Take care for our turtles
A leatherback turtle nesting on Folly Beach in 2008. Photo by Shannon Teders
provided by the Folly Turtle Team
Folly’s first loggerhead of the 2010 season came ashore on May 21 in the 8th block East. Turtle Watch Program volunteers assigned to that section of the beach helped relocate 121 eggs to a spot higher in the dunes where it is less likely that they will be inundated by high tides.
The next evening, a rare leatherback laid 74 eggs that were relocated to the County Park. When a leatherback nested on Folly Beach in 2003 it was only the third leatherback nest ever recorded in SC. That nest produced 67 viable hatchlings. In 2008 the Turtle Watch got a midnight call from Folly Beach Public Safety about a turtle nesting on the beach. To the surprise and delight of the Turtle Team, it turned out to be a leatherback. Many members were able to watch the rare turtle lay her eggs before returning wearily to the sea. It is likely that the 2008 leatherback was the same turtle that had nested nine days earlier on Kiawah, according to sources from the SC Department of Natural Resources. Since sea turtles return several times in one season to nest on or near the beach where they hatched, Folly Beach may have another leatherback soon.
The current turtle season is in full swing and off to a great start, but your help is needed to ensure a successful turtle nesting season. Here’s what you can do to help:
1. Pick up your litter. If you bring it to the beach, please take it home with you. If you are out walking, take a trash bag and pick up litter that others have thoughtlessly left behind. Litter impedes the progress of turtles coming ashore to nest and is even more dangerous to fledgling turtles.
2. Fill in sand holes. They are dangerous for people as well as nesting turtles and hatchlings. Adult loggerheads cannot get out if they fall into a large hole.
3. Bring in your beach gear at the end of the day. Items left out overnight can pose a real problem for Loggerheads looking for a place to nest. She may abandon her search for a nesting site and return to the sea to release her eggs.
4. Turn off exterior lights. Lights can frighten or disorient a turtle attempting to nest, but they also disorient the tiny hatchlings. Before extensive coastal development, it was the moon shining on the waves that led the hatchlings toward the safety of the ocean. Houselights will direct them away from the ocean, where they can quickly die.
If you see a turtle nesting on the beach, DO NOT disturb her. Call Folly Beach Public Safety and be prepared to let them know the location so they can notify the Turtle Team. For more information on nests, pictures, stories and other information, go to follyturtles.com.
