Sea Turtle Nests Best Left Alone

Sea turtle nests can be seen up and down the Pinellas beaches and their survival, indirectly,  depends on us. The best bet for the turtles is for passersby not to disturb the designated nesting areas and continue on their way.

Even the county is aware of how to help the sea turtles. During beach nourishment projects, sea turtle nests are a top priority. According to the Pinellas County website:

“Daily early morning surveys are performed during nesting season between May and November in search of nests. This season, daily morning surveys began 65 days prior to construction, on April 1. Pinellas County contracts with the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to monitor sea turtle nesting along all the nourished beaches.”

Beach nourishment projects are the processes in which the sand that is lost through erosion is replaced, manually, from a source outside of the beach.

The replenishment of the beaches through these nourishment projects has proven to be successful over the years. Nourishment projects have also been linked to annual spikes in sea turtle nestings due to a larger amount of suitable sand to burrow.

Daily checkups on the existing nests and nests to come will continue through November, when the nourishment projects take five.