By Heather Bennett Eye
It’s sea turtle season again! In the panhandle, from May through the end of October, we witness the nesting and hatching process. While walking the beach, you might come across some turtle tracks, a marked nest, or even witness a turtle crawl to nest, or hatchlings racing to the Gulf. I recently spoke with Lacie Wegner, President and Permit Holder, with the South Walton Turtle Watch (SWTW). She shared with me the importance of sea turtles in the Panhandle of Florida, and what we can do to help them stay safe and have a successful season.
South Walton Turtle Watch is a non-profit organization. With funding provided by grants, fundraising and the Walton County TDC, they operate under a Florida Marine Turtle Permit issued by Fish and Wildlife Commission, conducting sea turtle nesting surveys in Walton County. During the sea turtle season, they look for tracks and identify turtle species, mark and inventory nests, and continuously monitor them during the incubation period. SWTW also responds to sick or injured sea turtles, and relocates them to a permitted rehabilitation facility.
Sea turtles have been around for millions of years. They are a key species, indicative of the health of our marine environments, and fostering healthy marine ecosystems, yet their population has drastically declined over the years due to pollution, habitat encroachment, illegal harvesting and incidental capture. “The loggerhead is threatened, and the rest (Green, Leatherback and Kemp Ridley) are endangered, but they all fall under the Endangered Species Act,” said Lacie.
The Panhandle is important for sea turtles because of the temperature of our sand. A sea turtle’s gender is based on the temperature at which the egg is incubated. Warmer temperatures produce more females and cooler temperatures produce more males. “The Panhandle of Florida naturally has cooler sand because of its location and high-water tables, which will increase the production of males. This is very important considering the other coasts of Florida tend to be warmer,” Lacie said. With so many opportunities for females to flourish, it’s important these male dominant hatchlings survive. At the time of writing, SWTW cataloged 48 Loggerhead nests and 1 Green nest so far this year.
Over the years, SWTW has worked to educate our younger visitors and locals alike on the importance of sea turtles and what we can do to help them thrive. What started out as Turtle Talk Tuesday six years ago has evolved into Wild Sea Turtle Wednesday hosted at The Big Chill 30A, offered through the end of August. “It’s a chance to educate the kids,” stated Lacie. “They’re the future.” In addition to educational 10-minute talks at 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., kids can explore specimens and make crafts. Each child who attends will receive a free goodie bag. There’s also merchandise for sale that raises funds for the SWTW.
So how can we help make sure the sea turtles have a successful season? Follow #cleandarkflat. Make sure we clean up after ourselves (and others) at the beach. No trash, no boogie boards, no chairs, no toys, no obstacles should be left out overnight. Fill in holes and knock down sandcastles before leaving the beach. These things can disorient a mother and lead to false crawls or become detrimental obstructions for hatchlings.
Light, or the lack thereof, is very important as the hatchlings use the light of the moon to guide them to the water. If they see a brighter light, they will crawl towards it. Keep it dark. Often, house lights that are left on lead hatchlings to the opposite direction of where they need to go, and they don’t survive. Besides no light, people should use red or amber light. Red light emits a more narrow portion of the visible light spectrum. “There is a light ordinance and we do submit those to Code Compliance,” stated Lacie. “The darker, the better.” The Walton County Tourism Department carries Beach Safety Toolkits that include information on sea turtle protection. We urge property rental companies and homeowners to pick up these materials and distribute them as necessary to educate renters.
However, the ordinance doesn’t cover flashlights and cell phone lights yet, and many people love using these while walking the beach or crab hunting after dark. While there’s no law against it, please keep in mind how these lights affect turtles sharing the beach. You can visit the Walton County Visitor Center to pick up stickers for your flashlights and cellphones that make your lights turtle safe, or make your own red filter.
When you are out exploring our miles of white sand beaches, and see a turtle, call the SWTW. “If you see a turtle on the beach, a nesting turtle, or a sick turtle, the first thing you want to do is stay back, and the second thing is to call the hotline (850-865-4503),” said Lacie. “If a turtle gets hooked, don’t cut the line. Call us first for help,” said Lacie. “At night, you want turn off all the lights, stay 30ft-50ft back. Stay behind a turtle, you never want to get in front of her. It can disorient her. Same for hatchlings. Stay back. Call for help.” We also want to emphasize that you shouldn’t shine a light in the eyes of turtles, or attempt to take selfies with them.
Let’s do our part every day to protect these endangered sea turtles we love so much. Stay conscious of how your actions have a far-reaching impact. “The people are coming and so are the turtles,” said Lacie. “We have to figure out a way to coexist.”
If you would like more information on the South Walton Turtle Watch, please visit https://southwaltonturtlewatch.org.
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