Sea Turtle nest season is here

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By HEATHER WALTERS

Sea Turtle nesting season is now underway at Edisto Beach, with local officials there looking for more volunteers to help keep the beach safe for incoming sea turtles.

The Edisto Beach Loggerhead Turtle Project is a volunteer-based group that helps to protect nesting and newly-born sea turtles along Edisto Beach shores. In 2020, the group had about 46 volunteers who donated their time. This year, the group is seeking more help.

According to the group’s organizer, Edisto Beach is broken into seven sections that volunteers patrol. Each section is assigned a group of volunteers, who do a dawn patrol in their designated section of beach. “You look for tracks for the turtles, and you locate the nest. You also determine if it’s in a good place or if it needs to be moved,” said the group’s organizer, who asked to not be named in this article. “Regardless of whether it needs to be moved or not, one egg is taken for DNA sampling.”

Through the University of Georgia, DNA sampling tells authorities if the turtles are related.

“There was one time a couple of years ago that a grandmother, a mother and a daughter all laid eggs on Edisto Beach and we knew that through DNA sampling.”

Sea turtles can lay anywhere from three to seven nests in one season, with the average collection being 100 eggs. This year, local and state officials are expecting high numbers of sea turtle nests on Edisto Island, as the area is on the higher-end of a three-year nesting trend.

South Carolina’s official sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1st through October 31st.

According to S.C. DNR officials, South Carolina’s warmer waters and mild winters are prompting the early arrival of sea turtles, with barrier islands, like Edisto, providing the turtles with sand dunes for their nests. At Edisto Beach, there are several ordinances in place to help protect nesting sea turtles during sea turtle nesting season. These rules include:

• All dogs must be on a leash starting May 1st;

• Lights out at dark on the front beach, including all housing porch lights;

• Beach goers are asked to fill all holes on the beach;

• Take your trash with you;

• Take your beach belongings with you at the end of the day.

According to Michelle Pate, program coordinator for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Martine Turtle Conservation Program, state DNR officials recently worked with the owners of the EnMarket convenience store on Edisto Beach to install different lighting at their station. Pate says Town of Edisto Beach officials are also working with Dominion Energy under a grant funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to start installing sea turtle friendly street lights along Palmetto Boulevard.

“We are hoping this with other measures such as our ‘Light Out! Campaign,’ where we ask front beach property owners and renters to turn out lights between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.,” said Tate. “This will help reduce the amount of artificial lighting on the front beach of Edisto.”

Pate says there are several tips for the public that will help keep newly-hatched sea turtles safe. These tips will also better protect the adult sea turtles that come ashore to lay eggs.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Reminders:

Report all sick/injured/dead sea turtles and nest disturbances to the SC Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-922-5431 so that staff/volunteers can respond as soon as possible.

Respect boating laws and boat cautiously, especially in small tidal creeks where sea turtles like to feed. Boat strikes have emerged as the leading cause of death for sea turtles in South Carolina.

Keep artificial lights off the beach at night during nesting season – this includes beachfront property lights and flash photography, which can disorient nesting mothers and hatchlings.

Always respect sea turtles by observing them from a distance on the beach. Individuals that violate federal law by harming or interfering with sea turtles or their nests can be subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 and up to a year’s imprisonment.

Keep beaches clean by avoiding single-use plastics. Plastic bags and balloons are among the most common trash items found on South Carolina beaches and can cause injury or death when sea turtles mistake them for food.

According to Tate, any South Carolina resident can promote and support the S.C. DNR’s sea turtle conservation programs by donating to the program, purchasing a sea turtle license plate from the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles or by donating to the program via your state tax return.