Most any stretch of beach in Florida with sea turtle egg-laying activity has volunteer caretakers who carefully monitor the nesting and keep careful records.
The Coastal Wildlife Club in the Englewood, Florida area keeps track of the nests on the beaches in Lee, Charlotte and Sarasota Counties, including Manasota Key, Palm Island, Little Gasparilla Island and Gasparilla Island. More sea turtles nest on those islands than any other beaches of the Gulf Coast, according to the CWC web site.
The video above is well-produced and is very informative about exactly what the turtle patrol members do every morning during sea turtle nesting season (May – October).
I’ve been on sea turtle patrols and can verify that this video is a very accurate portrayal of what the volunteers do.
It’s nine minutes long, but well worth watching if you’re interested in what happens on sea turtle patrol.
If you vacation on Florida beaches during nesting season you’ve surely seen the volunteers on the beach around sunrise.
Below is a 3 minute video of a sea turtle found nesting during the daytime by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium sea turtle patrol.
