Page 6 - Jupiter West - April '21
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Page 6, Jupiter West
Sea Turtle Nesting Season Returns To Palm Beach
County With ‘Respect The Locals’ Campaign
Researchers at During periods of heavier wind or wave action on sightseeing. Situated on one of the world’s most important
Loggerhead Marinelife Florida’s coastline, sea turtle eggs may become exposed. sea turtle nesting beaches, Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Center (LMC) are LMC advises beachgoers to leave exposed eggs and nests is open daily and hosts over 350,000 guests free-of-charge
keeping a watchful eye untouched; disoriented hatchlings should be brought to the each year. The center’s conservation team works with 90
for the return of sea center’s 24-hour hatchling rescue cooler, which is located local and international organizations across six continents
turtle nesting season at the entrance of the center. Threatened and endangered to form partnerships and share conservation initiatives
in Palm Beach County hatchlings should be transported with extreme care, in a and best practices that are core to its mission of ocean
and have kicked off its bucket with damp sand and no water, to prevent accidental conservation. The center is expanding and has launched
“Respect the Locals” drowning. its Waves of Progress capital expansion campaign,
awareness campaign. If you discover a sick, injured or stranded sea turtle, designed to accelerate and amplify LMC’s conservation
Between March 1 and please call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and education impact. When complete, the facility will
Oct. 31, sea turtles nest Commission (FWC) or LMC’s Sea Turtle Stranding offer one of the world’s most advanced and unique
on the 9.5-mile stretch Hotline at (561) 603-0211. experiences for guests and
of beach that LMC Want to help protect nesting and hatching sea scientific partners. For
monitors, which spans turtles this season? Use the #respectthelocals and more information, visit
from the northern Palm #loggerheadmarinelifecenter hashtags to keep social media www.marinelife.org or call
Beach County line to Morning surveys (Jennifer users informed and engaged this nesting season. Follow (561) 627-8280.
the northern boundary Reilly, LMC research operations LMC’s social media and website for Respect the Locals
of John D. MacArthur manager) information, materials, and merchandise.
Beach State Park. Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Last year, the center Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) is a nonprofit sea
documented 16,935 turtle research, rehabilitation and educational institution
sea turtle nests totaling that promotes conservation of ocean ecosystems with
286 leatherback, a focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. The
13,059 loggerhead and center features an on-site hospital, research laboratory,
3,590 green sea turtle educational exhibits and aquariums, and also operates
nests. Additionally, it’s the Juno Beach Pier, which hosts world-class angling and Nesting leatherback (storm) Loggerhead hatchling
estimated that 800,000
hatchlings w ere
produced from the
2020 nesting season
alone.
However , the Hatchling emergence You’re Retired
previous nesting
season had some advantages due to temporary beach Your Money Isn’t.
closures. According to LMC data, loggerhead nesting
success on Juno Beach was 60 percent when they first
arrived in April during closures, whereas nesting success To learn why consolidating your
dropped to 48 percent when beaches reopened. In short, the retirement accounts to Edward Jones
data showed that there were a smaller proportion of false makes sense, c
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 Sally S Stahl, AAMS®
includes: Financial Advisor www.edwardjones.com
• Keeping your distance: Never approach or touch a M e m b P I S r e C
nesting sea turtle. Keep your distance, always stay out of the 1851 W Indiantown Rd Ste 106
line of sight, remain quiet and keep all lights off (including Jupiter, FL 33458
flash photography and cell phones). Touching, prodding or 561-748-7600
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. Do
not remove or dig hatchlings out of a nest. Removing sand
above the nest will make it more difficult for the hatchlings CAMPBELL AND KARLIK, P.A.
to emerge.
• Turning off lights: Keep lights off at your house while ATTORNEYS AT LAW
not in use and close your blinds at night to avoid adding
to the overall glow. Sea turtles crawl towards the brightest
horizon, and artificial lighting can cause them to disorient.
• Filling in your holes: Fill in all holes and knock over Wills • Trusts • Estate Planning • Probate
sand castles so that nesting turtles and hatchlings do not
fall into them and are not hindered as they crawl on the Taxation • Real Estate • Corporations
beach.
Do Not
• Leave it behind: Remove obstacles such as beach
chairs, tables, water-sport equipment and umbrellas before
dark. A turtle nests every 3 to 4 feet. Therefore, there are
high chances of puncturing sea turtle nests or eggs when
umbrellas are staked into the ground.
• 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.
• Release balloons: Don’t release balloons, they travel
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 Diane L. KarLiK
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 Tel: (561) 625-5220
of research. “However, we can’t rely on closures to do the 3450 Northlake Boulevard Suite 210 Fax: (561) 625-5201• Mobile: (561) 797-5004
work for us. Rather, it’s important for us to follow proven Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403 EMail: dlkarlik@aol.com
methods that contribute to a successful nesting season. ”