The patrol team enters nest coordinates
into an app where they are able to look
back at key data and track changes. Nests
are typically measured by distance from the
shoreline, geographically documented and
bordered with bright tape wrapped around
three wooden stakes. When a hatched nest
is discovered, it is excavated and each empty
egg is counted. After the data is sent to the
FWC, it gets factored into a national database
that tracks the health of the species.
When a nest is not excavated, the
hatchlings typically dig through the sand after
their two-month incubation period and make
their way to the ocean at nightfall. Hatchlings
are guided to the water by the moonlight.
They leave behind hundreds of miniscule
fl ipper marks in the sand, by which patrollers
can typically determine if they’ve made it to
the ocean.
According to BGSTA member Melissa
Csank, the patrol’s data collection is
invaluable. With it they are able to
understand what poses threats to turtles,
and how to better educate humans on how to
coexist with them.
28 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • September/October • 2020
“Every nest on the island is identifi ed with
a numbered stake, marked, entered into our
zone book and monitored daily until it
hatches,” said Csank. “Anything that happens
to the nest until it hatches is documented in
the zone book, including predations.”
As soon as a hatchling makes it to the
surface, they easily fall prey to crabs, coyotes,
dogs ... basically anything on legs. Humans
are also a very real threat. If a hatchling
manages to avoid those types of attacks, they
are still subjected to other obstacles. People
may leave behind large holes on the beach,
which can be camoufl aged traps to turtles.
In some cases, a light in the distance will
mistakenly redirect their path, as they
follow light refl ected on the water to lead
them to the Gulf. Trash that litters the sand
makes it impossible for a hatchling to
smoothly reach the water. A two-inch-long
sea turtle hatchling cannot hurdle a plastic
water bottle, beach chair or bucket.
As stated by the FWC, only one in 1,000
hatchlings survive to adulthood. Because the
likelihood of each newborn is slim, protecting
their habitat is key to getting the last surviving
turtle in each clutch of eggs to reproduce.
the
Acc
th
invaluable
und
an t
aluable
derstand
nd to
with