Mote asks beachgoers to preserve turtle tracks

Tropical Storm Debby destroyed many turtle nests, but in many cases Debby simply swept away the marker stakes. Many of these nests may hatch, but their locations are now unknown to Mote’s Sea Turtle Patrol, which patrols the Sarasota County portion of Longboat Key’s beach, and Longboat Key Turtle Watch, which patrols the Manatee County side.

Mote is asking beachgoers and property owners to leave hatchling tracks intact so that patrollers can find and document these nests.

Property owners who want to clean their beaches using hand rakes should wait until late afternoon when possible or after their area has been patrolled for the day.

Beachgoers are also asked to avoid placing beach furniture on hatchling tracks and to remove beach furniture and other barriers to provide a clear path for emerging hatchlings to find the sea.

For more information, visit mote.org/seaturtlebrochure.