Travel
the
dle
It takes an estimated ten-thousand
eggs to produce one thriving
sea turtle.
When a nest is discovered,
volunteers construct a turtle
campsite. A square of metal mesh
is placed over the nest. Each corner
is secured with long pieces of wood
that, once wrapped with bright
yellow caution tape, serve as
open-air beach barrier. If walls can
talk, these make their point loud
and clear. Give us our space in the
sand. Think of it as rental of sorts
for the 50 or so days it takes eggs
to hatch and emerge.
At the very least, for close to two
months, the Turtle Patrol will walk
by every nest once a day. But even
when you’ve got miles to cover,
it’s hard to just walk by.
Headed to Sea!
“We have our superstitious
tricks to get the nests to hatch,”
said volunteer Penny Easton.
As she and McKenzie walked the
beach this Saturday morning, they
picked up the occasional stray
feather, poking them in the sand
near nests yet to hatch. Akin to
hanging a horseshoe overhead,
some of these nests could use
a little extra luck.
When the 200 to 300 pound females
come onto the beach to lay their
eggs, the goal is to build their nests
near dunes, away from high tides
that can flood the nests. Their eye
site is anything but 20/20. Light
from nearby homes and beach
bonfires can throw them off course.
A pop-up beach shelter that spends
the night on the sand can throw
turtles off track and lead to nests
in less than safe or convenient
locations.
Turtle Patrol Perk, Perfect
Sunrise Spot
make for a tasty snack. But as folks
flock to the coast, it’s what we do
during our time on the sand that can
have the biggest impact on this
endangered species.
In a perfect world, according
to Volunteer Coordinator Jessica
McKenzie, there would be close to
300 nests to monitor. This season,
they have 141. Even if each nest
has more than 100 eggs, hatchlings’
odds of survival are not encouraging.
Feathering a Sea
Turtle Nest
Nest Success
“They’re so focused on nesting,
they’re kind of oblivious to things.
It’s amazing what people bring on
the beach,” said McKenzie, as she
and Easton talked of how one group
of vacationers had set up their living
room on the sand, complete with
couch and recliner. Along with her
job as Volunteer Coordinator of the
St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol,
McKenzie is also working on her M.S.
in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
at the University of Florida. The
ultimate goal of her research, she
says, is to “develop and refine sea
turtle and coastal ecology education
and outreach programs for visitors
and residents in North Florida.”
The multiple eggs in nests don’t
miraculously hatch simultaneously,
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