July 2020
Dear Friends,

Happy Independence Day! The staff of Canaveral National Seashore would like to wish everyone a safe and fun 4 th of July! Remember that fireworks on the beach can scare sea turtles and damage resources, leave the fireworks to the professionals. There are over 3300 sea turtle nests in Canaveral as of this letter. There will be no Turtle Watch programs this season because of group and contact restrictions. Sea turtles are the ultimate social distancers, so let’s take a lesson from them and keep our distance from wildlife and each other; so that we may come back together and resume our in-person programs.

While many of you are just getting out onto the beach for the first time this year, please remember to take what you bring home with you. In these times of social distancing and extra sanitation needs, it is considerate to remember that there is a person that must clean up after you.  So, the more trash and litter left behind the more chance beach staff may come in contact with the virus.

Remember we are in Hurricane Season, make sure all of your plans are in place to have a safe and happy summer.

Friends, thanks for all that you do, we couldn’t do what we do without you.  
See you at the beach!
Laura Henning
ADOPT A SEA TURTLE NEST is an opportunity for visitors, friends and nature lovers to participate in and contribute to sea turtle conservation. Your donation of $40 supports the protection efforts of these threatened and endangered species.
The State of Florida provides critical nesting habitat for threatened and endangered sea turtles, including Loggerheads, Greens and Leatherbacks. In face the east coast of Florida hosts the largest population of nesting Loggerheads in the world. In 2019, recorded nests in Florida exceeded 160,000.

Unfortunately, much of this habitat is disappearing due to coastal development, beach armoring, and sea level rise. Canaveral National Seashore's 24 miles of undeveloped beach and intact dune system continues to be a stable nesting area for marine turtles. Female turtles crawl up from the ocean, deposit their eggs and return to the sea.

Each nest that is laid in Canaveral is part of the Statewide Nesting Beach Survey program that has tracked nesting populations going back to 1979. Rangers and volunteers are critical to the success of the protection and turtle tracking efforts. In 2019 nests laid in Canaveral reached a record 13,000!

You too can be part of the conservation efforts at Canaveral to protect these threatened and endangered marine turtles by making a donation to Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest.
ADOPT A SEA TURTLE NEST is an opportunity for visitors, friends and nature lovers to participate in and contribute to sea turtle conservation. Your donation of $40 supports the protection efforts of those threatened and endangered species.

All adoptable sea turtle nests will be located within the 24 miles of undeveloped coastline within the boundaries of Canaveral National Seashore.
Once we receive your Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest info, you will:
  1. Be assigned a sea turtle nest with an ID number.
  2. Receive a digital photo of your nest and ID state with your name included, plus a digital clip showing a nesting sea turtle.
  3. Be mailed a custom made sea turtle print bandana, a Friends of Canaveral sticker, and an original Canaveral National Seashore postcard.
  4. Approximately 7 weeks later, you will receive a digital clip of sea turtle hatchlings crawling to the ocean.
FAQS

  • Can I request a species of turtle? Probably not, nests are adopted based on the date we receive your information and what nests were laid that night.
  • Can anyone else adopt my nest? No, your nest is exclusive to you. We don't adopt the same next twice.
  • Can I visit my nest? Probably not. There are thousands of nests laid over a 24-mile area during nesting season. However, if you visit Canaveral during nesting season, you will see ID stickers of turtle nests.
  • Can I see my nest emerge/hatch? Most nests hatch in the dark of night when it is safe for hatchlings to get to the water and is rare to see a nest emerge.
Sea Turtle Nesting
DID YOU KNOW?
In 2019 over 55,000 pounds of trash was picked up on our beaches on July 5th?
Volusia County Ordinance Sec. 20-125 — Fireworks reads: “It shall be unlawful for any person on the beach or an approach to possess, control, light, ignite, discharge, or use any sealed or unsealed package or container of any type of fireworks or sparklers as defined in the Florida Statutes, except sparklers that are designed to be handheld. ”
FIREWORKS
After the Fourth of July, Florida's pristine beaches don't look so pretty. The next day the beach often looks like a landfill from all the garbage. Not only bits of exploded fireworks but bottles and plastic bags are left behind by the revelers. They are also affected by people trampling over their nests in the dark.

Fireworks, the illegal kind that launch and explode are littering the sand and the water. The debris is a hazard for turtles during the peak of turtle nesting season. It also affects other marine life.
It can injure birds and turtles alike. Additionally, it is almost impossible to find a new sea turtle nest after the fourth. Fireworks disorient turtles, resulting in numbers of "false crawls", when turtles come out on the beach but are then scared back into the water. Coastal birds panic and fly from their nests, scattering, their chicks and often abandoning nests.

Our pets - many pets are terrified by fireworks and are urged to keep your pets away from Fourth of July celebrations and keep your pets inside. Many dogs run away during fireworks celebrations.
REPORT VIOLATIONS
If you suspect a fish, wildlife, boating, or environmental law violation, report it to the FWC's Wildlife Alert Reward Program: 888-404-FWCC (3922).
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