The price tag for premiere Amelia Island oceanfront real estate is $2 to $5 million. But in the shadow of multi-million dollar beach homes, just steps away at the fringe of the dunes, is something quite priceless. There’s buried treasure on Amelia Island’s beaches, and it’s only about a foot beneath the surface. There lay the nests of sea turtles, who have visited Amelia Island for thousands of years, long before the development of high-end, luxury beachfront homes and condos. The treasure trove this year was 69 sea turtle nests on Amelia Island.
Female sea turtles who manage to survive to adulthood have a truly amazing journey. They swim thousands of miles the first 20 years of their lives as they mature. Yet a female sea turtle hatchling that matures into adulthood will return to the very beach of its birthplace, about 20 to 30 years later, to dig a nest and lay eggs. Now that's a remarkable honing device! This ancient GPS technology was developed by Mother Nature. Even Bill Gates can’t beat it.
Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch Nest Excavation, Volunteer Nancy Hickman
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Baby sea turtle hatchling in bucket, just freed from nest on Amelia Island (Photo by K.J. Lawson)
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FLORIDA’S SEA TURTLES THREATENED AND ENDANGERED
Development in coastal areas worldwide has disturbed the nesting habitat of sea turtles, reducing populations and threatening their existence. In Florida, the sea turtles have to share their nesting grounds with Florida's growing population and tourists. Worldwide, 90 percent of loggerhead sea turtles reportedly nest on Florida’s beaches, as well as Oman on the Arabian Peninsula. Shocking statistics reflecting the decline of Florida loggerhead sea turtle nests during the past decade, have been reported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s “Index Nesting Beach Survey.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, the 2007 season had the lowest ever recorded nest levels of loggerhead turtles in Florida (since the monitoring began about 19 years ago). Florida’s loggerhead sea turtle nest counts have reportedly decreased around 50% from 1998 to 2007. There are five species of turtles found in Florida, and all are threatened or endangered. Sea turtles are protected in Florida under federal and state laws, as well as local ordinances. Yet, man is now the sea turtle’s number one predator. Sea turtles are ancient sea creatures, surviving millions of years -- even surviving while dinosaurs became extinct. Yet, scientists estimate that only a single sea turtle hatchling of every 10,000 born, will actually now survive to adulthood.
AMELIA ISLAND SEA TURTLE WATCH VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION
In the wee hours of the morning, as the sun rises, a special ritual occurs on Amelia Island beaches during sea turtle nesting season, when a unique group of dedicated volunteers, the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, scour the shoreline, looking for sea turtle tracks. While in general, mankind is the cause of the sea turtle’s decline, there are dear friends trying to help the sea turtles. The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch volunteers, and other volunteer sea turtle groups located around the state, rise around dawn and hurry to their task, to search for turtle tracks before the tide comes in and erases evidence that turtles were there during the night.
Female sea turtles journey ashore during the night, dig nests on the beach to deposit their eggs, and then head back out to sea by the dawn’s first light. Once discovered, the turtle nests are marked off with bright yellow tape by turtle volunteers, so beachgoers will not disturb them. The nests are then carefully monitored until the eggs hatch and the tiny turtle hatchlings attempt to make their way back to the sea. It takes approximately 50 to 60 days for the turtle eggs to hatch.
There are hazards for the sea turtles both onshore and in the seas. The loss of habitat to development, threaten the sea turtle nesting grounds and hatchlings, as well as artificial light on the beach from the beach homes and oceanfront resorts. When eggs hatch, the little turtle hatchlings move toward light. In perfect circumstances, it normally would be the natural moonlight. However, artificial lighting along the beach in contemporary times, confuses the hatchlings. Rather than heading toward the ocean, they often head in the opposite direction inland into the dunes where they cannot survive. The presence of man on the beaches, activity, noise, flashlights, campfires, beach driving at night during turtle season, can all negatively impact the female sea turtles as well. A “false crawl” can result when a female turtle halts an attempt to nest. Plus, natural predators like raccoons, ants, crabs, herons, armadillos and even dogs on the beach kill the hatchlings. For the hatchlings that make it to sea, they are prey for fish and birds.
Unfortunately, very few hatchlings make it to the ocean and then mature to old age, surviving both natural predators plus man-made obstacles. Plus, there are natural weather conditions. This year on Amelia Island, the last two sea turtle nests were washed out to sea by an early October nor’easter storm. The seas are a treacherous home for the sea turtles, where natural predators abound, and in modern times, mankind’s pollution, commercial fishing, and leisure boating activities can harm the sea turtles. In Florida, collision with boats, reportedly, is the most common cause of dead sea turtles that wash up on Florida’s beaches. Turtles also get tangled in fishing nets and non-degradable debris (garbage) floating around at sea, or die from actually ingesting debris.
MORE ABOUT THE AMAZING JOURNEY OF SEA TURTLES
The turtles that lay eggs here actually were born on Amelia Island two or more decades ago and somehow manage to travel back to their original birthplace to dig their own nest and lay eggs. The female sea turtles use their instinctive GPS system, given to them by mother nature, to make their remarkable journey, swimming thousands of miles back to their original birthplace on Amelia Island. Yes, it’s one of nature’s miracles. (Note that the male sea turtle hatchlings that make it to sea, never ever return to shore.) Learn more about the amazing sea turtle with some good books, or teach children and grandchildren with sea turtle books for kids -- a great gift idea to educate the next generation about sea turtles and conservation efforts.
Amelia Island female sea turtles return “home” to this northeast Florida barrier island, dig their nests in the dark of night, and deposit their eggs. The female turtle has to maneuver her large body from the shoreline with big flippers that are clumsy on land, yet ideal to traverse the seas. She crawls in the sand inland toward the dunes, seeking a nesting spot above the high-tide line, where she digs an “egg cavity” with her hind flippers. After laying the eggs, she uses her flippers to push sand over the nest to cover it up.
According to Sea Turtle Watch volunteer, Ms. Hickman, the average number of eggs in a loggerhead turtle nest is around 100 to 120. The sea turtle nesting season in Florida runs from May 1st to October 31st each year, so the season has just ended. Loggerhead turtles can be as large as three feet long and weigh in the area of 200 to 350 pounds. With the 50 to 60 day sea turtle egg development cycle, the very last of the baby turtle hatchlings generally emerge from the nests on Amelia Island from mid-to-late October. But note the sea turtle season can last a bit longer, give or take a few weeks, depending on how warm the weather is. There are five species of sea turtles found in Florida, and all are threatened or endangered – the loggerhead, green, leatherback, hawksbill, and the smallest and rarest of Florida’s sea turtles, Kemp’s Ridley. As noted, the loss of the sea turtles’ nesting habitat along the coast, with the development of Florida’s oceanfront property, threatens the survival of Florida’s sea turtles.
MORE ABOUT TURTLE NEST EXCAVATIONS ON AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA
Once the estimated maturity date arrives for the turtle eggs to hatch, the Sea Turtle Watch volunteer assigned to the nest looks for evidence (turtle hatchling tracks from the nest area). The nest is scheduled to be excavated to make sure no live hatchlings are trapped under the sand, unable to dig their way out to the surface.
The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch volunteer brings their gear including rubber gloves, two buckets, and a notebook to record the nest data. The two excavations I had the privilege of attending this fall were conducted by volunteer Nancy Hickman. She is a wonderful host who is very knowledgeable about sea turtles, and takes care to educate all who attend. She pays particular attention to the children, who listen intently and ask questions. Those who gather to witness the event, are forewarned not to use flash cameras that could disorient any tiny hatchlings that may be uncovered.
Nests are beneath the beach surface about one to two feet. For tiny new hatchlings, digging out to the top is hard work for the little guys and some get stuck under the sand. So Turtle Watch to the rescue!
Once the nest excavation is complete, the eggs are counted – those intact, unhatched eggs (with no chance of hatching at this point), plus the shell remnants of the broken eggs that hatchlings have shed as they emerged out of the nest. It really is a fantastic learning experience for all. Adults seem to be just as inspired by the discovery of a tiny 2-inch long turtle hatchling under the sand, then setting it free into the seas, as the awe struck children. Who doesn’t love a baby turtle? A tiny hatchling just rescued…
FAREWELL TO THE LAST BABY SEA TURTLE ON AMELIA ISLAND THIS SEASON
Loggerhead sea turtle hatchling, Amelia Island (Photo by K.J.Lawson)
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Sea turtles have actually been around for millions of years in the world’s seas, although now their future survival, with the encroachment of modern development along the coastline hindering nesting grounds, as well as busier seas with commercial fishing, shipping, and leisure boating activity, threatens their survival in modern times.
The location of this particular nest was ideal, sheltered by a large, natural dune, quite a distance across the wide dunes at this area of the beach, from the nearest oceanfront home. The dune itself helped to block artificial light coming from the beach homes beyond the dunes. This location, near beach access #38, was hand-picked, in fact, by the Sea Turtle Watch. This nest had been relocated from the northend of Amelia Island (from North Fletcher Avenue area of the beach), as were about 20 or so nests this season. The relocation of sea turtle nests this year was necessary due to a beach renourishment project on Amelia Island’s northend beachfront, which could have interfered with the turtle hatchlings.
Group gathers on Amelia Island to watch a sea turtle nest excavation
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HOW YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT NEST EXCAVATIONS
The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch posts a schedule of pending turtle nest excavations on their web site (usually a day or so in advance). They note the nest’s location on the beach by way of beach access points (public beach access points on Amelia Island are numbered, starting with lower numbers on Amelia’s northend, going up to around 40 for the southend beach access area around Peter’s Point and the Ritz-Carlton, for example). If you are staying at one of the island’s resorts such as Amelia Island Plantation or the Ritz-Carlton, be sure to ask your hotel’s concierge about possible turtle nest excavations that you can attend. WATCH VIDEO, "A GLIMPSE OF AMELIA ISLAND, FLORIDA."
SEA TURTLES ARE THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES
As noted earlier, the sad news is that scientists estimate that only a single sea turtle hatchling of every 10,000 born, will actually survive to adulthood (age 20 to 25 when they are mature enough to breed). So the odds are stacked against “our” little guy surviving. But for those few sea turtle hatchlings that do manage to survive, it's an extraordinary journey. As noted earlier, a female turtle hatchling that matures into adulthood will return to the very beach of its birthplace about 25 years later to lay eggs. Now that's a remarkable honing device! A female sea turtle that beats the odds and lives to maturity will begin nesting after her first two decades of life, and then continue to nest every few years for about 30 more years, until they reach their early 50s.
DECLINE IN FLORIDA LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE NESTS
Looking back in time, there were reportedly 100 or so nests marked in 2001 on Amelia Island, and only about half that many in 2002. In 2003, 144 nests were marked on Amelia Island, with 5,892 hatchlings, according to local reports. In 2007, 69 sea turtle nests were marked on the island with 4,197 hatchlings (reportedly 28 less nests this year, compared to last year). The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch over the years has documented as many as 150 nests in a season, to a low of only 30 nests, according to their web site. Thus, the number of nests and hatchlings varies a lot. But the overall trend for Florida’s loggerhead sea turtles (the predominant species), is one of drastic decline over the past decade.
In southeast Florida, there's the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge located along a 20 mile stretch of Florida's east coast, from Melbourne Beach to Wabasso Beach. This refuge was developed to protect the nesting habitat of sea turtles. Reportedly, about 25% of all sea turtles nesting in the U.S.A., nest within this 20 mile stretch of southeast Florida. The refuge is named after the late Archie Carr, a professor of Zoology at the University of Florida, who pioneered sea turtle research and was one of the top sea turtle experts in the world. Get the new book about Archie Carr, a pioneer in conservation called "The Man Who Saved Sea Turtles and the Origins of Conservation Biology." Carr was one of the greatest biologists of the 20th century, and a gifted nature writer (see other books written by Carr himself).
Beach renourishment project on Amelia's northend
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YOU CAN HELP FLORIDA’S SEA TURTLES SURVIVE
Florida residents can help sea turtles survive, and at the same time get a nice looking vehicle license plate. Buy a specialty Florida license plate (called a “tag” here in the south), to help support the Florida Sea Turtle. Visit http://www.helpingseaturtles.org or click on the banner below. Sea Turtle license plates are available at all motor vehicle offices around Florida, and they are inexpensive -- around $23 bucks…aren’t the turtles worth it?
Get more info on Sea Turtle license plates
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If you're not a Florida resident, you can still help the sea turtles. The Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research at the University of Florida is one of the largest sea turtle research and conservation centers. The ACCSTR accepts donations to support their research, education, and conservation programs. For information on how you can help, contact: Karen Bjorndal, Director, University of Florida, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, Florida 32611 USA, Tel: (01) 352-392-5194, Email: kab@zoology.ufl.edu
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About the author -- W. B. Lawson has lived on Amelia Island fourteen years, and writes tourism, lifestyle, and real estate articles about the Amelia Island area. Send eMail to contact@ameliaislandliving.com.