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9. Report nesting
sea turtles and dim/turn off coastal lights during sea turtle nesting season.Beginning
in April, sea turtles that have spent nearly all of their lives far offshore return,
traveling around the world in some cases, to the near shore waters adjacent to
the nesting beaches their families have navigated for generations upon generations.
Males and females join in an aquatic copulation, often preceded, interrupted by,
and/or concluded by the jousting of rival males. After the harrowing mating experience,
females haul their marine-adapted bodies out of the surf and up the sandy beach
to trench a deep brooding place for up to a few hundred eggs. Exhausted, she then
carefully buries the precious loot and laboriously drags her bulk back out to
sea. Some female sea turtles may repeat this scene up to eight times in one nesting
season, adding clutch after clutch to the traditional nesting beaches of her maternal
line. If all goes well, a few months later, tiny sea turtles wriggle free of their
sandy natal chambers and, flippers a-flapping, make a mad dash for waves that
will carry them out to a secretive upbringing among floating mats of vegetation.
This
time-honored phenomenon has its risks, both man-made and natural, for mother and
young. Adverse weather conditions, predation from fire ants, raccoons, sea gulls,
and countless other hungry wildlife, illegal poaching, and nest disturbance from
human activities take a great toll on the marine turtles. By reporting any evidence
of nesting sea turtles, from tracks to nests (either intact or disturbed) to actual
sightings of adult turtles on the beach, you can not only contribute to ongoing
research into the population dynamics of a threatened or endangered species, but
also help to safeguard the next generation of sea-navigating chelonians. All reports
of suspected sea turtle activity can be made to 1-866-TURTLE-5 (1-866-887-8535). |
 |
| A mating pair of Loggerhead
sea turtles being harassed by a jealous male suitor. |
If
you enjoy beachside real estate, you can aid in the preservation of Texas’ sea
turtles in yet another way: dim or turn off your lighting during nesting and hatching
season. Non-natural lighting mimics the reflective shine of the moon and stars
off of the ocean, disorienting females that have come to shore to nest and hatching
young seeking the safety of the sea. Sea turtles searching for the water in the
direction of your household and yard lighting are led on a fruitless journey that
may end in death from dehydration, overexposure once the hot Texas sun rises,
predation, falling off seawalls, or collisions with motor vehicles. Even if you
reside hundreds of feet from a beach, if your lights are visible, they pose the
risk of endangering a sea turtle. During laying and hatching season (between April
and August for Kemp’s ridley, Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback sea turtles,
into November for the rare Texas nester the Hawksbill sea turtle), close your
shades or cover your windows to block indoor lighting, turn off landscape and
security lighting, and use yellow “bug” lights of 50 watts or less or low-pressure
sodium-vapor lighting (LPS) for any essential outdoor illumination.
See
Top ten ways Texans can help our turtles and tortoises
Tip
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©
Bonnie Wroblewski
http://www.dovekeywildlife.org
June 17, 2011
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