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April 29, 2008
Shelley Szafraniec, APR
Community Information Specialist

SEA TURTLE NESTING SEASON BEGINS MAY 1

Sea turtle nesting season begins May 1. Visitors to Volusia County beaches and residential and business owners along the coast are encouraged to be proactive to help ensure a productive nesting season. The sea turtle nesting season is May 1 through Oct. 31.

“Sea turtle nesting season is the time of year when female sea turtles leave the ocean, usually at night, to lay eggs on the beach,” said Jennifer Winters, Volusia County’s sea turtle Habitat Conservation Plan program manager. Winters added that nesting usually begins in early May and continues into August. “The hatching of the eggs usually happens between 48-60 days from the date the nest was laid and will continue through October or until all the eggs have hatched,” she said.

Although 2007 was a high nesting year for Loggerhead sea turtles, with 504 nests recorded in the County, statewide nesting numbers continued on a dramatic decline, according to Winters.

“The east coast of Florida is one of two major nesting sites in the world for this species of sea turtle,” she said. “Our beaches provide a very important nesting habitat which helps ensure the continued existence of the loggerhead sea turtle. Green and leatherback sea turtle nests also are found here, although they are not as common as Loggerhead nest.”

Since 1996 when 491 nests were counted along Volusia County’s beaches, the County has developed and implemented a detailed, federally approved habitat conservation plan that protects sea turtles, piping plovers, other coastal wildlife and their habitat, while allowing public driving on parts of our beaches.

There are many ways to help sea turtles, beach wildlife and the coastal environment, such as:

• Disposing of trash in the proper containers. Trash can cause entanglement and ingestion problems for a lot of wildlife including sea turtles. It also attracts predators when left on the ground.
• If you ever see a sea turtle nesting or a nest hatching, stand back and observe quietly. Sea turtles are protected with state and federal laws and should not be harassed in any way. Lights, quick movements, and loud voices can deter nesting activity.
• When you go to the beach, drive in designated traffic lanes or use dune walkovers to minimize harm to the dune system. Beach driving access hours are from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. throughout the season, tide permitting.
• When you leave the beach, make sure to take all of your beach equipment with you. Flatten your sandcastles and fill your holes. These can pose as obstacles to nesting turtles and hatchlings emerging from their nests.

Property owners and businesses, as well as visitors to the beach, also are reminded to watch for bright lights. Volusia County has a lighting ordinance that states no artificial lighting sources can be visible or illuminate the beach at night.

“Sea turtles almost always nest and hatch at night,” said Winters. “Because of this, bright lights can cause problems for them on the beach. Artificial lights can discourage female turtles from nesting and can cause hatchlings to become disoriented.”

While attempting to return to the sea, sea turtles are attracted to the brightest light, which would naturally be the reflection of the moonlight on the ocean. In a developed urban environment artificial lights are brighter than the moonlight which can lead sea turtles astray especially when they are trying to return to the ocean.

“The baby hatchlings are in the greatest danger because they are lead west onto roads and parking lots where they are seldom seen or rescued,” said Winters. “They can also travel long distances north and south along the beach where they encounter predators and expend all their energy needed for their ocean migration.”

Last year, there were 34 incidents where hatchlings emerging from their nests were disoriented.

Property owners along the coast should make sure their light fixtures are positioned, shielded or modified so the light source and any reflective surfaces of the fixture are not visible by someone standing on the beach. It also is important to eliminate the effect of interior lights shining through doors and windows onto the beach.

There are several ways to reduce the amount of light coming from inside a home or business to include moving lamps and other moveable fixtures away from windows, using blinds and curtains, turning off unnecessary lights, and applying window tint. Property owners also should recheck their lighting – even if they were in compliance last year. Sometimes the topography of the beach has changed and lights that were in compliance before may not be in compliance now.

For more information about Volusia County’s sea turtles program please call (386) 239-6414, ext. 33 or 34, or visit www.volusiaseaturtles.org
 

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