Help protect sea turtle nests this summer

Sea turtle nesting season is in full swing.

The nesting season officially began on May the 1^st, and turtle patrol volunteers say they have already found plenty of nests on local beaches.

Sea turtles nest on beaches across the county including St. George Island, St. Vincent Island and Alligator Point.

134 nests have already been found and marked on St. George Island – most of those are from loggerhead turtles, but there have also been 4 green turtle nests this year.

Turtle patrols are asking for your help in protecting sea turtle nests this summer.

The nests look like piles of sand, and they are most easily recognized by the turtle crawl marks that are left when the female turtle pulls herself from the Gulf of Mexico to the dune line where most turtle nests are found.

If you should find an unmarked turtle nest this Summer, call the St. George Island Volunteer turtlers at 927 2103.

And don’t forget Franklin County has begun enforcing its new “Leave No Trace” ordinance to protect nesting sea turtles and to keep local beaches looking cleaner.

The ordinance bans people from leaving items like tents and beach chairs on public beaches on St. George Island overnight; items that are left out can be confiscated by the county and destroyed at the landfill.

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