Page 19 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - December '20

Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens, Page 19
Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s Nesting Season

Ranks Third In Its Thirty Years Of Surveying Sea Turtles

Despite the world’s seismic shift, Loggerhead Marinelife the case given female
Center (LMC) cataloged another successful nesting season on sea turtles can be scared
its 9.5-mile stretch of beach, which spans from the northern backed into the water
Palm Beach County line to the northern boundary of John or impeded by beach
D. MacArthur Beach State Park. Between Feb. 28 and Oct. debris, sandcastles,
31, LMC documented 16,935 sea turtle nests. Altogether, holes, flashlights and
the center’s research department recorded 286 leatherback, human presence.”
13,059 loggerhead and 3,590 green sea turtle nests. According to LMC’s
“This year marks the third-highest nest count since we own data, loggerhead
first began surveying sea turtle nests in the 1980s,” said nesting success on Juno
LMC’s Director of Research, Dr. Justin Perrault. “In general, Beach was 60 percent
we hope that beachgoers abide by laws and regulations during the two-month
surrounding nesting sea turtles. However, that is not always beach closures due to
COVID-19 from mid-
March to mid-May. Dr. Justin Perrault, nighttime
When beaches reopened, surveys Nighttime nesting
nesting success dropped
to 48 percent. In other words, the data showed that there were The nesting site that LMC monitors is one of the most
a smaller proportion of false crawls during closures, which densely nested sea turtle beaches in the world. In its several-
is when nesting mothers crawl onto the beach and return to decade timespan, LMC has developed a comprehensive
the water without laying eggs. dataset to promote sea turtle and ocean conservation and has
Despite nesting season being officially over on Oct. recently produced collaborative manuscripts regarding the
31, hatchlings are still anticipated to be observed on local impact of heat on hatchling health, mercury concentration
beaches in the next few months. It is advisable to avoid in tissues of marine life, common viruses in green sea turtles
touching unhatched eggs, properly dispose of debris so as to and more!
not leave it behind on the beach and fill in holes in the sand, Need a reason to celebrate? The center and its research
Nesting emergence Hatchling among other best practices. department can give you 16,935. For more ways to support
sea turtle research, please consider donating to LMC’s
“Service is our number one priority” Annual Fund.
Loggerhead Marinelife Center
561-743-0070 Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea
turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution that
www.palmspoolservices.com 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 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 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 conservation and education impact. When complete,
Expires 12/31/20.
the facility will offer one of the world’s most advanced and
unique experiences for guests and scientific partners. For
State Licensed & Insured more information, visit www.marinelife.org or call (561)
Serving Palm Beach County CPC # 1457468 • LPG#30099 627-8280.
Photos courtesy of Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
Acquired through a Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) permit.
CAMPBELL AND KARLIK, P.A. Third Quarter

ATTORNEYS AT LAW December 7

New Moon
December 14
Wills • Trusts • Estate Planning • Probate

Taxation • Real Estate • Corporations First Quarter
December 21

Full Moon
December 29

Diane L. KarLiK

Tel: (561) 625-5220
3450 Northlake Boulevard Suite 210 Fax: (561) 625-5201• Mobile: (561) 797-5004
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403 EMail: dlkarlik@aol.com