers must maintain a safe distance from all wildlife.
“If you see an injured turtle or any injured animal that belongs in the ocean, do not push it back into the ocean, call us,” she said. “We have the biologists and the experts to assist that animal.”
Posted by the St. Johns County Habitat Conservation and Beach Management:
Beachgoers can also have a positive impact on nesting sea turtles by taking the following precautions:
Refrain from using fireworks and open fires.
Remove ruts and sandcastles.
Flashlights are strongly discouraged as they can harm sea turtles.
Avoid entering dunes and conservation zones (15 feet seaward of the dune line).
Refrain from releasing balloons or sky lanterns, as they can fall into the ocean and harm marine life.
Never approach sea turtles emerging from or returning to the sea. Nesting sea turtles are vulnerable, timid, and can be easily frightened.
Leave only your footprints at the beach.
Never push an injured animal back into the ocean. If an injured, sick, or deceased sea turtle is located, please call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch line at 904.824.8304. For more information, please call St. Johns County Habitat Conservation and Beach Management at 904.209.3740 or visit www.sjcfl.us/hcp.
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