Sea Turtle Info

wonderful news.

i believe that's the same type turtle i saw swimming around in st. joe bay, this time last year.

Turtles are so cute!

There has to be some way we can use Endangered Species to trump the lawyers stalling the removal of crap from the beach!

PLease tell us what we can do as part-time residents to get some law passed prohibiting leaving holes in the beach and crap on the beaches after dark....we are dismayed at the seemingly disinterest by the public in any of this. When we chide people about allowing their mchildren on the dunes or filling in the holes (some created by adults, too), or picking up their stuff for the night such as those canopies, we are usually in a confrontation. The close-by life guards are less than helpful, too. What can we do?

PLease tell us what we can do as part-time residents to get some law passed prohibiting leaving holes in the beach and crap on the beaches after dark....we are dismayed at the seemingly disinterest by the public in any of this. When we chide people about allowing their mchildren on the dunes or filling in the holes (some created by adults, too), or picking up their stuff for the night such as those canopies, we are usually in a confrontation. The close-by life guards are less than helpful, too. What can we do?

I don't know if any law will prevent the behavior as it would be difficult to enforce. I think an effective two pronged approach would be tourist education and locals recognizing the fact that we need to defend the beach to some degree. Perhaps money could be raised to print a simple educational card that outlines the problems giant holes can lead to (for man and beast!) and why stuff should be removed from the beach at dark and have these placed in rentals. And those of us who call this place home just need to buck up and point out bad behavior as it happens-last year I ran some kids off a dune (in the process of renourishment) who were grabbing clumps of sea oats as hand holds while their parents blissfully sipped on their beverages. We also need to accept that there will always be knuckleheads who leave holes and junk-we just need to fill them in and pick up the crap or it will not get done. Yesterday I filled in a hole that was about three feet in diameter and at the deepest point about two feet;the waterside of the hole had a one foot tall wall of sand and sargassum. The architect's Finding Nemo bucket was still on the scene but otherwise it was abandoned. What was maddening was that this hole was almost directly in front of the location of a turtle nest site from last year!

InletBchOwnr, It would be easier to stop the sale of the large plastic shovels. Before those were sold in our area, we didn't have the multiple craters. I fell in one, yesterday, when I turned my head for two seconds while walking on the beach. Sometimes, the red tape of gov't isn't quick enough, especially when they have a new population of people to control every week. Personally, I don't want to see the gov't making laws about things such as digging holes, but I'd rather see them spend the money on educating our visitors on how to be good tourists, respectful of the sensitive environment.

The close-by life guards are less than helpful, too. What can we do?

the lifeguards should be the first line of defense on this. they're already there and could educate those on their beach, and issue tags.

I'm not sure that lifeguards on the beach late enough in the day to tag the items, and I am pretty certain that they do not have the authority to issue the tags. I believe as the current laws are set up, only Code Enforcement or Sheriff's Dpt have that authority.

I was very disappointed to see a locally owned store selling those big shovels. I know the idea has been floated before, but maybe we should start a letter writing campaign, or some other action to ask local beach toy retailers to not stock these shovels.

How about we all sign this and then distribute it to the retailers?
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/beachshovels/

I was very disappointed to see a locally owned store selling those big shovels. I know the idea has been floated before, but maybe we should start a letter writing campaign, or some other action to ask local beach toy retailers to not stock these shovels.

How about we all sign this and then distribute it to the retailers?
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/beachshovels/

I signed it. Please everyone go and sign this petition!! Thank you Punzy for the link!!!

punzy, excellent idea.

signed

What's with the donation page on the petition????

I was very disappointed to see a locally owned store selling those big shovels. I know the idea has been floated before, but maybe we should start a letter writing campaign, or some other action to ask local beach toy retailers to not stock these shovels.

How about we all sign this and then distribute it to the retailers?
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/beachshovels/

All right people, I got at least 10 of the first 15 people to sign. If everyone else can get 10 we will get something done. Let's move on this, and thanks Punzy for setting this up.

Signed.... great idea Punzy! I've been filling in holes here for years, glad to have some help.

Newspaper article of interest

Hello all. Here is another article I received as part of coastal clippings that is on target. I hope you all enjoy.

Helping sea turtles survive requires beach responsibility

Leave only footprints and keep beaches dark
By FWC staff in the Tampa Bay Newspapers
Article published on Thursday, May 29, 2008


A loggerhead sea turtle hatchling heads to the ocean after hatching out of its nest. The loggerhead is the most common of Florida’s sea turtles. By the time this hatchling reaches the adult state, it will have increased its weight more than 6,000 times.

Ancient creatures of the sea fight a battle each year to reproduce and survive in a world not always hospitable to them.

Sea turtles nesting on Florida’s beaches face an uncertain future, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s scientists. Threats come from encroachment on nesting beaches by coastal development and encounters with pollutants, beach debris and fishing gear.

Five species of sea turtles nest on Florida beaches, with the loggerhead showing up in the largest numbers. Green and leatherback sea turtles also nest in the Sunshine State. Two other species, Kemp’s Ridley and hawksbill sea turtles nest infrequently in Florida but inhabit Florida waters. The FWC lists the loggerhead as a threatened species with the other four listed as endangered.

However, the loggerhead’s status could change because of data collected showing a downward trend since 1998. During the 2007 April to September nesting season, scientists found the lowest number of loggerhead nests in 19 years. At the same time, the number of loggerheads found dead, sick or injured each year in Florida has more than doubled during the past decade.

“If we don’t do something to reverse this trend, the loggerhead will also become endangered,” said Robbin Trindell, an FWC Imperiled Species Program administrator.

Nearly 90 percent of the loggerhead population that nests in the southeastern United States, nests on Florida’s beaches. This population is one of only two large loggerhead nesting populations worldwide.

Sea turtles are air-breathing reptiles well-suited for sea life with a hydrodynamic-shaped shell, large and powerful front flippers. These physical characteristics enable them to dive deep into the ocean and to swim long distances.

Female loggerhead turtles begin coming on shore in the spring with peak months for laying eggs in June and July. The nesting female digs a hole with her hind flippers and then lays approximately 115 eggs. After covering the nest with sand, the massive creature, weighing nearly 300 pounds, makes her way back to the ocean. A female might come ashore two to five times during the nesting season. Amazingly, the females come back to the same beach where they hatched decades earlier. The males, once they make the long crawl after hatching out of the egg, never return to land.

Major disturbances to sea turtle nesting habits come from seawalls and beach nourishment projects. Individuals can help by following safe beach lighting suggestions, filling holes dug for sand castles and picking up litter.

“Just one light can kill thousands of turtles over several years,” Trindell said. “Many lights burn all night, without contributing to human safety.”

Late in the summer, after an incubation of 55-70 days, the hatchlings begin breaking out of their shells and crawling out of the nest. Instinct tells the 1- to 2-inch hatchling to head toward the brightest horizon and away from dark silhouettes. In days long gone in Florida, the brightest horizon shone over the ocean, and the hatchlings would move away from the shadows on the dunes and begin the crawl to the sea. Nest predators might include raccoons, ghost crabs and fire ants. In modern-day Florida, hatchlings must crawl through a battlefield of debris left by humans. Furniture discarded by beachgoers can obstruct a nesting female turtle or become a trap for the hatchlings. Avoiding firework leftovers strewn along the hatchling’s path can cause exhaustion and delay in getting to the water. If stranded on the beach when the sun rises, the hatchling’s chance for survival diminishes and dehydration and sun exposure become hazards.

“We can all help sea turtles survive,” Trindell said. “If we just take personal responsibility, we can go a long way to ensure the sea turtle co-exists with us for many more years to come.”

Signed.... great idea Punzy! I've been filling in holes here for years, glad to have some help.

Try to get that worse half of yours on the computer to do something good for once instead of just fussin! ;-)

Try to get that worse half of yours on the computer to do something good for once instead of just fussin! ;-)

I'll see what I can do about that.

I have lamented the large shovels on these pages in the past. I had intentions of speaking to store owners on 30A but have not gotten it done.

I will offer free advertising on SoWal.com and mountains of great PR and good will to any store who contacts me and lets me know they will discontinue selling the large shovels. I have no doubt that the amount of profit lost in not selling them will be made up many times over by the people reading about them here.

I have lamented the large shovels on these pages in the past. I had intentions of speaking to store owners on 30A but have not gotten it done.

I will offer free advertising on SoWal.com and mountains of great PR and good will to any store who contacts me and lets me know they will discontinue selling the large shovels. I have no doubt that the amount of profit lost in not selling them will be made up many times over by the people reading about them here.

Thanks Kurt. I hope this will work as it really is a huge problem on the beach!! Let me know if the owners need any information from so-called "experts" on how bad it is as I will be glad to help get them that information.

I have lamented the large shovels on these pages in the past. I had intentions of speaking to store owners on 30A but have not gotten it done.

I will offer free advertising on SoWal.com and mountains of great PR and good will to any store who contacts me and lets me know they will discontinue selling the large shovels. I have no doubt that the amount of profit lost in not selling them will be made up many times over by the people reading about them here.

That's what makes SoWal.com so great! Thanks, Kurt!

That's a no brainer, we never ordered them to begin with. What's next dynamite instead of ladyfingers?

Stores will not lose out on sales from not carrying the big large plastic shovels. People will buy whatever cheap beach crap they can get. Carry the small (hand-sized) shovels, and people will buy them and make smaller holes. People will dig regardless, because that is just what people do. Give them small tools and they will builder smaller things.

I heard that a Loggerhead nest was discovered in Carillon Beach yesterday. The turtle tracks demonstrated that the egg laying turtle ran into a beach chair as she made her way to the base of a dune to lay her eggs. It appears the nest is OK and the chair didn't screw anything up, but this is a huge wake-up call

I heard that a Loggerhead nest was discovered in Carillon Beach yesterday. The turtle tracks demonstrated that the egg laying turtle ran into a beach chair as she made her way to the base of a dune to lay her eggs. It appears the nest is OK and the chair didn't screw anything up, but this is a huge wake-up call

Hopefully the babies will survive and be able to get back to the ocean without running into any SH**!!!!!!!!!!

I see where Sowal has had 2 nests and 1 false crawl (as of May 31). Hopefully the nests will be 30+ this year.