kaili cochran
Words by Kaili Cochran
We’ve all heard the phrase “save the turtles.” It’s been an echoing phrase for over a decade now after a video of a marine biologist pulling a 12 cm long plastic straw from a turtle’s nostril went viral and brought awareness to plastic and pollution in our oceans.
But I’m not here to repeat the message about ditching plastic straws as, chances are, you’ve already heard that loud and clear. I want to focus on something just as important, especially with turtle nesting season right around the corner: how to protect local sea turtles on our beaches.
Between May 1 and Oct. 31, Jacksonville beaches are nesting grounds for loggerheads, greens, and leatherback turtles and their survival is increasingly impacted by human activity.
To learn how to make a difference, I spoke with Kevin Brown, the field supervisor for Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol. With over a decade of experience protecting turtles, he identified 3 key practices to keep our beaches safer: keep them clean, dark, and flat.
Clean: “We see a lot of people who will come down and literally leave, you know, a chair or tent breaks and they leave it. So now you have this aluminum frame and there have been turtles that have gotten stuck in that,” Brown said.
Litter and abandoned beach gear can physically trap and prevent both nesting females and their emerging hatchlings that are making their way to the ocean. It is important to take everything back with you or bring broken gear and trash to the receptacles to be disposed of properly.
Dark: “We’ve got all three beaches to have a light ordinance. It’s hard to police and enforce it because of seasonal rentals. We do our best to keep some readable stuff in these rentals and the hotels but you just get people that aren’t from here, and they will leave a balcony light on or if they’re in a rental then they’ll leave a flood light on,” Brown said.
Sea turtles typically nest at night, relying on natural moonlight to navigate. When bright light from homes, hotels or even from the casual beach goer interferes then sea turtles can become disoriented or even wander in the wrong direction.
Flat: “If I had to pinpoint something, it would be holes. I mean, you just got to bury your holes. If you do this sand sculpture or you do a big sand castle, do it below the high tide line. Or, you know, knock it down when you leave, because all those things can be disruptive to either a nesting female or an emerging hatchling,” Brown said.
Large holes and sandcastles can be dangerous as they can get in the way of a nesting turtle or hatchlings can find themselves trapped.
Brown believes the issue is rooted in unawareness from those who don’t live near the beach or from travelers who don’t know the impact of leaving lights on or gear behind.
Fortunately, Jacksonville has a strong beach culture with locals who not only follow these key practices but will often beat the patrol team to sightings by reporting early morning turtle activity.
Anthropogenic is a term used to describe the human effects on an environment. One of these effects is known as a “false crawl.” When a female turtle comes to the nest, but leaves without laying eggs, often due to disturbance. Although the exact cause isn’t always seen, human presence is a common factor.
“Even I can do better,” Brown said. “We can always do better.”
With summer approaching fast, remember to think clean, dark, and flat the next time you go to the beach as it can be a life-changing difference for sea turtles and their habitat.
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