First green turtle nesting spotted on Longboat Key

By Dana Kampa
| 8:30 a.m. June 5, 2026

Longboat Key Turtle Watch members documented evidence of the first green turtle nest of the season on the key.

Longboat Key
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Longboat Key Turtle Watch reported its first green turtle nest on Longboat Key last week. The team that documented the nest is the same group that saw evidence of the first loggerhead turtle nest on April 30.

Last year was a record-breaking year for turtle nests, with a total of 1,473 nests on Longboat Key and 5,732 throughout the area. Only 351 of the latter were green turtle nests.

Mote Marine reported that as of May 30, Longboat Key has a total of 154 loggerhead and green turtle nests this season.

Trained volunteers mark nests with yellow stakes to help beachgoers avoid disturbing them. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, educational Turtle Walks starting this month and more, visit LBKTurtleWatch.com.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.