New turtle watch leader to fill ‘big shoes’ on AMI

By Bonner Joy islander Editor

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch has new leadership.

The board announced April 5 that Kristen Mazzarella is the new executive director — just in time for the May 1 start of sea turtle nesting season on Anna Maria Island.

Longtime AMITW executive director Suzi Fox died in September 2022.

“I’m excited to be a part of the AMITW team. I have big shoes to fill but I hope to live up to the legacy Suzi created,” Mazzarella said in a news release.

Mazzarella has 25 years of sea turtle experience and more than 15 years of shorebird experience as a senior biologist with Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.

Prior to Mote, Mazzarella worked in North Carolina and South Carolina. She holds a master’s degree in marine biology and has overseen several Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine turtle permits, as well as research permits.

Mazzarella said she is looking forward to working on Manatee County beaches.

“I hope to meet a lot of the residents and businesses of the three cities. AMITW has a long history of turtle and bird conservation and our team is dedicated to continuing that work,” she said.

Monitoring for sea turtle nesting season began April 15 and will continue through Oct. 31, or the hatch date for the last nest to hatch.

“We are very fortunate to have someone with Kristen’s experience joining us to continue Suzi’s work,” said Diane McCausey, president of AMITW’s board of directors.

Mazzarella chatted with The Islander April 15 — the first day of morning checks for signs of nesting by turtle watch. She responded to questions via email:

The Islander: Are you feeling excited about your new career with AMITW?

Kristen Mazzarella: Yes, I’m very excited about working for AMITW. They had a strong and fearless leader and those are big shoes to fill but I hope to live up to Suzi Fox’s legacy.

The volunteers are so dedicated and Manatee County has been amazingly supportive of AMITW’s conservation efforts.

I’m thrilled to get the chance to be a part of this community.

How did you learn about the job?

KM: I worked with Paula Clark, a good friend of Suzi’s, when we were both in the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program at Mote. I also knew Suzi through the sea turtle community as we did complementary jobs on neighboring islands.

Will you work year-round or only in sea turtle nesting season?

KM: The work is year-round, though the field work for sea turtle season generally ends in October, or when the last nest hatches.

The data we collect must be reviewed, quality-controlled and reports written for the county and FWC.

As you know, Suzi built a brand that is recognized by both visitors and residents.

The outreach and fundraising programs she created are year-round and we start prepping for the next season in February.

You were acquainted with Suzi and AMITW before your appointment. What sort of interactions did you have?

KM: Yes, we were friends. The sea turtle folks on the west coast collaborate frequently, especially when there are nourishment projects, changes to protocols from FWC and other data that need to be shared.

We’re a very close-knit community and we rely on each other a lot as a sounding board, for advice and just to get together to have fun and share stories.

How will you start off the season this year?

KM: This year will be a “getting to know” experience for both myself and the volunteers. We have a great group of volunteers who do everything from field work to public outreach and fundraising.

I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning from them.

I’ve only been in the job for 1.5 weeks, so there’s a lot to learn about!

At the moment, I’m working on getting our nesting beach surveys up and running. …

What will change this year for volunteers?

KM: This year will be a learning year. I want to learn about how things ran in the past before I implement changes. …

I’m working on meeting with each of the volunteers to see what we can try to improve upon and what will stay the same.

The one thing that will change this year is that FWC has requested that we start patrolling earlier than in previous years. …

Will you be surveying for nests again via ATV or will volunteers resume walking the beach?

KM: We will still be using the vehicles for this season.

Can residents, newcomers and visitors expect a schedule of “Turtle Talks”? Turtle Walks on the beach?

KM: We will provide as much public outreach and education as we can this season.

We may not have the same amount of scheduled outreach events, but we’re going to try doing as much as possible.

Will there be an education outreach program at Anna Maria Elementary School — and/or any other Manatee schools?

KM: School programs are an important part of our outreach. We will look at what has been done in past years and see what we can do for next year.

On the subject of school outreach, will you be able to sync with the new Guy Harvey program at AME?

KM: I think it’s a great addition to the school district, especially for island schools. We will see where we might provide a good fit with the programs we have offered in the past.

Will there be AMITW-city inspections in the three cities for compliance on lighting and other turtlefriendly code restrictions?

KM: Yes, working with the various code officers for each city is part of the service we provide.

What are the most important do’s and don’ts for people who want to help nesting and hatching sea turtles? And shorebirds?

KM: For residents, following the ordinances that each city has put in place for sea turtle and shorebird season is most important.

For visitors, remembering not to disturb nesting females and emerging hatchlings, filling in any holes they dug and knocking down their sandcastles before they leave the beach, not using any light source on the beach at night and taking all the things they brought to the beach when they leave.

For shorebirds, respecting any posted areas, avoid flushing groups of birds, keeping pets off the beach and taking everything with them when they leave. …

What can islanders expect to see about shorebird nesting this year?

KM: Your guess is as good as mine. That one is up to the birds. We’ll be on the lookout for nesting black skimmers, least terns and snowy plovers.

Will you have an office on the island? How will you coordinate activities with the volunteers?

KM: Thanks to all the great technology available, coordination and communication doesn’t necessitate having a physical space.

We may get a physical location for me at some point but, with few exceptions, I’ll be on the beach working with the volunteers.

I still have Suzi’s same phone number (941-2321405) and the email address where folks can reach me is annamariaturtlewatch@gmail.com.

What’s your favorite sea turtle story?

KM: Oh, there are so many! I guess one of my favorite memories was helping with the satellite tagging of the loggerhead turtle “Bortie” up here on Anna Maria Island and how a couple of weeks later, “Bortie” showed up nesting on Casey Key, where I was doing night-time tagging of sea turtles.

It was a nice surprise having the connection between our two programs and getting to tell Suzi that I saw her turtle nesting.

And for the sea turtle fans on Anna Maria Island and The Islander, that’s good karma.

Sea turtle nesting season on AMI officially begins May 1 but Mazzarella and the turtle watch team began their morning beach patrols April 15.

AMITW is preparing for the female loggerheads to start nesting along the shore, as well as monitoring for nesting shorebirds.

Meanwhile code enforcement in Holmes Beach is ramping up efforts for compliance with sea turtle regulations. The department is hosting a “Sea Turtle Lighting Workshop” at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 19, at city hall, 5901 Marina Drive.

Staff will make a presentation on best practices for beachfront lighting.

For more info, contact code officer Jayson Clayton at 941-932-6147 or jclayton@holmesbeachfl.org.