The Darker the Beach, The Brighter their Future!
Today marks the official start of the 2022 Sea Turtle Season, and as with every year, hundreds of sea turtle nests will soon be laid on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva islands.
Sea turtle monitoring began on Sanibel in the 1950s, making it one of the longest-running monitoring programs in the country. Last year, volunteers and staff from the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) recorded a total of 931 nests and 46,796 hatchlings.
“We’re optimistic that it will be another good year. We’re hopeful we have another strong season,” said Jack Brzoza, sea turtle biologist with the SCCF’s Coastal Wildlife Program and Sea Turtle Program.
If you’re new to our island experience, it’s important to know that sea turtle hatchlings emerge after dark, using the light of the night sky over the sea to navigate to the water.
Artificial light — including lamp lights from your beachside condo — causes hatchlings to crawl away from the water and toward the light sources. Sadly, thousands of hatchlings die in Florida each year due to lighting along beaches.
Until Sea Turtle Season concludes on October 31, we ask for your help in keeping our beaches sea turtle friendly. Remember to always:
- Close curtains or blinds after dark.
- Remove all beach furniture after 9 p.m.
- Fill in holes after your day at the beach.
- Turn off or shield ALL lights visible from the beach.
- No flash photography or cell phone lights after dark.
- Avoid using flashlights and NEVER shine them on nesting turtle hatchlings.
For more valuable information on “Turtle Time,” click here to visit our website!
