Many Americans are hardly aware that Alabama even has a coastline, much less that 4 of the 7 known species of sea turtles feed in the state's waters. Alabama beaches are a popular nesting site for the threatened Green and Loggerhead sea turtle species, along with the endangered Kemp's Ridley.
If sea turtles survive to adulthood, their instincts lead them back to the site of their hatching to lay their own eggs. Every year "Share the Beach" helps to ensure that those nests are in a safe place with little interference from their greatest threats: foxes, coyotes, ghost crabs, seagulls, and, especially, people.
Gulf Coast Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins in May
Beginning in May, volunteers from the "Share the Beach" program begin sunrise patrols. They split the beaches into portions and walk the distances to monitor daily for adult turtle tracks that may lead to a newly laid nest.
With the help of biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge the volunteers analyze the nests, assess the eggs, and determine whether they need to be relocated for safety.
The eggs resemble ping-pong balls and have a leathery, soft shell that hardens with time. They are extremely delicate, so only the experts work in nest relocation. Depending on the size, health, and age of the mother turtle and her external circumstances, nests average 100 eggs.
The volunteers tape off the area and cover the nest with a metal grid. This marks the nest and protects it from rowdy beach football games or digging predators.
Sea Turtle Nests Begin to Hatch in Mid to Late Summer
The incubation period for the turtle nests is 55 to 70 days. Volunteers carefully track the "due dates" of the hatchlings and monitor their activity while they are still beneath the sand. "Share the Beach" begins night-watch duty 55 days after the eggs were laid.
Using a stethoscope and a well-trained ear, the volunteer on duty can estimate how close the baby turtles are to emergence. Hatchlings leave their eggs and must dig to the surface to build their strength, so once nest activity begins there are several days of close monitoring before the hatchlings reach the Gulf. When the volunteers feel the time is right they will dig a shallow trench leading from the nest to the Gulf to help keep the turtles on track as they make their journey.
Generally, one "scout" turtle will slowly emerge from the nest. When his instincts alert him, he makes a mad dash to the water. His brothers and sisters "boil" together from the nest afterward, scrambling over one another in the race to the waves.
"Share the Beach" volunteers count every hatchling and keep records of their success rates. Several days later, trained volunteers and biologists excavate the nest site. They count the egg shells to verify the number of hatchlings, and they record any egg that contains a dead embryo, any that is depredated (killed by a ghost crab or other predator), infertile, or pipped (the hatchling began to hatch but couldn't fully emerge from the egg). Occasionally excavators will find a live hatchling and release it into the Gulf at dusk.
Interference During Sea Turtle Nest Hatchings
The natural predators of sea turtle hatchlings are easily kept at bay by "Share the Beach" volunteers. People, however, are more difficult to control. Street lights, porch lights, beachfront living room lights can confuse baby turtles, with disastrous results. On a dark beach, the most natural light comes from the Gulf water as it is illuminated by the moon and stars so the hatchlings instinctively follow light to safety. With electric lighting interference hatchlings can easily end up under houses and in the street, where they will die of dehydration, predators, or traffic.
Only regulated, red-lensed flashlights are permitted near the nests and even then are to be used sparingly and only by trained volunteers.
Similarly, fireworks and even conversation may confuse the turtles and prevent them from safely reaching the water. Likewise, these and other interferences like night-time flash photography or flashlight use can prevent the mother turtle from laying her eggs in the first place.
Alabama Sea Turtle Statistics from "Share the Beach"
"Share the Beach" states on their website that thanks to its generous volunteers and its Adopt-a-Nest program, an estimated 3,603 hatchlings made it safely into the Gulf of Mexico from 2005-2007. With the help of over 200 volunteers, 3,520 hatchlings reached the water in the 2008 season alone.
Sea turtle survival rate is extremely low. By ensuring that the hatchlings at least make it into the water their population is protected at least 1 step of the way. To volunteer with "Share the Beach," or to report sea turtle activity such as sea turtle sightings or tracks, new nests, or nest vandalism, please call 1-800-SEA TURTLE or, locally, 965-6378.
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