Debut Turtle Crawl fundraiser sees strong turnout

The Longboat Key Turtle Watch successfully rolled out its brand new event May 7 on the island, inviting patrons to both support sea turtle research and dine at three local restaurants.

President Jeff Driver said the team was grateful for such robust community support at the inaugural event, which quickly sold out of 150 tickets following its announcement in early April.

Diners started at one of the three restaurants — Harry's Continental Kitchens, the Lazy Lobster, and Lo' Key Island Grille — and sat down for a bite and a beverage before rotating to the other two locations.

Like the theme, the menus were ocean-centric, with Harry's offering Gulf Coast grouper cakes, seared sea scallops with passionfruit-mango cream sauce, charred cauliflower, coconut-toasted almond bread pudding and Key lime tart. Restaurant owner Michael Garey stuck true to the name at the Lazy Lobster with lobster Rockefeller, cream sauce, grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes and asparagus tips. Lo' Key Island Grille fired up American red snapper with lump crab risotto, sherry crab cream sauce and lump crab topping.

Reflecting on the evening, attendees Ginger and Ray Markham said they had expected upscale hors d'oeuvres at each eatery. But they were impressed with the quality of each sit-down meal, especially as staff hustled to serve each wave of guests at the same time.

"The restaurants we've been to, they're showing off tonight," Ray Markham said with a smile.

Ginger Markham added, "Supporting the turtles is just part of the Longboat culture."

While they appreciated the food, attendees said they were equally delighted to give turtle researchers an early boost at the beginning of this turtle nesting season.

Driver said the funds raised that evening will benefit a variety of needs, but particularly Mote Marine's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research arm.

Jake Lasala, staff scientist and manager of the program, shared his gratitude to the Longboat Key community and its support of research into nest temperatures, future population projections and more.

The boost to research comes at a good time, considering last year saw record numbers of nests, both on Longboat Key and in the wider Sarasota area. That also came with a record number of disorientations, which researchers hope to further understand and prevent.

In addition to ticket sales, volunteers raised money through raffle ticket sales.

Next month, trained volunteers with Mote Marine and the turtle watch will be cueing up their free public turtle walks. Visit LBKTurtleWatch.com for details.

Based on the strong interest shown this year, organizers said they hope to potentially make the Turtle Crawl an annual tradition. Driver said the team learned from the experience and may make minor adjustments, such as allowing more time for patrons to walk from location to location. But they were thrilled with the crowd's feedback on this first event.

"We managed to keep all the hatchlings together without too much disorientation," Driver said with a laugh.

He offered heartfelt thanks to all the attendees, sponsors and volunteers who helped pull it all together.

"Their support is what keeps us going as a nonprofit," he said. "We're grateful for their philanthropy, and for the emotional support as well."