Page 5 - Southern Exposure - September '19
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Southern Exposure, Page 5



      LoGGerhead NeWs from page 4
                               Loggerhead Marinelife Center Breaks


                              All-Time Sea Turtle Nest Count Record




        As  of  Tuesday, Aug.  6,  Loggerhead  Marinelife   much work to be done                           Do:
      Center’s (LMC) research biologists recorded an all-time   to combat existing                           • Throw away
      record-breaking sea turtle nest count of 19,580 nests   threats to sea turtles,                      debris left behind
      (and counting). The center’s last record-breaking nesting   including reducing                       on the beach.
      season was recorded in 2017 with a total of 19,085 nests.   plastic pollution,                         •  Fill  in  holes
      Sea  turtle  nesting  season  in  Palm  Beach  County  runs   assessing habitat loss,                in the sand, knock
      from March 1 to Oct. 31 annually. Although the center   and improving water                          down sand castles
      has experienced record-breaking nesting numbers in   quality.”                                       and remove
      previous years, other years have shown a lower yield. For     While nesting                          foreign objects
      comparison, the 2018 nesting season resulted in a total   numbers are at an all-                     that may obstruct
      of just over 11,900 sea turtles nests. With three months   time high this year,                      a sea turtle’s path to and from the ocean.
      left of nesting season, our researchers expect the nesting   it’s vital to remember that sea turtles continue to face     • If you come across a nesting sea turtle, observe at a
      numbers to continue to increase by a few more thousand   threats, namely plastic pollution. Currently, 100 percent   distance from behind.
      nests. LMC’s research biologists will continue to mark and   of post-hatchlings who are admitted to The Sea Turtle     • Look out for disoriented hatchlings on trails and roads
      monitor sea turtle nests until the end of nesting season,   Hospital  at  LMC  have  ingested  plastic.  In  addition  to   near the beach.
      which ends on Oct. 31.                            plastic pollution, sea turtles are faced with threats of     • Keep your lights out near the beach and install sea
        LMC biologists estimate that over 1,367,489 sea turtle   record heat temperatures. The record heat may skew sea   turtle-friendly lighting where needed.
      hatchlings have been produced from nests laid thus far on   turtle  hatchlings’  gender  to  female,  thus  reducing  the     • Bring weak or disoriented hatchlings to Loggerhead
      our beaches. With four full-time members of the research   number of males.                          Marinelife Center. Hatchlings can be placed in a bucket
      staff,  seven  seasonal morning  technicians,  two  night   How To Help:                             with  damp sand,  no  water,  for transport. They can  be
      technicians, five morning interns and one night intern,     To help LMC celebrate the record breaking sea turtle   placed in the 24-hour drop-off cooler located outside the
      LMC’s research staff members are able to monitor a 9.5-  nesting season:                             center’s entrance (14200 U.S. Highway One, Juno Beach,
      mile stretch of beach in Palm Beach County. This specific     • Blue Friends Society Beach Cleanup: Join LMC staff   FL 33408).
      stretch of beach is one of the most densely nested sea   and volunteers on Aug. 17 at 8:30 a.m. on the center’s   Don’t:
      turtle nesting beaches in the world. LMC, a nonprofit sea   back deck for our monthly Blue Friends Society Beach     • Interact with or disrupt a nesting sea turtle.
      turtle hospital, research, education and ocean conservation   Cleanup where you can help reduce debris on one of the     • Release balloons (deflated ones resemble jellyfish,
      institution is located in Juno Beach.             world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches.  a common prey item for sea turtles).
        Director of Research, Dr. Justin Perrault commented     • Adopt a nest: To celebrate this year’s record nesting     •  Use  lighting  on  the  beach  at  night  including
      on the success of LMC’s research efforts and the record-  season people are encouraged to adopt a sea turtle nest.   flashlights, lanterns, flash photography and cell phones.
      breaking  nest  count, “This  news is  quite  exciting,   For more information on this program please visit: https://    • Touch hatchlings on their way to the ocean.
      especially since season is nowhere near over, and we are   marinelife.org/help/adopt/.                 • Take or touch empty egg shells, or exposed, unhatched eggs.
      still expecting a few thousand more nests this season. The     Additionally, please remember to practice sea turtle-    • Harm or harass sea turtles, their nests or hatchlings.
      recent rise in sea turtle nest counts are worth celebrating   safe protocol when visiting our local Florida beaches     • Use shovels to dig on the beach during nesting season.
      and are likely due to protection measures, enacted several   during nesting and hatching season.       It is illegal to harm or harass sea turtles, their nests or
      decades ago. We have to remind ourselves that there is still                                         hatchlings, which are protected by the U.S. Endangered
                                                                                                           Species Act of 1973 and Florida Statute Chapter 370. For
                                                                                                           more information about sea turtle nesting, visit marinelife.
                                                                                                           org/nesting or marinelife.org/research.





















                                                                                                           About Loggerhead Marinelife Center
                                                                                                             Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea
                                                                                                           turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution
                                                                                                           that  promotes  conservation  of  ocean  ecosystems  with
                                                                                                           a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The
                                                                                                           center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory,
                                                                                                           educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates
                                                                                                           the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and
                                                                                                           sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important
                                                                                                           sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center
            Ask about our Rosh Hashanah                                                                    is  open  daily  and  hosts  over  350,000  guests  free-of-
                                                                                                           charge each year. The center’s conservation team works
                                                                                                           with 90 local and international organizations across six
           & Yom Kippur Holiday Menus.                                                                     continents to form partnerships and share conservation
                                                                                                           initiatives and best practices that are core to its mission
                                                                                                           of  ocean  conservation.  The  center  is  expanding  and
                                                                                                           has  launched  its  Waves  of  Progress  capital  expansion
                                                                                                           campaign,  designed  to  accelerate  and  amplify  LMC’s
           Tradition never                                                                                 conservation and education impact. When complete, the
                                                                                                           facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and
           tasted so delicious.                                                                            unique  experiences  for  guests  and  scientific  partners.
                                                                                                           For more information, visit marinelife.org or call (561)
                                                                                                           627-8280.



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