ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Sea turtle nesting season comes to an early close due to the remaining nests being washed out by Hurricane Helene.
“We had eight nests left prior to Hurricane Helene and it’s likely that all eight washed out in the storm,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella wrote in an email. “I was able to conduct a survey on the beach on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from Bean Point down to the Beach House restaurant; however was unable to traverse the beach any further. Six of the eight remaining nests were south of the Beach House, so I can only presume that they washed out due to the extent of the damage on that part of the Island.”
She issued the following nesting numbers for the 2024 nesting season:
4/15/2024 – 9/24/2024
Total nests: 685
Total false crawls: 835
Hatched nests: 303
Hatchlings produced: 20,557
Adult disorientations: 36
Hatchling disorientations: 54
Nests remaining on the beach: 0
“We will be spending the next few months reviewing the data for accuracy so that we can report our final numbers to FWC and Manatee County,” she wrote. “We are grateful to our volunteers and community members who helped us prepare for the storm such that our equipment and UTVs were safe during the storm. We are now focusing on helping our volunteers, assisting in beach cleanups, and doing what we can for the community of AMI.”
Turtle Watch’s major fundraiser, Suzi Fox Turtle Watch Wednesday scheduled for Oct. 23 at Hurricane Hank’s, has been postponed and a new date will be announced.
“Our hearts go out to our sponsors and volunteers that have sustained damage from the storm,” Mazzarella said. “We will let you know more when the Island is further along with cleanup efforts and rebuilding.”
