By Tonya Bramlage
Photos submitted and from Boca Beacon archives
Some time around the beginning of May the local island
beaches start seeing a new kind of life form coming to
visit. They’re not the human kind of visitor, though …
they are the fl ippered and shelled type. The sea turtles that
come to nest on Gasparilla Island shores are part of two
ecosystems – the beach/dune system and the marine system.
Their importance to our ecological cycle is often vastly
underestimated, for if our sea turtles were to become extinct,
both the marine and dune ecosystems would be negatively
affected.
You might ask how sea turtles, an animal that only comes
ashore once or twice a year to nest, can make a big difference
in the health of our beaches, but the explanation is simple.
Beaches and dune systems already appear sparse in
vegetation and nutrients to the naked eye; this is because
the ever-shifting sand does not hold nutrients very well. Every
little bit of natural organic material is vital to its existence,
and when the dune vegetation grows stronger and healthier,
the health of the entire beach/dune ecosystem becomes
fortifi ed. Substantial vegetation and root systems aid sand
retention in the dunes and assist in the protection of the
beach from erosion. Sea turtle extinction would mean no
turtle nests, and no turtle nests would cause dune vegetation
to lose its largest source of nutrients. The beautiful beaches
of Southwest Florida would not be as healthy and would not
be secure enough to maintain the dunes, which would cause
a tremendous increase in erosion.
May/June • 2021 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE A