Florida Accounts for Nearly 90% of the Nests in the U.S.
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – It’s March, and you know what that means. Yes, it’s time to set our clocks ahead one hour, but that’s not what we’re talking about. And, no, it’s not quite the first day of Spring. And yes, it’s time for the Madness to ensue, but that’s a discussion for another day.
March is the start of the annual Sea Turtle Nesting Season!
Every year from March 1 – October 31, mama sea turtles start making their way to the beaches of Florida to lay the eggs of the next generation of these beloved sea creatures. And that also means that staff from the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program (BCSTCP) will be hitting the beaches looking for new nests and helping hatchlings get their start at life.
“For more than 30 years, Nova Southeastern University has been overseeing the sea turtle program, gathering data and helping educate the public on how they can help the sea turtles that return to Broward’s beaches,” said Derek Burkholder, Ph.D., the director of the sea turtle program.
Burkholder, is also a research scientist at NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences, the Guy Harvey Research Institute, the Save Our Seas Shark Research Center and the director of NSU’s Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) at the historic Carpenter House on Hollywood Beach.
For the next eight months a team of NSU researchers, students and volunteers will make their way across Broward’s 24 miles of beaches looking for “nesting behavior” or “false crawls”. When a new nest is found, they spring into action, marking it off with florescent caution tape and signage so it isn’t disturbed until the hatchlings make their way out and to the Atlantic Ocean.
When a nest hatches, the team will excavate the area in order to see just how many eggs the mother turtle laid, how many hatched and if there are any hatchlings who didn’t quite make their way out and need a little help to get their lives started.
“Broward County encourages beach visitors and residents to adopt ‘turtle-friendly’ behavior, which includes installing shielded, amber exterior lighting on beachfront properties; closing curtains or turning off interior lights after sunset; refraining from using cell phones and flashlights on the beach; and not disturbing nests or nesting female turtles,” said Stephanie Kedzuf, an Environmental Project Coordinator with Broward County’s Natural Resources Division. “Every little bit helps, and we want to ensure we do whatever we can to help the turtles now and in the future.”
Kedzuf is also the Contract Administrator for BCSTCP.
NSU’s team isn’t the only group helping out the turtles – they work with others every year, including Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (STOP,) the South Florida Audubon Society and the Sea Turtle Awareness Rescue Stranding (STARS.)
Three species of turtles – leatherback, green and loggerhead – nest on Broward’s beaches. In 2021, there was a total of 3,099 nests: 2,548 loggerhead, 463 green and 86 leatherback.) Burkholder said that it isn’t uncommon for beach-going visitors to encounter a sea turtle or two.
“The best thing to do is to give a mother turtle or hatchlings some space – physical distance, if you will, just like we’ve been doing during the pandemic,” he said. “It’s a great experience seeing these animals, but it’s best to do it from a distance.”
Burkholder said that if anyone enjoying Broward County’s beaches and encounters a sea turtle or hatchlings in distress should immediately call the Sea Turtle Emergency Line at 954-328-0580.
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): At NSU, students don’t just get an education, they get the competitive edge they need for real careers, real contributions and real life. A dynamic, private research university, NSU is providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 15 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, the private JK-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. NSU students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, the reach of the NSU community is worldwide. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 59 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
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