Donated ATV will help Boca Grande Sea Turtle nest protection

The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association recently received a $15,000 donation to purchase a utility task vehicle, or UTV, for turtle patrols this season.

Arlene Hall of the Association wrote about the idea in her weekly article for the March 8, 2024 edition of the Boca Beacon, and sought donations for the vehicle.

“A vehicle like the Kawasaki Mule PRO-FX (MSRP $15,000) would best fit their needs,” Hall quoted Denise Juergens, FWC Permit Holder for the BGSTA, in the article. “Other turtle patrol groups in Southwest Florida routinely use UTVs for their daily patrols, covering miles of beaches with minimal volunteers. If we use a UTV in certain zones, we can really boost our data collection efficiency, timeliness and coverage.”

Stephen and Shirley Drake, who own a residence at the Boca Grande Club saw the article and donated $15,000 to purchase the Kawasaki Mule.

Shirley Drake was familiar with the BGSTA and had even considered signing up to volunteer on patrols; however she was unable to commit to the whole summer, which is the time period that each volunteer must sign on for.

The BGSTA’s total annual budget is $15,000, “That we struggle to meet each year,” Juergens said. “I was speechless when they called,” she said. “We had literally discussed in a board meeting if we were going to be able to continue patrolling the beaches with such few resources.”

After the article appeared, the organization got an offer from Patricia Hobbs, who lives on 11th Street, to park the Mule at her home. “However, that did not work for beach access due to the seawall,” Juergens said.

Ched McConnell, BGSTA’s president emeritus, ended up offering his garage to store the mule, which they have now named HATCH. Juergens completed a specific driver education course regarding UTVs on the beach, and now it will be used throughout nesting season, which runs from April through mid-August.

“Because you’re dealing with government agencies and dealing with endangered and threatened species, you can only imagine the paperwork to acquire the permit,” Juergens said. “Then there’s very specific rules that we have to follow so I can keep that permit, and so when you set something into motion, when you say, ‘Yes, I’m going to patrol from May 1 till October 31,’ you have to keep that commitment. If you go from 24 volunteers to five, you still have to keep your commitment to stay in good standing.”

Juergens and Hall are currently managing three nesting zones themselves, and they can now use the UTV to assist with this work.