And then there were 10: Turtle patrol winding down nest checks
And then there were ten. Yes, the BGSTA turtle patrollers are down to the last ten incubating nests on the island. Eight loggerhead and two green turtle nests. The last observed hatch was weeks ago on September 8th, but there is still hope that at least a couple of the remaining nests, especially those that were laid after Tropical Storm Debby’s visit, may hatch. But that all depends on what the next storm currently brewing in the Caribbean (as I write this) will bring to our beaches. All remaining nests are up near or in the dunes, and this strategic location may help them withstand another high surf event. Fingers crossed!
As the number of remaining nests decrease, so do the number of patrollers assigned to monitor them. During the peak of nesting season, there were 12 to 14 patrollers on the island on any given day. Now, there are only two needed per day. Patrols used to take up to three hours or so on a busy day. Now, some patrols are done within 15 minutes.
But even though most of our volunteers are done walking for the season, many are helping prepare our equipment and supplies for our off-season storage and all are providing valuable feedback on what worked (and didn’t) this year so we can improve in the future. Over the next couple weeks as we wrap up our patrol activities, I will share some photos of our exceptional volunteers who have made such a positive impact on a successful nesting season. Please consider joining us next year.
• BGSTA (941) 999-7177
• FWC (888) 404-FWCC
