Tag: Boca Grande Sea Turtle Patrol

How the island’s Sea Turtle volunteers work with Florida data

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY The sea turtle nesting season is now in its 11th week on Gasparilla Island, nearly halfway through the 26-week season, which officially ends Oct. 31. Since May...

First loggerheads, and an update on our nest adoption

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Since my last article, we have started seeing hatches of our first loggerhead nests! Our first nests were documented on May 1, and with an approximate two-month...

Predators increasing their attacks on sea turtle nests

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY The good news is we have seen our first hatchlings this past week. The bad news is that they hatched and emerged from their nest, but unfortunately a coyote dug...

Right place at the right time in this turtle nesting game

Volunteers at the toll booth BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Don’t you just love it when the timing of something works out perfectly? Being in the right place exactly at the right time gives...

High dunes, nesting loggerheads and a somersault back after hatching

Here and below, ‘cliffs’ of Boca Grande. BGSTA photos BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the need to keep the beaches flat, filling in holes and...

Behind in nests, ahead in false crawls, first green turtle activity

BY ARLENE HALL,BGSTA SECRETARY Month one of sea turtle nesting season is in the books – and more importantly, on the beaches. The season officially began for BGSTA on May 1 and we documented...

First hatchlings to come; big nesting females still get stuck in holes

BY ARLENE HALL,BGSTA SECRETARY This week, our loggerhead turtle mothers laid their 100th nest of the season. It will be interesting to see how May 2025 compares to May 2024’s activity. Final...

Loss of landscaping makes for challenges for residents, turtle nests

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Sea turtle nesting activity on the island is picking up as we progress further into May. With this increase in activity comes the BGSTA’s annual reminder about...

Nesting season began in May; zones modified with Florida state approval

BY ARLENE HALL,BGSTA SECRETARY The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA) is back out patrolling the beaches of Gasparilla Island for sea turtle nesting activity, and we didn’t have long to...

Turtle Patrol: Review of the season on the arrival of Hurricane Debby

BY ARLENE HALL, BGSTA SECRETARY Editor’s Note: Arlene Hall filed this report before surveying damage from Hurricane Debby. An update on damage is on the front page; she will have a full report...