Sea Turtle Season in South Walton Has Started - Let's All Do Our Part

Did You Know?
Did you know that the Loggerhead, Kemps Ridley and Green Sea Turtle nest on South Walton and surrounding county beaches every year, from around May 1 to October 31?  We are incredibly fortunate to be witness to this. 

Did you also know that all three are considered "endangered" or "threatened species"?  It is our duty to act as responsible stewards - to protect and advocate for these ancient and beautiful creatures. 

Here are some more interesting facts about these sea creatures from from TurtleWatch.org (Panama City Beach's Turtle Watch Group) and SeaTurtleWatch.com (South Walton's Turtle Watch Group):

• A full-grown loggerhead is about 3 ft long and weighs between 200 and 350 lb.
• The females come ashore at night to bury about 100 leathery-skinned eggs, each the size of a ping-pong ball.
• The first nests are laid near the end of May and the last in mid-August.  Hatchlings first emerge in late July, and hatching usually continues through October unless storms wash the nests away.
• Female Sea Turtles that were born on the white sandy beaches always come back to nest on white sandy beaches. The sea turtles’ tracks on this sand show up differently than on other darker sand beaches. The number of days it takes for the eggs to hatch are longer than on darker beaches and because the temperature of the sand effects the sex of the hatchlings, this means that these white sandy beaches produce more male sea turtle hatchlings.
• The Loggerhead sea turtle that has hatched on these white sandy beaches is a sub population of the worlds Loggerheads and there are not many left. 
• Sea turtles as a group have been on our earth since Dinosaur time.

How You Can Help

The main danger for turtles and hatchings is from artificial lighting.  Hatchlings instinctively move in the brightest direction which normally would be the open night sky reflected by the ocean. But on a developed beach, artificial lights attract the hatchlings, causing them to crawl in the wrong direction. Other dangers include obstructions on the beach, such as beach chairs, holes, or tire tracks, all of which can block the path into and out of the water.  So: 

• If you and your children spend an hour digging a hole to China in the sand, fill it when you tire of this exercise.  Likewise, if you build a tall sandcastle, level it before departing.
• Do not leave garbage of any sort behind on the beaches.  Attention smokers, the beach is not one big ashtray.
• I know - lugging a truckload of beach chairs, toys, tents, towels and coolers to the beach is a real pain in the butt.  Lugging it all back home after a long day in the sun and surf sucks even more.  But you made the decision to not pack lightly and therefore it's your responsibility to remove it all, regardless of how tired you are - period.  I don't care if the kids are cranky and you are sunburned - just do it!
• Turn out the lights at night.

What should you do if you encounter a sea turtle?

• Do not go near the turtle - hide if you have to!
• Do not take flash photos - you could scare her back into the water.
• Do not shine any kinds of light on her - again, you can spook her.

Who to Call

• Florida Marine Patrol 24 Hour Hotline at (850) 233-5150
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (888) 404-3922
• South Walton Turtle Watch at (850) 897-5228

Resources
If you would like to get involved, here are the links to the local Turtle Watch Groups:

• South Walton Sea Turtle Watch - www.seaturtlewatch.com
• Beach To Bay in South Walton - www.beachtobay.org
• Panama City Beach Turtle Watch - www.turtlewatch.org
• Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission website
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - North Florida Office website
• Sea Turtle License Plates website

From VIEtv: Casting a New Light on Sea Turtles (More VIEtv HERE)

Did You Know?
Did you know that the Loggerhead, Kemps Ridley and Green Sea Turtle nest on South Walton and surrounding county beaches every year, from around May 1 to October 31?  We are incredibly fortunate to be witness to this. 

Did you also know that all three are considered "endangered" or "threatened species"?  It is our duty to act as responsible stewards - to protect and advocate for these ancient and beautiful creatures. 

Here are some more interesting facts about these sea creatures from from TurtleWatch.org (Panama City Beach's Turtle Watch Group) and SeaTurtleWatch.com (South Walton's Turtle Watch Group):

• A full-grown loggerhead is about 3 ft long and weighs between 200 and 350 lb.
• The females come ashore at night to bury about 100 leathery-skinned eggs, each the size of a ping-pong ball.
• The first nests are laid near the end of May and the last in mid-August.  Hatchlings first emerge in late July, and hatching usually continues through October unless storms wash the nests away.
• Female Sea Turtles that were born on the white sandy beaches always come back to nest on white sandy beaches. The sea turtles’ tracks on this sand show up differently than on other darker sand beaches. The number of days it takes for the eggs to hatch are longer than on darker beaches and because the temperature of the sand effects the sex of the hatchlings, this means that these white sandy beaches produce more male sea turtle hatchlings.
• The Loggerhead sea turtle that has hatched on these white sandy beaches is a sub population of the worlds Loggerheads and there are not many left. 
• Sea turtles as a group have been on our earth since Dinosaur time.

How You Can Help