DID YOU KNOW? 

Sea Turtle season starts March 1st and ends October 31.  During the summer months, beaches along Florida's coastal counties host 90% of the sea turtle nesting in the continental U.S.   Palm Beach County beaches provide critical nesting habitat for two species of endangered sea turtles, the green and leatherback sea turtles, and the threatened loggerhead sea turtle.  Palm Beach County has the highest number of leatherback nests and the second highest number of loggerhead and green nests in America.  Each summer approximately 14,000 nests are laid by are by sea turtles which covers 45 miles of Palm Beach County's coastline. It is important that the sea turtles have a safe environment not only to lay their eggs but also for the emerging hatchlings that will eventually make their way to their new ocean home.  Litter can impede their journey and can put the baby turtles at risk.

The life of a sea turtle can be rather challenging and we hope that you can help keep the neighborhood safe for nesting turtles and insure that newborn hatchlings get off to a good start!

NESTING SEA TURTLES 

Female sea turtles will emerge from the sea and dig a hole to lay their eggs. The task of excavating a nest may take her over an hour to accomplish. The turtle - weighing several hundred pounds - laboriously digs a nest cavity with her rear flippers. She then deposits approximately 100 pliable ping-pong ball sized eggs into the chamber, covers them with sand and returns to the sea. After roughly a two-month incubation period, a cluster of tiny hatchlings emerges from the sand and scrambles to the ocean water.The nesting season will then continue through the summer to early fall. Florida's beaches provide critical nesting grounds for threatened and endangered sea turtles . 

Sea turtles usually will nest at night.  If you should come across an adult turtle on the beach, please DO NOT approach her.  Any movement can deter the female from nesting as well as noise or light, such as a flashlight.  Stay behind the turtle and out of sight so she may go about her business and lay her eggs.  For the sea turtles sake it is best to avoid walking the beach at night during sea turtle nesting season.  If you would like to see a sea turtle nesting you can attend one of the guided sea turtle walks that may be in your area such as Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, 561-338-1473 or Marinelife Center in Juno Beach 561-624-6952

BEACH FRONT LIGHTING 

Beachfront lighting can cause a potential threat to nesting females as well as to hatchlings.On beaches where artificial lighting is visible, nesting females are deterred from nesting and the hatchlings' important journey to the sea is disrupted, 

It is worth noting that a single light left on near the beach can be responisible for misdirecting and killing hundreds of hatchlings each season,

  DO YOUR PART WHILE AT THE BEACH

• Avoid going to the beach to observe turtles at night without a jpermitted guide.
• Do not use flashlights on the beach at night in the summer.
• Place umbrellas only in the upper 12 inches of sand to avoid disturing buried clutches of eggs.
• Buile sand castles and dig holes below seaweed line.
• Please pick up litter on the beach and properly dispose of your trash.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

• Report Injured or Dead Sea Turtles also Violations, Harassment or Poaching to:  FWC  Law Enforcement  1-888-404-FWCC     
• For additional information, contact:  Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resource Management   561-233-2400 or www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm  

   *Did you know it is a federal offense to possess or handle sea turtle eggs or hatchlings?*      

Light Sticks May Inadvertently Lure Turtles To Fishing Lines

Science Daily — Thousands of loggerhead turtles die every year when they get tangled or hooked in commercial fishing longlines meant for tuna or swordfish.  New research suggests a possible reason why turtles swim into the lines. The glowing light sticks that lure fish to longlines also attract turtles, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

The light sticks used in longline fisheries resemble the disposable plastic tubes popular with children on Halloween. The steady glow draws fish, which then find baited hooks and are caught on the lines. The lights also seem to fascinate turtles, however, which are equally likely to chomp on fish bait, or get snagged in the hooks and lines.

“Juvenile turtles are indiscriminant eaters and bite nearly everything small that they encounter,” said Ken Lohmann, UNC-Chapel Hill professor of biology and senior author of the study.  “Under natural conditions, most small objects floating or swimming through the sea are potential sources of food.  But nowadays, with fishing lines, plastic, and garbage in the ocean, biting everything is not such a great strategy.”

The new findings may help fisheries decrease the number of turtles caught on lines, the researchers said. Most longlines deploy their hooks below the depths where turtles usually swim, so shading the lights to direct illumination downward instead of upward might make the lights harder for turtles to see. Similarly, switching to colors that turtles can’t detect very well might also reduce turtle deaths.

All sea turtles are endangered species. A recent estimate published in the journal Ecology Letters suggests 200,000 loggerhead and 50,000 leatherback turtles may die each year in commercial fishery longlines. Total populations have declined in the past 20 years, Lohmann said.

While it’s difficult to separate the impact of longline fisheries from other threats turtles face, researchers say that the loss to longlines is significant because the turtles caught are often adolescents, which die before they have a chance to reproduce. Only about one in 5,000 turtles ever survive to adulthood. In the past, those lucky enough to last a few years in the ocean could expect a long life and would replenish the population. With the advent of longline fishing, the number of survivors has dwindled. “A lot of turtles that beat the odds and would otherwise have lived long lives are now being caught on longlines,” Lohmann said.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

LAND AND FRESH WATER TURTLES

Though Florida may be known for their Sea Turtles and their nesting there are also some beautiful turtles that may get over looked.  Florida's fresh water turtles and land turtles are just as impressive and more common to see.  They too are effected by the litter that's left in their habitat.  The following are some of the more common turtles you may see in your backyard or in fresh water ponds. lakes and canals.

THE GOPHER TORTOISE

The Gopher Tortoise is one of the original inhabitants of the coastal dunes along Florida's beaches, scrub areas and sometimes in your backyard.  The name Gopher Tortoise is probably in reference to the pocket gopher, because just as that small mammal creates lengthy burrows, so do the tortoise's.

This lovable, slow moving tortoise is famous for digging underground burrows 10 to 35 feet long with "bedrooms" at the ends.  The burrows are foind in sandy well drained areas.  They eat low-growing vegetation, leaves, grasses and wild fruits.

*It is illegal to kill, capture, own, buy or sell gophers except by special permit.  This is because their numbers have reduced since human housing has taken over much of the area that the gopher's need to live.*

SOFTSHELL TURTLE

The softshells truly have soft shells: in fact, their shells are mostly thickened skin. As such they are much more vulnerable to injuries from rocks and bites than are other hard-shelled turtles. They are highly aquatic, spending most of their time under water, often buried under the sandy or muddy river or lake bottoms with only their long probiscus topping the surface. Like many aquatic amphibians, softshells respire through their skin as well, thus are particularly susceptible to impurities in the water.

Softshells are found in a variety of waters: lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, even ditches. Some species are quite aggressive. They are carnivores and as such are able to render some very painful bites should they be so inclined.

In the wild, softshells feed primarily on invertebrates and crayfish, sometimes found scavenging on fish, as well as a variety of aquatic vegetation. Some larger species snag ducks and other small aquatic birds by grabbing them from below. Other species may feed on frogs, tadpoles, mudpuppies, snails, molluscs, and worms. In captivity, they can be fed on meats (cook chicken first!) and dog food; turtles greater than 8 inches carapace length should only get low fat/low protein dog foods. An assortment of feeder fish and invertebrates may be offered as well.

RED-BELLIED TURTLE

The Florida redbelly turtle is mainly herbivorous, and can be found in nearly any type of aquatic habitat. It reaches particularly high densities in spring runs, and occasionally can be found in brackish water. This species is active year-round and spends a large portion of the day basking on logs. They are noted for sometimes laying their eggs in the nest mounds of alligators

The Florida redbelly is closely related to the Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys floridana) and can often be found basking on logs together. The Florida redbelly can be distinguished from the other turtles by its distinctive red-tinged plastron (belly) and two cusps (like teeth) on its upper beak.

Florida redbellies are commonly exported for consumption and the pet trade, with about 50% wild caught individuals and 50% captive bred.