ROSEMARY THYMES | 19
SEA TURTLE SEASON IS HERE By Fiama Mastrangelo
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PRING IS IN THE AIR AND BABY TURTLES ARE ON THE GROUND. From May to October, sea turtles are hard at work as they search for the right nesting sites and set their hatchlings up for success. The Gulf Coast serves as a very important habitat for sea turtle nesting sites, and Rosemary Beach is just one of the many beaches that the keystone species relies on for shelter.
Status as a keystone species means that “they are an important part of the environment, and they influence other species around them,” explained Barbara Van Stern, who oversees Public Relations and serves as the Area Coordinator for the South Walton Turtle Watch Group. “Healthy oceans need healthy turtles,” she added. “If you remove a keystone species, then the natural order is disrupted and that will impact other wildlife, even fauna, in lots of different ways.” For Rosemary Beach, sea turtles are integral in maintaining the health and beauty of the coastal environment. The leftover shells and unhatched sea turtle eggs serve as important sources of nutrients for coastal vegetation, which in turn, helps prevent coastal erosion. Green sea turtles help to maintain natural seagrass beds through their grazing habits, which keeps these natural fish nurseries in peak condition. Leatherback turtles are best known for their unique diet that includes jellyfish, thus sustaining other fish populations and reducing the amount of beach days cut short by a jellyfish sting. Another major (albeit sad) role that the sea turtles play is that
of a food source to larger ocean predators. “You know, everybody has to eat,” Van Stern added. While sea turtles work hard to maintain the beautiful natural habitats of the Gulf Coast, they remain classified as endangered species by the World Wildlife Foundation. Human activity on the Gulf Coast has resulted in widespread and critical habitat destruction in areas that sea turtles use for nesting sites. One of the biggest ways that humans can aid in turtle population recovery is through maintaining safe and accessible nesting sites. South Walton Turtle Watch Group does exactly that. “South Walton Turtle Watch has been monitoring sea turtle nests in Walton county since 1995,”Van Stern said. “We are permitted by Florida Fish and Wildlife, since all sea turtle species are protected by law.” Every morning from May 1 through October 31, volunteers with the South Walton Turtle Watch Group survey the nesting sites, looking for sea turtle tracks in the sand, also known as “crawls.”]If volunteers determine that a sea turtle has nested in the area, the nesting site will be protected by barriers and monitored by the team. The South Walton Turtle Watch Group also performs a major service for the sea turtles of 30A. “Other than surveying sea turtle nests, we are also members of Florida’s Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network,” Van Stern added. As part of the network, the Watch Group steps in when needed to help wounded sea turtles nearby. “If a turtle has stranded itself, whether it’s injured, sick, or debilitated in some way, we will respond to assist that animal,” Van Stern explained. Though their work can be tough at times, saving the sea turtles is well worth the energy. It is estimated that only one out of one thousand sea turtle hatchlings will make it to adulthood. With natural odds already stacked against them, major
