BIPS asks all to help protect sea turtles

May through October is the official sea turtle nesting season in Southwest Florida. During these months, adult female sea turtles make an amazing journey home to nest and lay eggs on the very beach where they were hatched 20 to 30 years before. Barrier Islands located in Cayo Costa, Don Pedro, Gasparilla and Stump Pass Florida State Parks are vital habitats for returning sea turtles to nest and lay eggs. Currently Cayo Costa State Park has 548 nests/16,132 hatchlings and Gasparilla Island State Park has 57 nests/1,563 hatchlings. The most common nesting sea turtle on the Southwest Florida coast is the loggerhead, but other, rarer species have also been documented, including Kemps ridley and the green sea turtle.