Loggerhead Turtle Nests Are At An All-Time High In Georgia Beaches

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Turtle nests are in constant danger from predators and from human activities. In fact, animal rights activists have been scoring beaches just to find nest areas and look for ways to protect these endangered species that have no way to defend themselves.

The worldwide efforts have become successful to many. Turtle nests are being monitored and protected so that the baby turtles can safely swim their way back to the ocean. In fact, Georgia has seen amazing results that the others can take pride in.

With all the efforts made, loggerhead sea turtle nesting was at an all-time high this week in Georgia. This wonderfully large reptiles had been able to surpass their best to date. The count was at its highest for the many nests found on their Atlantic Ocean beaches.

With the hatchling count has continued to increase, the nest count also went up to a high 3,960 recently, and this has been the largest in the last 33 years. They have been conducting these surveys in the U.S. state since 1989 when they first took note of the drop.


The recent count actually surpasses the previous record of 3,950 nests. This had been surveyed in 2019, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. What makes these researchers even happier is that there was an increase of about 10 times of what it was in sea turtle nests based on its lowest point of merely 358 nests in 2004.

“Loggerheads are a long-lived species that don’t reproduce until 30-35 years of age,” said Georgia Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd. He is a senior wildlife biologist with the DNR.

Georgia’s loggerheads population went into the endangered list under the Endangered Species Act. Since then, they have seen impressive changes as the numbers have continued to go up at around 4 percent per year since the early 1990s. When you look at its current trend, Dodd has made a prediction and believes that it will take them another 20 years before they make thee goal.

The model made by Dodd suggests that the number for loggerhead nests will go up once more and it may reach levels that they have not witnessed since the 1950s.

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As for the loggerhead sea turtles, they can weigh as much as 300 pounds and even more. The female species crawl to the shore of beaches, dig a hole that they put at the base of the dunes, and then lay their eggs. These activities oftentimes happen night from the months of May into August.


Every single sea turtle nests, even those that don’t often nest in areas like Kemp’s ridley and green, have been marked, protected, and monitored. The efforts were done by the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative as a way to protect these reptiles. The DNR had done this by coordinating a network of federally permitted volunteers, researchers, and agency employees. They have constantly patrolled the beaches every single day, especially during nesting season, and this has been happening for more than 30 years now.

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As for the Georgians themselves, they made their own contributions to the program. They did so by purchasing special automobile license plates that come with wildlife pictures. They merely had to shell out $25 more rather than going to the standard plate.

If you want to contribute and take part of the protection program, you may do so through the following forms of assistance:

  1. Should you decide to take a walk on the beach at night, refrain from using flashlights or from taking pictures with flash photography. These will hinder the female turtles from coming to the shore to nest. Or, in some cases, they may even abort nesting altogether.
  2. During nesting season, you need to lower minimize beachfront lighting. You can do this by switching lights off, lowering shield, and redirecting lights.
  3. If you see turtle tracks, leave these alone. The researchers look for these tracks in order to identify the species as well as mark nests that need to be protected.
  4. Should you see hatchlings and sea turtles, be a quiet observer and don’t go near them. Keep your distance.
  5. Make sure to protect vegetation in the beach because they serve their purpose of stabilizing the sand and the natural coastline.
  6. When riding about, look around so you don’t run into these turtles or any other form of life. Should you accidentally hit a sea turtle, please stay the area and call DNR at 800-2-SAVE-ME (800-272-8363) right away.
  7. Should you come across dead or injured species, call 800-272-8363 as well. If you see a tag on the turtle, mention its color and the number written on it if and when you can.

 

 

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