By HEATHER WALTERS
Edisto Beach officially has its first sea turtle nests for the season.
The Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project reported via social media on May 15th that the first nests of Edisto’s sea turtle season had been spotted. The non-profit group is comprised of volunteers who patrol Edisto Beach each day, looking for recently-laid nests and then protecting them. The group also keeps counts of the number of nests laid each year, working with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to increase the number of sea turtle nests laid each year along South Carolina beaches.
Both S.C. DNR officials and volunteers with the Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project are predicting that this year will bring a higher number of sea turtle nests.
Sea turtle season in South Carolina runs from May 1st through Oct. 31st. During this time, the Edisto Beach Town Council has strict ordinances in place to protect nests and newborn turtles.
These ordinances include a lights-out rule for all houses along the beachfront.
Dogs must also be leashed at all times on the beach during sea turtle season.
Additionally, the Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project is asking the public to follow these good practices to help protect sea turtle nests:
• Never disturb a turtle crawling to or from the ocean or laying eggs. If nesting is disrupted, the turtle may not lay her eggs at all or may not finish camouflaging her nest.
• Stay at least 30 feet away from any turtle you see. If you find yourself closer, don’t touch! Sea turtles can bite, and they have extremely powerful jaws.
• Don’t shine lights on the beach at night or take flash photography. This can frighten away nesting females and make it harder for hatchlings to find the sea.
• Do not disturb any nests you might find with markers or protective screening.
• Keep the beach clean. Don’t drop any litter, and help out by picking up after others if you see trash. To a sea turtle, balloons and plastic bags look like jellyfish — their favorite food — but eating them could be deadly. Fishing lines and kite string can become tangled in a turtle’s flippers, making swimming difficult. So please help us keep the beach trash free!
