Agricultural and Environmental Reporting entry for The Banner in the 2014 Florida Press Association's Better Weekly Newspaper Contest. Story by Brandi Broxson.
PATRIOTIC PROGENY FIRST TROVE OF SEA TURTLES EXPECTED TO HATCH ON FOURTH OF JULY PAGE 8A PLANET KERTH A LONG LINE OF CLOCKS, AND LOOPS OF TIME PAGE 10A FOR A BETTER ESTERO CHAMBER LUNCHEON HONORS BUSINESSES, GIVES AWARDS PAGE 12A SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM FOR HEAVEN SHAKES, A HIDDEN GEM IN BONITA PAGE 24A the banner BONITA SPRINGS | ESTERO | SOUTH FORT MYERS | SAN CARLOS PARK Est. 1959 06.28.14 SATURDAY YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR FRIENDS. YOUR NEWS. | the-banner.com Solid Wood Shutters DIY SPECIAL $13.95 SQ FT Minimum Purchase Required or $16.95 SQ FT Installed Minimum Purchase Required. Naples: 877.708.1749 Fort Myers/Show Room: 239.243.0384 14231 Jetport Loop West, Unit 12 ShutterUp.com “The Plantation Shutter Experts” World’s Strongest Shutter
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PATRIOTICPROGENYFIRST TROVE OF SEA TURTLESEXPECTED TO HATCH ONFOURTH OF JULYPAGE 8A
PLANET KERTHA LONG LINE OF CLOCKS,
AND LOOPS OF TIMEPAGE 10A
FOR A BETTER ESTEROCHAMBER LUNCHEONHONORS BUSINESSES,
GIVES AWARDSPAGE 12A
SCREAM FOR ICE CREAMFOR HEAVEN SHAKES,
A HIDDEN GEM IN BONITAPAGE 24A
the bannerBONITA SPRINGS | ESTERO | SOUTH FORT MYERS | SAN CARLOS PARK
Est. 195906.28.14SATURDAY
YOUR COMMUNITY. YOUR FRIENDS. YOUR NEWS. | the-banner.com
FiRST TROVE OF SEa TuRTlES ExpECTEd TO haTCh On FOuRTh OF JulY
By Brandi BroxsonStaff
Some brand-new guests will soon make their way onto area beaches. And they’re not snowbirds.
During the next few weeks thousands of tiny loggerhead sea turtles will emerge from ping-pong-size eggs laid by a female adult turtle about
50 days prior.Sea turtle nesting season began on May 1 and will con-
tinue through October. The pint-size bale of turtles will move from their nest and into the warm summer waters of the Gulf where the creatures will begin the juvenile part of their life cycle. If they’re lucky.
Collier County’s sea turtle monitoring program coor-dinator Maura Kraus said she expects the first crop of turtles to hatch around Fourth of July.
“We’re real pleased and we can’t wait for the nests to start hatching because we have a lot of nests on the beach,” Kraus said. “We’re seeing a little bit better numbers than last year, but last year was a very good year.”
The Collier County Parks and Recreation Department documented 601 nests in 2013 which was slightly down from a recorded 818 nests in 2012. Lee County’s Parks and Recreation Department reported a total of 149 nests in 2013 and 200 in 2012.
“We’re a little ahead of last year but we can’t re-ally compare ourselves to last year because sea turtles nest every other year,” said Eve Haverfield, who has monitored Lee beaches for the last 35 years and runs
the volunteer turtle monitoring program Turtle Time. “This year’s population is actually the population that nested in 2012 and 2012 was our banner year.”
As of June 23, 662 nests had been reported by Collier County Parks and Recreation. The beaches monitored in-clude Barefoot Beach, Delnor-Wiggins, Vanderbilt Beach, Park Shore Beach, city of Naples Beach, Keewaydin Island, Sea Oat & Coconut Island, city of Marco Island beaches, 10,000 Islands and Cape Romano Complex.
Keewaydin Island takes the top spot for most nests in Lee and Collier counties. As of June 23, 140 nests had been marked on the 8-mile long barrier island. Kraus said it’s a hot spot for nests because the beach is longer, more undeveloped and it’s easier for turtles to come up through dunes to nest. There’s also less lighting issues and no people on the beach at night to disturb the nesting process.
As of June 25, Turtle Time reported 83 nests in Lee County which includes Bunche Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Big Hickory Island, Bonita Beach and Bokeelia.
Haverfield said she expects Lee County’s first sea turtles to hatch the second week of July. “The sand temperatures have been pretty cool on the beaches and of course sand temperature determines incubation periods.” She said for each degree less than 80 degrees you can add a few days to the incubation period.
Naples Harbormaster Roger Jacobsen said monitors and enforcement are increased on Fourth of July to pro-tect turtles and nesting sites.
“Because our nests are marked clearly we’ve never had a nest damaged during one of these events,” he said.
Kraus said extra orange flagging tape will be placed around the middle of the nesting sites to increase aware-ness. The sites are typically marked with wooden posts with yellow caution tape around the top.
daVid albERS/STaFF
beachgoers sit outside the Vanderbilt beach Resort near tracks from earth-moving equipment and blocked-off sea turtle nests on Vanderbilt beach on the first day of sand delivery for a Collier County beach renourishment project on Monday, Oct. 14, 2013, in naples.
Above: One in 1,000. point zero one percent. Statistically, that is how many baby sea turtles scrambling off the beach will make it to adulthood.
Right: These sea turtle hatchlings, trapped in a hole last season, died because they couldn’t get out and get into the Gulf. beach stewards warn against leaving these kinds of holes on the beach, asking to fill them in for the safety of people and sea turtles at this time of year.
Patriotic Progeny
FilE phOTOS (8)
Conservancy of Southwest Florida intern Emily barks measures the shell of a female loggerhead turtle while she is laying eggs on Keewaydin island. When the turtle is laying eggs she goes into a trance and is not bothered by lights or by people. barks and another intern bonnie Fairbanks call this turtle “Scratchy” because she looks like someone scratched barnacles off her shell.
9Athe-banner.com Saturday, June 28, 2014
DOS Do immediately notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (1-888-330-7370), pound FWC on your mobile phone or page 239-890-6486 if you fi nd a dead or injured sea turtle. Do remain quiet and at a distance if you witness a turtle crawling out of the ocean or digging a nest. Movements and noises can easily frighten away a female turtle. Do turn off lights that face seaward both indoor and outdoor. Do fi ll in holes and fl atten sand castles. These can obstruct hatchlings’ path to the ocean.
DON’TS Don’t litter or leave beach furniture out. Don’t use fl ashlights (including cellphone app) or fl ash photography on the beach at night. Lights deter turtles attempting to nest. Don’t stop a turtle that is returning to the water. Do not interfere with hatchlings heading for the water, this can weaken them and increase mortality. Contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (1-888-330-7370) if you witness any situation that may interfere with sea turtle activities Don’t bring dogs to the beach. Dogs may scare nesting turtles or interfere with nests.
TURTLE TRUTHS 41,582 hatchlings reached the Gulf of Mexico in 2013 according to Collier County Park and Recreation’s annual report. Nest temperature affects the sex of loggerhead turtles. Sea turtle eggs kept at a constant incubating temperature of about 89 degrees become females. Eggs incubating at about 82 degrees become males. An incubation temperature of 86 results in an equal ratio of male to female hatchlings. Loggerhead sea turtles can weigh up to 400 pounds.
the volunteer turtle monitoring program Turtle Time. “This year’s population is actually the population that nested in 2012 and 2012 was our banner year.”
As of June 23, 662 nests had been reported by Collier County Parks and Recreation. The beaches monitored in-clude Barefoot Beach, Delnor-Wiggins, Vanderbilt Beach, Park Shore Beach, city of Naples Beach, Keewaydin Island, Sea Oat & Coconut Island, city of Marco Island beaches, 10,000 Islands and Cape Romano Complex.
Keewaydin Island takes the top spot for most nests in Lee and Collier counties. As of June 23, 140 nests had been marked on the 8-mile long barrier island. Kraus said it’s a hot spot for nests because the beach is longer, more undeveloped and it’s easier for turtles to come up through dunes to nest. There’s also less lighting issues and no people on the beach at night to disturb the nesting process.
As of June 25, Turtle Time reported 83 nests in Lee County which includes Bunche Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Big Hickory Island, Bonita Beach and Bokeelia.
Haverfield said she expects Lee County’s first sea turtles to hatch the second week of July. “The sand temperatures have been pretty cool on the beaches and of course sand temperature determines incubation periods.” She said for each degree less than 80 degrees you can add a few days to the incubation period.
Naples Harbormaster Roger Jacobsen said monitors and enforcement are increased on Fourth of July to pro-tect turtles and nesting sites.
“Because our nests are marked clearly we’ve never had a nest damaged during one of these events,” he said.
Kraus said extra orange fl agging tape will be placed around the middle of the nesting sites to increase aware-ness. The sites are typically marked with wooden posts with yellow caution tape around the top.
A newly-hatched logger head turtle makes its way from its nest in the dunes on Barefoot Beach to the Gulf waters at dawn.
Below: Turtle Time volunteers Pat Santos, Lynne Crews and Judy Beach help a couple of baby turtles that hatched near Bonita Beach.
WHAT TO DO AND NOT DO DURING TURTLE NESTING SEASON
The city of Naples beach which boasts the annual Fourth of July fi reworks show on the Naples pier is a particular area of concern. “That by far is our biggest concerned beach. There’s lots of nest, lots in the middle of the beach,” Kraus said. “We worry about people walking through the nests; we worry about people falling into the nests.” Kraus re-minds guests of the beach to keep their distance and not place personal items near the nesting sites.
Marco and South Lee County monitors expect their fi rst hatchlings to make an appearance during the sec-ond week of July but if the baby turtles hatch early they will be prepared.
“If there is a nest or nests in the vicinity, they are marked with double fl agging and made larger,” said Marco Island Environmental Specialist Nancy Richie.
“The police department and fi re department are made aware of any nests that could be within the expected crowds.”
Richie said in years past the city has never had any issues on Fourth of July with sea turtle nests and that communication and education is the key to protection of the nests and turtles.
In addition to a busy holiday weekend, nesting turtles and their o� spring also face other di� culties. Monitors are seeing an increase in cellphone fl ashlight apps on the beach this year in particular. Jacobsen said that the use of the app is something that he didn’t deal with in years past.
“There’s no lights that are allowed at all on Naples beaches which means fl ashlights and those kinds of things, well nobody really carries fl ashlights. However, there is an app on cellphones called fl ashlight,” said Jacobsen. “Believe it or not I deal more with that now than I do lights in homes and residences.”
Kraus agrees. “You can really see them from quite a distance.” Kraus urges beachgoers to avoid using the app on the beach. “(Lights) scare the turtles back into the water and keep them from nesting.”
Kraus said this can be the reason for “false crawls,” which occur when an adult female turtle comes ashore and attempts to nest but returns to the water without laying eggs.
Haverfi eld said compliance with residential lighting is also detrimental to the turtle’s journey from the nest. “Lighting is a key to the success of hatchlings making it into the Gulf,” she said.
“If there is an electric light visible from their nest from the beach they will orient to that light rather than toward the seaward horizon.”
Haverfi eld recommends beach-side residents use Am-ber LED light bulbs which are turtle-friendly and may
even reduce electricity cost. “It’s a good deal for turtles and for people.”
Jacobsen said no lighting violations have been written so far this nesting season. “It’s been a very compliant year on Naples beaches.” Last year Jacobsen said half a dozen violations were written and many times it was because the owner of the property with the o� ense was out of town and could not be reached.
Beach renourishment is another factor to consider during this year’s nesting season. Bonita Beach started its project to renourish the beach and add sand and stability on June 30. Lover’s Key Beach will begin on Aug. 1. Haverfi eld said preparations have been put into place for the project and they’re keeping a close eye on the areas a� ected. “We started monitoring for beach renourishment on April 15 and all that were in that area have been relocated.”
Haverfi eld says she fi nds contentment in monitor-ing a species that is so important to the ocean. “If you ask anyone who likes turtles once it’s in your blood it’s there,” she said.
“(Turtles) are the caretakers of the oceans. Because of them we have fi sh to eat and healthy oceans. We need to help them survive and in doing so we help us, humanity.”
To learn more about sea turtle nesting season go to turtle-time.org, colliergov.net or leegov.com.
The posted warning on sea turtle nest number 58 in Naples.
Left: Maura Kraus, an environmentalist from the Collier County Sea Turtle Protection Program, re-cords information from sea turtle nest 58 while Scott Aldrich, a volunteer with the Collier County Parks & Recreation, looks on, Monday, June 25, 2012 at Naples Beach. Storm con-ditions from Tropical Storm Debby threatened the habi-tat of sea turtle eggs along the South West Florida coastline. The protection organization marked and documenting the results of the nests.
“Turtle Lady” Mary Morgan, right, volunteer Beverly Shipe and assistant Ed Tucker release a pail full of baby turtles into the Gulf of Mexico from Marco Island.
