www.amisun.com
JULY 20, 2022
THE SUN
TURTLE TIPS
SUBMITTED
Where’s Esther? Loggerhead sea turtle Esther has enjoyed a trip to Tampa Bay in the past week before heading south to her last tracked location a few miles off the coast of Venice. She has traveled 209 miles since being satellite tagged on Coquina Beach on June 20 after laying a nest. Esther is one of 15 turtles competing in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s 13th Annual Tour de Turtles event, with the title going to the turtle that travels the farthest between their tagging date and Oct. 31, the end of sea turtle nesting season. Esther is competing to raise awareness of light pollution, which can disorient nesting and hatching sea turtles. She is sponsored by Waterline Villas & Marinas and Mainsail Vacation Rentals.
During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, follow these tips to help turtles: • Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water. • Don’t use flashlights, lanterns or camera flashes on the beach at night. • Remove all beach chairs and other objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings. • Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water. To report large holes or other turtle obstacles:
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• City of Anna Maria code enforcement — 941-708-6130, ext. 139 or ext. 129. • City of Bradenton Beach code enforcement — 941-7781005, ext. 280. • City of Holmes Beach code enforcement — 941-778-0331, ext. 260. • Level sandcastles before leaving the beach; they can block hatchlings from the water. • Don’t use balloons, wish lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf, and turtles can ingest the debris. • Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights. • Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922). Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring
