Luxe Beat Magazine DECEMBER 2014 | Page 41

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, 41