Turtle nest season comes ashore on Longboat Key

Turtle-nesting season is almost upon us and just in time for Mother’s Day!

The amazing and wonderful process begins May 1 and ends Oct. 31.

The mature sea turtle comes upon our beaches to dig a nest, in which she buries her eggs and covers them with sand using her back flippers.

But reaching maturity doesn’t happen overnight. It takes 30 years from hatching to become a mature turtle.

The whole nesting process is a laborious task and takes about an hour. If you have the good fortune to be watching, do not disturb her in any way. Do not use camera flashes or other lights. If you live on the beach side, pull your drapes shut. Plan all outdoor lighting to follow town regulations.

Approximately 100 ping-pong sized eggs are deposited in each nest, and the turtle leaves clear tracks on the beach, both in and out of the water. It is these tracks that lead the Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteers to the nest, which is marked by yellow stakes, including the time for when the hatchlings emerge from their shells. (Hatching occurs approximately 60 to 65 days after the eggs are laid.)

All volunteers must receive special training at Mote Marine Laboratory, and this has been accomplished for the upcoming season.

Although last season started off slowly because of a cold spell, the numbers at the end of 2010 proved to be better than 2009. In fact, numbers were the best in 10 years!

How can you help? For a contribution of $15 you can buy a Turtle Watch T-shirt or tank top (child sizes are available, too) at the UPS Store in The Centre Shops or at the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce.

If you want to join Turtle Watch, call Freda Perrotta at 383-6261.

Virginia Sanders is the spokesperson for the Longboat Key Turtle Conservation Program, serves on the Citizens Advisory Board of the National Estuary Program and is a Mote Marine volunteer.