Sea Turtle Nesting Season at Ponte Vedra Beach is Here!

This month, sea turtle nesting season begins in the State of Florida! Starting May 1 through the end of October, female sea turtles will be coming up onto the beach in the evenings to lay their eggs.

Did you know that Mickler’s Landing has the highest density of sea turtle nests in Northeast Florida?! Sea turtles can lay up to 100 eggs in each nest, and the female comes back to the beach where she was born. The monitoring of sea turtle nests in our area is so important because of their highly endangered status, in part, as they share space with highly populated beaches.

In order to protect sea turtles, Florida officials have put additional restrictions in place for beach goers and ocean front homeowners. These restrictions included limited beach driving hours and special requirements for interior and exterior lighting for beachfront homes.

Mickler's Landing Sea Turtle Patrol

Lisa and Sean met Lucas Meers, an official permit holder for the State of Florida for Sea Turtle Conservation, at Mickler’s Landing to discuss some of the ways beach visitors and oceanfront landowners can help the Florida’s native sea turtle population continue to thrive. Lucas is a member of the Mickler’s Landing Turtle Patrol. The Turtle Patrol walks the beach each morning to document sea turtles and their nests.

Lucas gave us some insights into helping sea turtles:

• Turtles are endangered, so it's actually illegal to touch or interact with any sea turtles or their nests.
• If you visit the beach and see orange stakes with orange tape, that is a sea turtle nest. Please do not disturb it!
• If you see an active turtle, it’s best to just leave her be. She is acting on instinct and knows where to go.
• The same is true for baby turtles. They do not need assistance getting to the water.

Lucas also gave tips for oceanfront homeowners:

• Baby sea turtles are attracted to light, and as hatchlings emerge, they look for the light of the moon reflecting on the water to guide them to the ocean. Other light sources need to be minimized to keep them from getting disoriented.
• If you have any irrigation or runoff from your home, make sure it’s flowing towards the street and not the beach.

If you see signs of undocumented Sea Turtle activity, please contact The Turtle Patrol Facebook, visit the Mickler's Landing Sea Turtle Patrol website, or call *FWC.

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