Page 4 - Jupiter Spotlight - April '21

Page 4, Jupiter Spotlight
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Returns To Palm Beach

County With ‘Respect The Locals’ Campaign

Researchers During periods of heavier wind or wave action on endangered sea turtles. The center features an on-site
a t L ogge rhe a d Florida’s coastline, sea turtle eggs may become exposed. hospital, research laboratory, educational exhibits and
Marinelife Center LMC advises beachgoers to leave exposed eggs and nests aquariums, and also operates the Juno Beach Pier, which
(LMC) are keeping a untouched; disoriented hatchlings should be brought to hosts world-class angling and sightseeing. Situated on one
watchful eye for the the center’s 24-hour hatchling rescue cooler, which is of the world’s most important sea turtle nesting beaches,
return of sea turtle located at the entrance of the center. Threatened and Loggerhead Marinelife Center is open daily and hosts
nesting season in endangered hatchlings should be transported with extreme over 350,000 guests free-of-charge each year. The center’s
Palm Beach County care, in a bucket with damp sand and no water, to prevent conservation team works with 90 local and international
and have kicked off its accidental drowning. organizations across six continents to form partnerships
“Respect the Locals” If you discover a sick, injured or stranded sea turtle, and share conservation initiatives and best practices that
awareness campaign. please call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation are core to its mission of ocean conservation. The center
Between March 1 and Commission (FWC) or LMC’s Sea Turtle Stranding is expanding and has launched its Waves of Progress
Oct. 31, sea turtles Hotline at (561) 603-0211. capital expansion campaign, designed to accelerate and
nest on the 9.5-mile Want to help protect nesting and hatching sea amplify LMC’s conservation and education impact. When
st re t ch of be ac h turtles this season? Use the #respectthelocals and complete, the facility will offer one of the world’s most
that LMC monitors, #loggerheadmarinelifecenter hashtags to keep social advanced and unique experiences for guests and scientific
which spans from the Morning surveys (Jennifer media users informed and engaged this nesting season. partners. For more information, visit www.marinelife.org
northern Palm Beach Reilly, LMC research operations Follow LMC’s social media and website for Respect the or call (561) 627-8280.
County line to the manager) Locals information, materials, and
northern boundary of merchandise.
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. Last year, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center
center documented 16,935 sea turtle nests totaling 286 Loggerhead Marinelife Center
leatherback, 13,059 loggerhead and 3,590 green sea turtle (LMC) is a nonprofit sea turtle
nests. Additionally, it’s estimated that 800,000 hatchlings research, rehabilitation and
were produced from the 2020 nesting season alone. educational institution that promotes
However, the previous nesting season had some conservation of ocean ecosystems
advantages due to temporary beach closures. According with a focus on threatened and
to LMC data, loggerhead nesting success on Juno Beach
was 60 percent when they first arrived in April during
closures, whereas nesting success dropped to 48 percent
when beaches reopened. In short, the data showed that
there were a smaller proportion of false crawls during the
shutdown, which is when nesting females crawl onto the
beach and return to the water without laying eggs.
As mothers return, it’s especially important to remind
beachgoers of best practices during the season. This includes:
• Keeping your distance: Never approach or touch a
nesting sea turtle. Keep your distance, always stay out
of the line of sight, remain quiet and keep all lights off Nesting leatherback (storm) Loggerhead hatchling Hatchling emergence
(including flash photography and cell phones). Touching,
prodding or shining lights may cause her to not lay
eggs or disturb her and affect how well she covers and
camouflages the nest.
• Letting hatchlings emerge: If you see hatchlings on
the beach, allow them to crawl to the ocean on their own. You’re Retired
Do not remove or dig hatchlings out of a nest. Removing
sand above the nest will make it more difficult for the Your Money Isn’t.
hatchlings to emerge.
• Turning off lights: Keep lights off at your house
while not in use and close your blinds at night to avoid To learn why consolidating your
adding to the overall glow. Sea turtles crawl towards the retirement accounts to Edward Jones
brightest horizon, and artificial lighting can cause them makes sense, c
to disorient.
• Filling in your holes: Fill in all holes and knock over
sand castles so that nesting turtles and hatchlings do not fall
into them and are not hindered as they crawl on the beach.
Do Not Sally S Stahl, AAMS®
• Leave it behind: Remove obstacles such as beach Financial Advisor www.edwardjones.com
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• Dig holes: Avoid digging holes or using shovels in
order to not interfere with incubating sea turtle nests.
• Be a litterbug: Do not leave any trash behind. Trash
can hinder nesting and hatchling turtles from crawling
to and from the beach. Also, sea turtles may accidentally
ingest trash left behind. $59
• Release balloons: Don’t release balloons, they travel Introductory Massage
far distances and can be eaten by sea turtles and other
marine organisms.
• Host bonfires: Bonfires may be accidentally situated
on a nesting site. Also, hatchlings can often be lured or
disoriented by light emitted by fires.
“It’s apparent that the temporary beach closures
from last season led to fewer obstructions and human
interactions for nesting sea turtles,” said Dr. Justin
Perrault, LMC’s director of research. “However, we
can’t rely on closures to do the work for us. Rather, it’s
important for us to follow proven methods that contribute 561-745-1002
to a successful nesting season. ”
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