The Turtles Are Coming, The Turtles Are Coming!
May 1st is the start of the loggerhead sea turtle breeding season. Together, we can make Palmetto Dunes a great place for hatchling success. Following basic rules about lights and beach practices can assure positive results for nesting mothers and baby hatchlings.
A one-page overview of Turtle Season Guidelines is available here. If you rent your home, this can be printed and placed in your Renter Information Binder.
LIGHTS
Last year PD had the island’s highest rate of disoriented and misoriented hatches – the turtles did not head to the water. Every home on the beach can help make the dunes and shoreline dark with a thoughtful “blocked out and lights out” protocol. Follow these simple steps to assess your lighting situation.
- Walk out to the beach with your house lights on
- Lights you can see from the beach need to be turned off at night, blocked with shield, or converted to down-lights
Use Red light flashlights on the beach at night. Also, avoid using white flashlights.
BEACH
Keeping the beach clear and smooth at night is essential. Females and tiny hatchling need an easy path between the dunes and the water. This means:
- Removing chairs, toys, tents, and bikes.
- Filling holes, knocking down sandcastles and smoothing out sculptures
IMPORTANT: Following a nesting female with a white flashlight as she makes her way up the beach and/or making loud noises or getting too close will disorient and interrupt her nesting intention. Then it is likely she will return to the ocean without laying her eggs. When a sea turtle crawls ashore and does not lay eggs, scientists call this a “false crawl.”
More information about the sea turtles can be found here
Protocol sheet Link back to PDPOA
https://pdpoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Sea-Turtle-Patrol-Awareness-Flyer_FINAL-lo.pdf
Same link shortened via TinyURL
https://tinyurl.com/SeaTurtleProtocol
Link to FAQs on Sea Turtle Patrol site
https://www.seaturtlepatrolhhi.org/facts-faqs