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Season’s first sea turtle nest found at Treasure Island
By LEE DIEKEMPER
| Article published on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/053007_bhb-01.jpg) |
| Photo by LEE DIEKEMPER |
| The tiny orange flag in the middle of the taped off area marks the spot where Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s sea turtle nesting team found the first nest of the season. The nest is located in Treasure Island, just south of the Bilmar Beach Resort. |
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TREASURE ISLAND – The Memorial Day weekend usually signals the unofficial beginning of various seasons such as summer and grilling.
But for the Pinellas County's Gulf beaches, it’s turtle nesting season.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s turtle nesting team found the season’s first turtle nest on the beach at Treasure Island last week. The nest is near the water and in an area marked off about 4 feet by 4 feet.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is under contract with Pinellas County to oversee and manage sea turtle nests for most of the beachfront property in the county.
Last year, officials counted 115 nests in Pinellas County. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium officials comb the county’s 28 miles of beachfront property looking for the telltale signs of crawl tracks from the mother turtle. Female turtles generally lay a nest every two or three years and can have as many as six nests at a time.
Often, the female turtle will lay its nests near where they were born. The nests contain anywhere from 100 to 120 eggs. Once laid, the eggs hatch in roughly 50 to 60 days.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, it can take several days for the turtle hatchlings to dig their way out of the nest and head to the Gulf. They will travel at night and go straight for the light, which is water.
It is for this reason that residents should avoid artificial light at the waterfront. The hatchlings may mistake artificial light for the water and march to their death. Residents and visitors along the beach are asked to keep light to a minimum and keep window drapes and shades drawn.
The commission said that only one in 1,000 hatchlings make it to adulthood. If the hatchlings don’t make it to the water in time, they die of dehydration. Birds, crabs and other animals also prey on the hatchlings.
If a person sees a hatching, he should watch it from a distance and allow the young turtle to crawl to the water on its own power. The nest should not be disturbed in any way. If hatchlings are found to be crawling away from the water, immediately call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement at 1-888-404-FWCC.
Information for this story was obtained from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
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Article published on Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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