Turtle Watch volunteers, it was a very good year

HOLMES BEACH – With only three sea turtle nests remaining to hatch on Anna Maria Island this season, volunteers were gratefully acknowledged for their contributions in saving the threatened species at the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring awards luncheon at CrossPointe Fellowship on Saturday.

From beach walkers who record statistics on sea turtle nesting and hatching to their coordinators, Debbie Basilius, Kathy Doddridge, Pete and Emily Gross, Maureen McCormick, John Schimkaitis and Marv and Lee Zerkel, to people who paint stakes that mark the nests to photographers who donated their work to a notecard project to benefit the non-profit organization, Turtle Watchers were treated to a luncheon topped off with turtle cupcakes, a silent auction and an update on the season, which ends on Halloween.

Half of the 356 turtle nests laid on the Island this season successfully hatched, with heavy rains that flooded the beach causing 175 nests to not hatch, Director Suzi Fox said.

This season, turtle nests were no longer dug up and relocated closer to the dune line just because they were laid close to the water’s edge, Fox said. While flooded beaches drowned turtle eggs in their nests, relocating the nests would have caused other problems, she said.

Turtles in their eggs develop into males and females depending on the temperature of their nests, she explained, with warmer nests, higher on the beach, producing females and cooler nests, closer to the water, producing males. By relocating nests out of the path of floodwaters, too many female hatchlings result, putting the population out of balance, she said.

Instead of protecting turtles from nature, volunteers are focusing on protecting turtles from people, educating them about lighting and removing items from the sand at night, she said.

The organization also continues to collect data for submission to scientists, including that nesting on the bayside of the Island, which has not been renourished, is increasing, Fox said.

In addition to shepherding more than 12,500 hatchlings to the Gulf this season, volunteers also saved five adult or sub-adult sea turtles that stranded on area beaches, releasing them into the Gulf of Mexico, she said.

The group had its first satellite-tagged turtle monitored by the Sea Turtle Conservancy this year; Amie, named for Anna Maria Elementary School, is swimming in last place – in true turtle form – in a competition with a dozen other turtles to see which one travels the farthest on their migration routes.

A popular new program, Tuesday Turtle Talks, was so successful that it is being relocated to the larger CrossPointe Fellowship, which also has more parking than Annie Silver Community Center, where it was held this year, she said.

Turtle Tips

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring offers free Tuesday Turtle Talks each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Annie Silver Community Center, 103 23rd St. in Bradenton Beach.

No reservations are required for the program, which highlights 35 years of turtle and shorebird nesting history on Anna Maria Island.

Free souvenirs include temporary turtle tattoos and the Flippers and Feathers Activity book. Shirts and hats will be available for purchase.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. so you can visit with the crew that monitors AMI shorelines every morning.

Turtle Tips

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips:

• Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.

• Don’t use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night.

• Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.

• Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water.

• Don’t use sky lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf.

• Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.

• Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Bird Tips

During bird nesting season, March through August, please follow these tips:

• Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area.

• Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed.

• Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.

• If birds are screeching and flying at you, you’re too close.

• Avoid posted bird nesting areas and use designated walkways to the beach.

• Keep pets away from bird nesting areas.

• Keep the beach clean; food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beach, and litter can entangle birds and other wildlife.

• If you see people disturbing nesting birds, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline a

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