Turtle Watch group shares insights into early season obstacles

It’s a light, it’s a coyote…sometimes, it’s a human.

Sea turtles throughout Florida and on Longboat Key often encounter obstacles like beach changes, predators and impacts from artificial lights. Longboat Key Turtle Watch said it has seen a new issue with humans taking stakes from nesting sites this season. 

When a nesting sea turtle lays eggs on the beach, volunteers like those with Longboat Key Turtle Watch identify the nesting sites by observing turtle tracks. Then, the volunteers mark the nest with stakes and, sometimes, tape it off. 

Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, which permits Longboat Key Turtle Watch’s activity, slightly changed the stake nesting method this year. Beachgoers may see some nesting sites with only one stake. 

That’s the problem, said Cyndi Seamon, vice president of Longboat Key Turtle Watch. Though the lone stake has a bright orange placard, Longboat Key Turtle Watch experienced instances of people removing the lone stake. 

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“People should know they're not supposed to do anything with them,” Seamon said. “And honestly, we've never had a problem with this in the past. I don't know what it is.”

This happened to a nest on Greer Island. The removal of a stake led to a Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteer restaking the nest with a good degree of certainty, said Seamon. 

But when it happened a second time, volunteers could not locate the exact spot. That means the nest will likely be removed from Mote’s database. 

“It’s unfortunate,” Seamon said. “Now, no one’s going to look for (the nest).”

Mote employs a sequence for determining which nests to monitor, which necessitates volunteers to return to the nest after it hatches, excavate it, and calculate the hatch success. 

With the new stake method, a nest will either get one, two or four stakes. The location of the nest on the beach, whether it's monitored, and whether the area is mechanically raked determine the number of stakes.

Nests with one stake aren’t monitored, but Seamon said every nest is important. 

“Just because it's not monitored doesn't mean we don't look at it every day. We absolutely do,” Seamon said.

Mote records every active nest and other activity like false crawls, which is when a nesting sea turtle makes it to shore but doesn’t nest. Mote’s territory extends from Longboat Key to Venice.

Other organizations use similar systems, and Seamon said some areas with higher nest density, like on Florida’s east coast, don’t use any stakes. 

“The good thing is, there are fewer obstacles on the beach for the turtles that are nesting and for the people who are walking and using the beach,” Seamon said.

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Whether it’s one stake or four, Chapter 100 of the town’s code states that no temporary structure or recreational equipment, like beach chairs, can be placed within 5 feet of a marked nest.

One of the more common obstacles for sea turtles is artificial light, which can cause disorientation. Disorientations occur when artificial light confuses nesting or hatchling sea turtles and are misdirected to somewhere other than back to the ocean. 

Seamon said she witnessed the signs of at least one disorientation so far, in which a nesting adult laid eggs, then went east instead of west. Luckily, she said, the turtle turned around and didn’t make it to Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

She was unclear what the exact cause was, but said it could have been lights from a nearby condominium. 

Another issue she raised before the season began was that some properties had exposed pools without fencing due to storm damage. 

Whether the pool is empty or filled, it poses a threat to sea turtles. Seamon said property owners should remain vigilant and seek guidance from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 

“You need to at least put something around the pool even if you're not going to put it around the property,” Seamon advised. 

Public Works Director Charlie Mopps reached out to representatives at the FWC to see what advice they had to share with these properties.

The FWC recommended "installation of blocking material to preclude marine turtle, including hatchling, access to pools, under decks, housing structures, roads and/or any other areas that pose a risk to marine turtles," according to an email sent to Mopps. 

"You want it to be robust enough so it will block turtles," Mopps said. 

This could be achieved through a sturdy fence, like a chain link fence, with silt screen attached to the bottom. Temporary structures on the beach would need approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 

Despite the minor challenges, Seamon said activity has increased since the first nest was found on April 26. 

“The turtles are definitely picking up. It's getting busier,” Seamon said.

For residents who want to learn more about sea turtle nesting and want to see what Longboat Key Turtle Watch is all about, the organization hosts public beach walks on Saturdays in June and July.