JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urged the public to protect nesting sea turtles, shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds during nesting season.
People can help with nesting success for sea turtles and waterbirds by giving them space, keeping beaches clean and dark, and leaving personal fireworks at home.
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Florida’s beaches are a critical spring and summer nesting habitat for several species of threatened and endangered sea turtles including loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles with occasional nesting by federally endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles.
Many coastal habitats -- including beaches, spoil islands, small islands and shell rakes - are important for imperiled shorebirds and seabirds, such as black skimmers, least terns, snowy plovers and American oystercatchers.
Mangrove islands off the coast provide important nesting and roosting habitats for colonies of wading birds such as herons and egrets.
If you are headed to the coast for the Fourth, you can be a holiday hero for sea turtles and waterbirds by following these easy steps:
- Leave fireworks to the professionals. Keep personal fireworks off the beach and instead consider going to an official event. The loud sounds and bright lights of personal fireworks on Florida’s beaches and waterways can significantly disorient and disrupt sea turtles and shorebirds along with their hatchlings and chicks.
- If you spot a sea turtle nesting, stand at least 50 feet away to avoid causing her to leave the beach before the nesting process is completed. Give hatchling sea turtles the same space to avoid disrupting their journey from sand to water. If an animal changes its behavior you’re too close. Remember it’s illegal to harm or disturb nesting sea turtles, their nests and eggs, or pick up hatchlings.
- Walk around any birds on the beach. Shorebirds and sea birds nest in shallow, hard to see scrapes in the sand and their tiny eggs and chicks are camouflaged making them difficult to spot. Give beach nesting birds at least 300 feet of space to avoid causing them to fly off, which would leave vulnerable eggs and chicks exposed to dangerous elements and predators.
- Stay out of posted areas. Whether on water or land be on the lookout for posted shorebird or sea turtle nesting sites and watch for signs designating Critical Wildlife Areas (CWAS) on the beach or coastal islands. These areas are closed to public access to protect high concentrations of wading birds and shorebirds while they nest and raise their chicks. Beachgoers, boaters, and personal watercraft users can help nesting birds by giving them space and keeping noise volumes low near CWAS. If you spot large concentrations of wading birds in trees growing in the water or on islands, it might be an active nesting site. Avoid getting too close to prevent a disturbance.
- Before heading home, properly dispose of or recycle all trash, full in human-made holes in the sand, and remove all toys and beach furniture from the sand. Obstacles on the beach can entrap sea turtles or prevent them from nesting. Trash and other obstacles can prevent sea turtle hatchlings from reaching the water as they emerge as well as entangle adult turtles, birds, and other wildlife. Food scraps attract predators such as racoons and crows, that can pray on sea turtle hatchlings , along with shorebird eggs and chicks. Fishing lines can be deadly to sea turtles, watch birds and other wildlife, so dispose of them properly. To find a monofilament recycling station near you, visit myfwc.com.
- Turn off lights or close curtains after dark to ensure nesting turtles are not disturbed or disoriented as they come ashore and hatchlings do not become disoriented when they emerge from their nests. Any lighting can misdirect and disturb nesting sea turtles and their hatchlings, leading them away from the ocean and towards potential danger. If lighting is still visible make sure the exterior lighting adjacent to nesting beaches is long, low and shielded. Use the starlight to see on the beach at night and avoid using flashlights, cell phone lights and taking flash photos after dark.
- Pet owners can help by keeping pets at home or on a short leash and far away from wildlife when taking them to pet friendly beaches. Even friendly dogs can be seen as predators to shorebirds, which can cause them to flush and leave their eggs and chicks. Leaving pets safely secured inside at home over the Fourth of July can protect your pets and wildlife.
For more information about nesting waterbirds, go to MyFWC.com/Shorebirds and download the “Share the Beach with Beach-Nesting Birds” brochure.
Or go to the Florida Shorebird Alliance website at FLShorebirdAlliance.org to learn more about how to participate in shorebird and seabird conservation efforts.
For more information about nesting sea turtles and how you can help, visit MyFWC.com/SeaTurtle or see the FWC’s “Be a Beach Hero” brochure.
You can also help sea turtles by reporting anyone disturbing a sea turtle or nest, as well as sea turtles that are sick, injured, entangled or dead to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).