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Lights out for turtles, please!
Upon hatching, these guys all crawled out of their nest and went in THE WRONG DIRECTION!! Our FWCC permitted volunteers, folks from The Turtle Hospital and the Parks Department ALL scrambled to get these hatchlings rounded up because they all headed for the houses instead of the ocean! Roughly 35 hatchlings were found all around the beach road, drainage holes and the playgrounds. They were all taken to The Turtle Hospital for evaluation and eventual release. This highlights why turtle friendly lighting is SO important. These hatchlings can easily become disoriented by improper lighting and head in the wrong direction. You can read more about turtle friendly lighting HERE.
Catch us on your TV soon!
The Good Morning America crew was down filming in the Keys in July for a segment regarding sea turtles and it is scheduled to air this Friday, August 4th on the GMA 3 segment. We expect that it will feature Dr. Doug Mader, Save-A-Turtle of the Florida Keys, and The Turtle Hospital in Marathon! We are super excited and hope you will all tune in too. Check your local listings for times!
Photo by Dr. Doug Mader
Turtle nest adopted in our name
We were honored to find out that Jim Gamlin, author of the Nickel the Sea Turtle books about a rescued turtle that currently resides at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, adopted a sea turtle nest in our name in honor of Nickel. Thank you Jim!
Nickel's story is truly amazing and you can read more about how she is doing now HERE!
Clean, Dark and FLAT for sea turtles!
It's Sea Turtle Nesting Season!
Residents and visitors can help to make our area as turtle friendly as possible by remembering to keep beaches clean, dark and flat. Check out this Florida story of these little ones that were found trapped in a hole that was not filled in!
Large loggerhead female deceased after boat strike. Red arrow indicates start of propeller strike.
It's an all too common occurrence when boats and marine animals meet on the water... boat strikes! Sadly, we receive calls on these occurrences FAR TOO OFTEN.
One way that you can help protect marine life when you’re out enjoying the waterways is to have a designated marine animal spotter on board whenever possible. Somebody that is looking out constantly for the dolphins, manatees and sea turtles that may be found in our waterways.
Additionally, please make sure you’re following slow speed and no wake signs.
If you happen to encounter an injured marine animal while you’re enjoying your boating time or out on the beach in Florida, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
Outreach poster developed by NOAA Fisheries and the Hawai'i Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation
If you like learning new things about sea turtles you should like, follow and share our social media platforms! We are on Facebook and Instagram! Follow along all year to learn some cool facts about turtles but also what you can do for the environment that we all share!
