Sea Turtles are nesting in South Walton

Did you know that 4 species of endangered and threatened sea turtles nest on the beautiful beaches of South Walton? Loggerhead, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley and Green.  Each year, adult females, who once hatched on our beaches, return to lay their eggs and begin the next generation. Nesting season spans from May 1 to October 31. In Walton County, we have two nonprofit organizations devoting their time to sea turtle conservation. South Walton Turtle Watch group walks the beaches daily during nesting season to monitor, identify, mark and protect nests as well as deal with sea turtle strandings. The Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles conduct a wide variety of sea turtle awareness and educational programming.

Chances are you’ve probably seen a sea turtle nest marked with stakes and ribboned off at some point. If you come across a nest, tracks, a sea turtle or a sea turtle hatchling, please enjoy from a distance.  

Since only 1 in 1000 to 10,000 sea turtles will survive to adulthood, they need all the help they can get in order to survive. So how can you help sea turtles?

Tourists and locals alike can keep the beaches “#CleanDarkFlat”.

• Clean – Keeping our beaches clean means “Leave No Trace” which keeps them safe for sea turtles and other wildlife.  Sadly, trash and debris can entangle sea turtles or be consumed, resulting in serious health issues or even death.  Remove all your belongings, including trash, when you leave the beach each day.  

• Dark – Artificial lights disturb nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.  Turn off all lights on or near the beach and close all curtains/ blinds in windows facing the beach!  If you really need to use a flashlight while on the beach, please use turtle friendly flashlights (with red emitting lights). Turtle friendly flashlights can be purchased from stores throughout South Walton such as The Blue Giraffe in WaterColor and Gigi’s Fabkids in Rosemary Beach.

• Flat – Who hasn’t dug a hole or built a sandcastle on the beach? Holes that are left unfilled can trap sea turtles and sandcastles create obstacles making it hard for sea turtles to get safely on and off the beach.  When you leave the beach each day please knock down your sandcastles and fill in your holes.

If you find a dead, sick, or injured sea turtle or to report someone disturbing a sea turtle or nest, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at 1-888-404-3922 or the Walton County Sheriff’s office at (850) 267-2000.  

Another way you can help is to volunteer at one of the “Trash Bash Beach Clean Ups” that the Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles organizes.  Come join the effort June 18th from 7:30-9am at Ed Walline Beach Access and July 5th (post fireworks clean up) from 6:30-8am Rosemary Beach.  Bring your own water bottle, hat, gloves and sunscreen.

Let’s keep our beaches #CleanDarkFlat for generations to come and protect these amazing creatures! For more information about South Walton Turtle Watch visit www.southwaltonturtlewatch.org

For more info about Friends of South Walton Sea Turtles visit www.friendsofswseaturtles.org