FLORIDA TODAY (Melbourne, Florida) 12 July 08 Back off, turtle advocates say - Well-meaning watchers could cause disaster (George White)
Nesting sea turtles crawl onto Brevard County beaches at night but can be scared away by well-meaning visitors and residents trying to get a glimpse of these elusive critters.
"I've both personally seen and heard about many instances of people interacting with sea turtles," said Sea Turtle Preservation Society member Brandon Smith. "While these interactions are perceived as positive by the people involved, the encounter may result in a negative outcome for the turtles observed."
The Sea Turtle Preservation Society each year leads sanctioned trips to see the giant creatures laying eggs -- trips that are meticulously planned to avoid causing any disturbance to the turtles. Because of the demand, all such trips are full for this season.
Brevard beaches are critical to the continued survival of these threatened and endangered species. Brevard is one of the largest nesting sites for both loggerhead and green sea turtles.
Ensuring the turtles are not disturbed requires several rules to be observed, Smith said.
All lights, including flashlights, flash cameras and fishing lanterns, are not permitted to be used at night from March 1 to Oct. 31. This includes red-filtered flashlights.
If you observe a sea turtle crawling on the beach at night, you should remain still and wait for the turtle to pass. Sea turtles can get spooked by noise and movement and can return to the water without nesting.
Nesting sea turtles do not go into a trance when they lay their eggs. They are aware of humans and can be frightened back into the water if disturbed after laying only a few eggs. If you encounter a nesting sea turtle, you should keep a safe distance of about 25 to 50 feet.
After the eggs are laid, sea turtles camouflage their nest to protect it from predators. Approaching a nesting turtle before it has camouflaged the nest can result in hasty or improper covering of the nest, thereby lowering the chances of the nest hatching successfully.
Preservation society board member Dave Hochberg of Melbourne Beach has been a volunteer for nine nesting seasons, and regularly sees the bad effects of human interaction with turtles.
"I see it all the time and for the most part, it's visitors who don't know any better. What I don't understand is why they don't do some research to learn some of the dos and don'ts before they go out on the beach," he said.
Volunteer Cheryl Caldwell has helped conduct seven field trips to see turtles lay eggs this year and has encountered several residents and visitors.
"Some are very pleasant and just don't know; some don't really understand the law and some know the laws and choose to ignore them. Some people tend to be very upset with us, especially people who have lived here a very long time," she said.
If disturbed enough, nesting sea turtles will "false crawl" and head back out to sea, sometimes laying their eggs in the ocean, which seals the fate of the potential hatchlings.
"They are magnificent creatures, and it's an amazing thing to be able to see," Caldwell said. "It gives you goose bumps. It's important for their long-term presence to protect them while they're nesting. That's why it's super important not to disturb them."
Well-meaning watchers could cause disaster