Longboat Key Turtle Watch prepares for 2025 nesting season

Friends of Longboat Key’s sea turtles started preparing for the nesting season, which officially starts on May 1. 

Volunteers with Longboat Key Turtle Watch spent a few hours on March 25 and 26 repainting about 500 stakes used yearly to mark nests along Longboat’s beaches.

When turtles begin nesting, volunteers mark the nests with two or four stakes, depending on mechanically raked areas of the beach. 

On the stakes, volunteers indicate information like the species of turtle, address, a date code given by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, the zone and whether the Mote is monitoring the nest. 

Marking off the nests is essential. Volunteers and Mote staff can identify the nest and it makes the public aware of area nests. 

Courtesy image

Vice President of Longboat Key Turtle Watch Cyndi Seamon said the group lost some stakes during Hurricane Debby. She said the group would assess during the upcoming nesting season to see if they need to purchase more stakes to replace those lost. 

During Hurricane Helene, though, one of the large boxes holding the stakes washed away about a quarter-mile down from its original location, Seamon said. 

Luckily, a good samaritan found the box and contacted Longboat Key Turtle Watch, saving many of the stakes the organization repurposes every year. 

Sea turtle nesting season and the town of Longboat Key’s related ordinances don’t officially start until May 1, but Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteers will begin patrols in mid-April. 

For the past several years, nests are popping up earlier than May 1, typically around mid-to-late April. 

Though the town’s ordinances regarding turtle-friendly lighting, doesn’t start until May 1, Seamon said she advises everyone to be cognizant of lights visible from the beach closer to mid-April. 

“I always tell people to go take a walk on the beach at night and go look,” Seamon said. That way, she said, people can know what lights may be problems during the nesting season.

According to Seamon, the town’s code enforcement department will also start patrolling the beach around mid-April to note any changes from previous years or any potential issues. 

“I'm very grateful that the town acknowledges that they are nesting earlier and that they’re willing to put forth the effort to monitor and educate,” Seamon said.

This year, Seamon expects there may be some additional hurdles, given how much the beach face changed after the 2024 hurricane season. 

“I think everybody is on high alert," Seamon said. "There’s so much devastation, and it’s not a quick fix."

For one, flatter beaches and a changed beach topography might alter nesting behaviors. Dunes often protect properties from storm surge but can also act as a natural barrier between the beach and busy roads. 

“It’ll be interesting to see how high up (the beach) the turtles go,” Seamon said. “Our beach is pretty flat, lots of it.” 

Additionally, Seamon said the loss of dunes and beach vegetation may create gaps that let in light that weren’t previously visible from the beach. Other issues may be places that may have pools but have not repaired fences around the pools yet, Seamon said. 

When nesting season is in full swing, Longboat Key Turtle Watch conducts free public beach walks in June and July. Residents and guests can attend the beach walks starting at 6:45 a.m. at the public beach access located at 4795 Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

For more information about Longboat Key Turtle Watch, visit LBKTurtleWatch.com.