A nonprofit environmental advocacy group in Mobile is calling on Alabamians to help protect wildlife on Alabama beaches. The Share the Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Program is set to kick off the 2024 season with workshops to teach participants how to monitor sea turtle nests and hatchlings.
The conservation effort is led by the Alabama Coastal Foundation (ACF) to mitigate human-related impacts to sea turtles. Volunteers follow the protocols set forth by the U.S. Fire and Wildlife Service under the Federal Endangered Species Recovery Permit to ensure that sea turtles are able to make their way to and from the water during hatching season.
“The volunteers are very important to the Share the Beach program, not only because they wake up every morning early and patrol our coastlines to look for those sea turtle tracks, but also to educate the public about what they should be doing and not be doing when they're vacationing down here during sea turtle nesting season,” said Mark Berte, executive director of the ACF.
Berte said working to educate beachgoers on how they can minimize harm is an important role of volunteers. Sea turtle nesting and hatching season is from May 1 to October 1, which is also a popular time for beach tourism.
“The sea turtles are a federally protected species in the state of Alabama. Green sea turtles, Loggerhead and Kemp’s Ridley [are] all protected by the Endangered Species Act. So, it's against the law to disturb nesting sea turtles or hatchlings or even their nests. There are fines and even jail time,” explained Berte. “Sea turtles, they're beautiful creatures. They've been around for millions of years, and we want to make sure that we humans don't have any negative impacts on their population.”
Share the Beach volunteers work to ensure visitors are aware of things that can serve as an obstacle for turtles making their way either to or from the water. Berte said obstacles such as large holes and chairs can serve as a danger for these endangered species.
“We encourage people to fill those up every night, as well as bringing our stuff up just to make sure that sea turtles don't bump into anything on their way to lay eggs,” he explained.
The ACF cautions that artificial light pollution is an additional threat to sea turtles, as it can lead them off the path to the water. The Share the Beach program promotes minimizing artificial light on beaches at night and the use of “sea turtle friendly” flashlights.
“The whole point of our Share the Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Program is to try to protect the turtles and to help them have their populations continue to grow and to thrive,” said Berte.
The initiative is kicking off the 2024 season right before the hatching season begins. Volunteers interested in being a part of the program can attend a meeting on March 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Erie Meyer Civic Center (Baldwin County), or March 20 at 6:00 p.m. at in the Shelby Auditorium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island.
Returning members and anyone interested in becoming a new volunteer should attend one meeting. More information can be found on the ACF website.
People who may come across an unmarked sea turtle nest or a sea turtle in need are encouraged to call the Alabama Sea Turtle Hotline at 1-866-Sea-Turtle (1-866-732-8878).
