assess my progress, get a sense for my current state. Before, the road leading to Playa Cabuyal was unpaved. Rocks sometimes came loose as I ran, kicking them up around me as I pounded along. On my last trip to Cabuyal, I found the road had been paved.
Those of us who work at Playa Cabuyal felt uneasy. Roads mean easy access. Sea turtle biologists know that when cars and visitors can easily make their way to nesting beaches, decreases in numbers of nesting turtles and rates of hatchling success follow. Studies show that sea turtles prefer nesting on dark, undeveloped beaches and hatchlings can become disoriented by artificial lighting. Scientists with The Leatherback Trust saw such declines as coastal development overtook Tamarindo, the town neighboring Las Baulas National Park. Spoiler alert: sea turtles no longer nest on Playa Tamarindo.
Humans are mostly responsible for the drastic declines in sea turtle populations over the past hundred years. As humans have become more aware of the needs of sea turtles, we have taken some actions to limit our negative impacts. But the changes we have made are mostly limited to the parts of the sea turtle life cycle most visible to us: nesting and hatching on the beach.
Conservation efforts at beaches like Playa Cabuyal have successfully stopped egg poaching. But once sea turtles leave the beach, they enter an unpredictable environment. Sea turtles pass through fishing and conservation areas, crossing different geopolitical boundaries and swimming through ocean habitats where protections can be more difficult to enforce.
My research focuses on the time sea turtles spend in the ocean. I want to know where and how East Pacific green turtles spend their time between nesting events on Playa Cabuyal. By knowing more, I believe we can better protect sea turtles during these vulnerable moments.
Some people ask me how it’s possible to stay awake walking up and down a beach for 6 to 9 hours in complete darkness, but the night is a
magical time and you’re always in good company. It’s easy to find something to talk about when you’re on a sea turtle research team. You end up knowing your sea turtle colleagues and camp volunteers better than you know some of your friends back home.
Under a shower of shooting stars each night at Playa Cabuyal, we all wish for sea turtles. No matter how many times I see a turtle on the beach, they always blow me away. It’s like encountering a living, breathing dinosaur— this animal has been around for so inconceivably long but has changed so relatively little. It’s pure magic.
When the season as a sea turtle biologist ends, your endless tired nights cease and you return to the spider-free comforts of home only to find the world has gone on spinning in your absence. And, after sleeping for 12 hours every night for a week straight, you begin to plot your return for the next nesting season.
A researcher with The Leatherback Trust (http://www.leatherback.org/) since 2012, Chelsea holds a Master’s in Biology from Purdue University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Wildlife Science.
The Leatherback Trust welcomes volunteers in a variety of ways, including early career biologists at Playa Cabuyal. Learn more about opportunities on their website.
Photo credits in order of appearance: 1. Tera Dornfeld 2. Chelsea Clyde-Brockway 3. Brett Butler
January 2017 - Sustainable Tourism
48 - SEVENSEAS