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Turtle Power
June 8-16 is World Sea Turtle Week! In North Carolina, sea turtle nesting season is May-October. Mother sea turtles lay around 120 eggs per nest, depending on the species. It takes 50-70 days for a nest to incubate and hatchlings to emerge and head toward the ocean.
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The “SEA GREEN” life
When visiting the beach this summer, a few things will help nesting mothers and hatchlings.
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Fill in your holes: Digging holes in the sand is fun but becomes a hazard to people and sea turtles. Turtles and people can fall into holes and get injured or trapped.
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Pack it up, pack it in: Take tents, beach chairs and equipment with you when you leave. These can create obstacles for nesting turtles and hatchlings.
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Lights out: Hatchlings use sight to get to the ocean. They typically emerge after dusk and look for moonlight on the ocean to orient. Cellphones, streetlights and porchlights can cause hatchlings to crawl away from the ocean. To help, turn off lights, close blinds on ocean-facing windows and use wildlife-friendly lights.
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Down with plastic: Not everyone can ditch the straw, but we all can reduce single-use plastics. Use your own to-go containers at restaurants. Make grocery bags out of old t-shirts. Bring your reusable water bottle to the beach.
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