Our island sea turtles are nesting in strong numbers. We are happy about that because the majority of our first month nests were destroyed by high tides in Tropical Storm Colin. The predators have been busy too – and there’s little we can do to protect nests from coyotes and persistent armadillos. Let’s try to focus on what we can control. We have had a couple of nests dug by dogs, so please do not let your dog roam the beach! We currently have nearly 100 nests documented on the island and want to remind everyone to turn off or shield lights shining on our beach after sunset. (This includes fishing lights and cell phone flashlights.) We also have many “false crawls” when the turtle crawls out of the water but does not nest. Many of these false crawls are due to folks walking the beach at night, disturbing the turtles before they can dig a nest. Furniture left on the beach overnight has been a problem, too. Charlotte County Sea Turtle ordinances prohibit furniture on the beach, lights shining on the beach, and vehicles driving on the beach.
If you are interested in helping with sea turtle patrol this summer, please contact Linda Soderquist at 941 270 7994.
