Summertime nightlife at our beaches also means wildlife. North Carolina's beaches are the northernmost nesting area for loggerhead turtles, fascinating creatures threatened with extinction. All along our shores, people concerned for the survival of these ancient denizens turn out on summer nights to help protect their nests and hatchlings.
The loggerhead (Caretta caretta) is among the largest of the sea turtles. Adults average more than 3 feet in length and weigh about 300 pounds. Between early May and late October, the mother turtle creeps ashore at the very spot where she herself was hatched to lay her eggs along the dunes above the high-water line. She covers them over to incubate them in the warm sand. A single female may lay 120 spherical eggs at once and repeat the process up to six times a season. The hatchlings begin to appear in July, with the peak hatching period being September. Hatching usually occurs at night, an entire nest erupting all at once into scores of cute, three-inch-long hatchlings.
Getting across the beach strand and into the water is a perilous journey for the little critters. The baby turtles make a great meal for ravenous crabs, gulls and raccoons, which is why loggerhead moms lay eggs in such great numbers. The hatchlings can even get stranded in a human footprint. This is where humans can help.
The Topsail Turtle Project (TTP), organized in 1986, sponsors weekly talks for the public at the Surf City Town Hall, (910) 328-4131, on Thursday at 4 PM during the summer. It also provides free volunteer training in late April and maintains a small turtle exhibit at Town Hall. TTP is now in the process of establishing the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, the first of its kind in the state, at Topsail Beach. Topsail Island gets an average of 100 turtle nests each year.
It's easy to help, mainly by observing a few simple guidelines:
Avoid disturbing a turtle crawling to or from the
ocean.
Avoid leaving outdoor lights on all night,
particularly at the oceanfront. Lights can disorient turtles and cause them to lose their
direction.
Keep a respectful distance from nesting turtles and
don't shine lights in their eyes or harass them in any way. (Besides, it's illegal.) Sit
quietly and watch nature take its marvelous course.
Report turtle sightings and turtle tracks (they may
indicate the location of a nest). Adult turtle tracks look like single bulldozer tracks
heading straight into the water.
Never disturb a nest. This also means avoiding the
dune line in nesting season when driving off-road vehicles on the beach. Known nests are
clearly marked with brightly colored ribbon.
Pick up trash. That's right! Keeping beaches clean
will help reduce the need for sanitation machinery that can crush turtle eggs.
You can help. Volunteering requires commitment and hard work (and some loss of sleep). Or you can simply notify qualified turtle watchers at the numbers below when you see turtles or signs of nests.
Topsail Island, (910) 328-1000
Wrightsville Beach, (910) 256-4913
Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, (910) 458-0015
Southport, Yaupon Beach, Long Beach, (910) 278-5518
Caswell Beach, (910) 278-4507
Holden Beach, (910) 842-7242; pager (910) 754-0766
Ocean Isle Beach, (910) 579-9513; pager (910) 754-1272
Sunset Beach, (910) 579-2994 or (910) 579-5862
To report dead turtles and violations anywhere in North Carolina call (800) 662-7137. For more information call the North Carolina Sea Turtle Project at (919) 729-1359.
Turtle Graphics by PeeLee |
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