Turtle nests: Do not disturb
Someone dug into a sea turtle nest on Anna Maria Island Sunday night, adding to problems with beachgoers marking off sea turtle nests with seaweed, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox.
Turtle Watch volunteers can't find turtle tracks in the sand at first light each morning if beachgoers walk over the tracks, interfering with identifying the exact location of the nest and the turtle species. People watching turtles nest also could cause the turtles to abandon their nesting attempts, referred to as disorientations.
Interfering with turtle nesting or hatching is a federal, state and local offense. During turtle season, from May 1 – Oct. 31, lights are not permitted on the beach from sundown to sunrise, including flashlights, lanterns and camera flashes. If you see an unauthorized person on the beach interfering with a sea turtle or nest, call 911.
Turtle Talks begin
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers will present a 30-minute Turtle Talk program at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 20; Monday July 3; Tuesday, July 11; Tuesday, July 18; and Tuesday, July 25 at CrossPointe Fellowship Church, 8605 Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.
Volunteers will take you on a virtual tour of Anna Maria Island's nesting beaches, answer questions and announce the time and location of upcoming nest excavations, which are done three days after hatchlings leave the nests.
Participants can pick up free activity books, handouts and temporary turtle tattoos. T-shirts, stickers, transfers and embroidered ball caps with Turtle Watch's Turtle Life logo will be available for a donation.
For more information, visit www.islandturtlewatch.com.
