Sea Turtle Season is Here

By Fiama Mastrangelo

SPRING 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

gains for the species can be made by protecting the nests and minimizing human impact. It’s not all doom and gloom for the sea turtles. Concerned citizens can help in a multitude of ways to help sea turtle hatchlings make a successful journey to the sea. “The most important things to remember are to keep the beaches clean, dark and flat,”Van Stern said.

Clean habitats appeal to the mother sea turtle, dark beaches help guide the newly hatched into the ocean and flat beaches help to ensure that the sea turtles can move about the beach without falling into any manmade pits or holes left behind by summer beachgoers. There are yet more ways to get involved in the local sea turtle conservation efforts. nests on their Facebook page, which follow the processes of digging up abandoned sea turtle nests. In addition to live-streamed excavations, families can get involved in sea turtle education efforts through their Turtle Talk Tuesdays. “The first one will be May 24 and they will be held every Tuesday throughout the season, until the end of August,” Van Stern said. “There’s lots of fun things for kids to do. We have sea creature crayons, junior ranger badges, wonderful activity books and all types of information for children to learn about turtles.”

For more information on sea turtle nesting season, visit southwaltonturtlewatch.org or follow @southwaltonturtlewatch on Facebook for updates.

YOU CAN HELP PROTECT SOUTH WALTON’S SEA TURTLES

Info Courtesy of Visit South Walton / visitsouthwalton.com

The two most common species of turtles in South Walton are Green Sea Turtles and Loggerheads. In the late spring and early summer, female sea turtles that were born in South Walton return to build nests. Later in the summer and in the early fall, the turtle eggs in the nests begin to hatch, and the hatchlings use light reflected off the surf to guide them into the ocean. South Walton has a dedicated team to help identify and protect the turtles, but there are things that beachgoers can do to make sure their efforts are a success: Prevent All Lights from Illuminating the Beach Turn off balcony and porch lights and draw blinds each night. Use only flashlights with red film covers (which are available at area businesses and the Visitor Information Center) as sea turtles become disoriented on their crawl back to the surf.

Look but Don’t Touch Do not disturb or handle any sea turtles, their eggs or their nests. All are violations of both federal and state laws.

Don’t Leave Holes Fill in any holes you dig including holes left from sticking poles and beach umbrellas into the sand. This will ensure others don’t get injured and that you don’t create obstacles for nesting sea turtles.

Keep the Beach Clean Reduce litter by disposing of your trash properly and removing all personal items from the beach each night.

Visit South Walton is proud to fund these efforts by contracting the South Walton Turtle Watch. To find out more, visit southwaltonturtlewatch.org.