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Time to starting watching for nesting sea turtles | March 9, 2017 | Florida Weekly http://naples.floridaweekly.com/news/2017-03-09/Outdoors/Time_to_starting_watching_for_nesting_sea_turtles.html?pk_campaign=Newsletter

Time to starting watching for nesting sea turtles...

March is the beginning of Florida’s sea turtle nesting season, when female sea turtles leave the ocean to dig nests and lay golf ball-size eggs in the sand.

People can help sea turtles that nest on Florida’s beaches at night by leaving the beach as natural as possible. To do this, beachgoers should remove beach furniture and other obstacles before sunset each day.

“Anyone spending time on Florida’s beaches can do something to help save Florida’s threatened and endangered sea turtles. People’s actions on the beach can have a positive impact on whether our loggerhead, leatherback and green sea turtles nest successfully,” said Robbin Trindell, who leads the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sea turtle management program.

“Whether you are a resident or a visitor, remember to take beach furniture, boats and canopies off Florida’s sandy beaches at night so these items won’t block sea turtles attempting to nest,” Ms. Trindell said. “When departing at the end of the day, beach visitors should fill any holes dug in the sand so nesting and hatchling turtles don’t become trapped. Please be careful not to disturb nesting sea turtles by getting too close, shining lights on them or taking flash photos.”
Along the gulf coast, sea turtle nesting season starts in late April or May.
In the 2016 sea turtle nesting season, more than 120,000 loggerhead nests, more than 5,000 green turtle nests and more than 1,000 leatherback nests were documented by the FWC. With Florida hosting nearly 90 percent of loggerhead nests within this species’ northern Atlantic Ocean population, the state plays an important role in its conservation.

You can help sea turtles by reporting those that are sick, injured, entangled or dead to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline, (888) 404-3922.
Go to www.MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle for information on Florida’s sea turtles and how to get decals. Click on “Research” and then “Nesting” for more data on sea turtle nesting. ¦