Members of the Seabrook Island Turtle Team monitor the beach each morning.
What better way to celebrate the holiday than finding Seabrook’s first loggerhead sea turtle nest on Mother’s Day morning?
Lucky walkers Nettie, Neva, Rachel and Marshall Carter, plus Valerie and Mark Doane, spotted the tell-tale tracks leading up to the nesting site. The nest was just a little short of the high tide line, so it was relocated to a safer spot higher in the dunes. This nest contained 123 eggs, which is just over the average nest size of 120.
The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol monitors the entire beach every morning by walking four zones that extend from Captain Sams Inlet to the North Edisto inlet at the end of St. Christopher’s Camp. The team expects to find many more nests on our beaches through August. The incubation period for nests is approximately 60 days, so the turtle nesting season lasts through October. During this time, patrol members will carefully monitor the nests to ensure the eggs are safe from predators and other dangers. After hatching, the baby turtles will make their way to the ocean, using moonlight as a guide.
Loggerheads are a threatened species and are protected by federal and state laws. Always remember, lights out by 10 p.m. through sunrise, stay off the dunes and away from nests, fill in any holes or level any sand structures, keep plastics off the beach, and remove all trash and property when you leave the beach. If you see a nesting turtle or emerging hatchling, keep your distance and notify SITP at 843-310-4280.
SITP is licensed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources under SCDNR MTP#543 and is financially supported by the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association, the Town of Seabrook and public donations. More information can be found on their web site, at siturtlepatrol.com.
