How do you protect the turtles from being disturbed while nesting?

Answer 1

Almost all beaches that are known nesting sites, work to halt construction, and other disruptive behavior on the beach during the nesting season. If the work can not be halted, then predawn, and early morning spot checks can be performed to make sure that no nests were built where the work must be done. While most turtles will come ashore at night, those beaches with a history of nesting in the past can be watched, to protect the turtles while they lay their eggs. Many spotters are members of local Fish and Wildlife Services, or volunteers for other conservation groups set up to help ensure the turtles safety while on land. They are usually trained or with someone experienced in spotting nesting turtles, and marking their nesting site for protection until they hatch. Many times spotters will only see the tracks left from the female once the sun rises. These are distinctive, and many times the nest can be found by tracking them backwards from the ocean. All lights shining on the beach, or that can be seen from the beach, need to be completely shut off, or dimmed to the point they are not visible from the shore, this will help the turtle find her way back to the ocean when she is finished laying her eggs. This doesn't need to be year round necessarily, but during the nesting season, it will save the lives of many turtles, and hatchlings. Dogs, and cats need to be kept close to home, on a lead or inside. Any debris that might attract strays, or wild animals should be cleaned up from the beach, and if you live on the beach, your garbage needs to be secure. Strays, or wild animals that are attracted to the smell of trash on the beach, or cat food left out, will harasses the turtles, possibly even killing them while they lay their eggs. They can also dig up the nest, and eat the eggs, or eat the hatchlings as they dig out and run for the ocean. Finally, keep the beaches clear of all trash, but especially anything that a turtle, or hatchlings might become entangled, or caught in. This is not only a wonderful thing to do for the view, but it will save the lives of the turtles on the beach, and in the ocean, by removing debris from the waterways in general. For more details, please see the sites listed below.