Sea
turtle nesting season officially began May the 1st.
For
the rest of the summer sea turtles will dig nests on beaches across
Franklin and Gulf counties including St. George Island, St. Vincent
Island, Alligator Point and Cape San Blas.
The
vast majority of the nests found in our area are from Loggerhead
turtles, though very rarely there are also nests from the more
endangered leatherback turtles.
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
FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC and they will make
sure someone comes out to check and protect the nest.
You
can also help by not using bright lights on the beaches at night –
man made lights tend to disorient the turtles and keep them from
nesting.
You
can buy turtle safe flashlights for your nighttime walks.
And
don’t forget Franklin County is actively enforcing its “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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