Share the Beach this Summer & Save Our Sea Turtles!

Every summer, the Gulf Coast has new friends visit our white-sand beaches. Hundreds of endangered sea turtles make their way to our shores to nest.

These 20-23 years old turtles are one of a thousand turtles to make it to adulthood - and they have returned to the Gulf Coast to lay their eggs because that is where they hatched as a baby turtle. 

The people of the Gulf Coast love our turtles, and with our Share the Beach program, we are able to not only help the turtles during hatching but also protect their nests before the babies hatch. 

Beginning in 2005, the Share the Beach program was created by the Friends of Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge in Gulf Shores. Last year, they announced that the Alabama Coastal Foundation would be the new home for Share the Beach. 

Hundreds of volunteers take the beach every year from May to October searching for turtle nests and doing their best to ensure that the eggs make it to hatching. After training, these volunteers take turns patrolling the beaches day and night watching for hatching and keeping supplies ready. 

Following protocols under the federal endangered species recovery permit, these volunteers even move turtle nests back when they are too close to the shore - marking it off with a predator screen for protection. 

Our Share the Beach volunteers are making a difference in the future of Alabama’s sea turtles and coastal ecosystem by dedicating their time to helping the turtles hatch as well as educating the Gulf Coast on how to best care for our sea turtles - and specifically how to “share the beach.”

Educating our locals and visitors on the use of lights on the beach during hatching season is one of the most important things the volunteers can do. White lights - such as balcony lights and flashlights - can be very harmful to the sea turtles by scaring the adult turtles back into the water when trying to lay their eggs and confusing the hatched baby turtles into traveling away from the water. 

The best way you can help keep this from happening is by turning off your Gulf Front balcony lights at night as well as using red LED flashlights or getting the “turtle safe” red stickers for your flashlights to keep harmful light away from the turtles. 

The lives of our Gulf Coast turtles depend on our willingness to help educate and protect them from harm. If you see a sea turtle on the beach this summer, call 1-866-SEA-TURT so that the Share the Beach team will be immediately notified. 

Want to volunteer with the Share the Beach team and help save the turtles? Visit their website at alabamaseaturtles.com. 

Published by Shelby Berry
Monday, June 25, 2018