Runners on Siesta Key raise funds for turtle conservation

It wasn’t just the sunshine and calm breeze that made runners and walkers grateful to be on Siesta Key beach Saturday morning, but also compassion for the creatures that frequent the location.

“Generations of sea turtles have lived here,” said Lorrie Muldowney, who said it was important for residents to protect a species that had lived in the area long before residents of Sarasota and Siesta Key. Individual turtles often return to lay eggs on the same beaches where they were born.

“We love sea turtles and want to do everything we can to protect them,” said Lucy Tobias.

A press release by Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium said its 37th annual Run for the Turtles was one of the most successful runs in the history of the event, raising more than $55,000 for the Sea Turtle Conservation & Research (STCRP) program it benefits each year.

The event offered a 1-mile “fun run” and a 5K run, which both sent crowds running or walking up and down the beaches.

“It’s a great turnout,” said Melissa Macksey, senior biologist and sea turtle conservation and research manager at the laboratory. She said over 1,000 participants were registered, many of whom attended.

The funds help support the program’s daily activities, including surveys of 35 miles of beaches during turtle-nesting season and tags and satellite tracking on turtles. The release said that in 2022, STCRP had its fourth-best nesting year in the history of the program, with a total of 4,483 nests. Nonetheless, Macksey said there are areas where sea turtle well-being can be improved.

She said 466 disorientations of turtles were recorded last year due to residential lighting at night compared to 240 in 2021. It was the most ever in a single season. She said the reason for the increase was unclear.

“This is going to be our forty-second year of our program, monitoring for nests in our area, and numbers have been steadily going up for the last 15 years, so it's pretty exciting,” she said. “We see a lot of success stories, and so we'd like to make the lighting one of those.”

For Art Braswell, the exercise and friendly competition on Siesta Key Beach, as well as the chance to protect the area’s turtles, was a winning combination.

“It’s for a good cause,” said Braswell. “It’s nice to be on the beach when the weather’s perfect.”