SAND AND SEA
ENVIRONMENT
OUR SEA TURTLES
25
Baby loggerhead sea turtles look for the lowest, brightest horizon as they carefully crawl to the surf.
No flashlights, cell phones or flash photography are allowed
on the walks.
Some organizations also provide public excavation programs
that are a daytime alternative to sea turtle walks. They
are educational events where scientists dig up a turtle nest
and inspect its contents, after the eggs have hatched. Every
now and then, observers are pleasantly surprised to see a live
hatchling wandering from the nest.
To promote a safe and successful nesting season, remember
to keep the beaches dark, flat and clean. Turtles can be disoriented
by artificial lighting. Help keep beaches flat by tearing
down sandcastles and filling in holes, since nesting turtles
and hatchlings can get stuck in those holes. And pick up
trash and plastics and remove beach furniture, so they don’t
obstruct the marine creatures.
Summer is the perfect season to kick back, relax, and have
a good time on our south Florida beaches. If you encounter a
nesting sea turtle while on the beach at night, stand out of the
way, and let nature take its course.
“Respect it at a distance, not using any flash or light,”
Bergman says. “Observe it and enjoy it — it is a phenomenal
creature that people on our coast get an opportunity to see.”
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