Nesting Update - May 30, 2025 Over 1,000 loggerhead nests as we draw May 2025 to a close. Wow! 👀 Our volunteer citizen scientists have been busy this week during morning surveys. #ThankYouTurtlers Greens have started nesting and we even had a special visit from a Kemp's ridley! We just need a leatherback to round out the lineup. 😀 The turtles are crawling high -- in some cases drawn toward the road due to dune and vegetation loss from the hurricanes last year. It is CRITICAL to close shades and blinds on windows and doors of beachfront properties to keep artificial light from reaching beach. Please do this just before sunset. Flashlights, lanterns, cellphones lights etc. should also be off to keep the beach DARK. This will help the turtles orient safely back to the gulf. Sea Turtles dig the dark! More ways to help: 🐢Fill holes. 🐢Knock down sand castles. 🐢Clean up trash and food scraps - including peels from fruits. 🐢Remove personal items from the sand - tents, kayaks, towels, chairs. These are potential obstructions. 🐢If you see a nesting turtle. Stand still, like a statue our of her line of sight and remain quiet. #cleandarkflat If you see a sea turtle in distress please call for help: 888.404.3922 - FWC Wildlife Alert to initiate stranding response. #seaturtlenestingseason #goslowforthosebelow #seaturtles #ManasotaKey #DonPedro #knightisland #PalmIsland #lovefl #BestSideOutside #protectwhatyoulove #coastalwildlifeclub #volunteersmakeadifference #seaturtleconservation #Conservation #endangeredspecies (fb)

Rare species alert! By chance someone mentioned that they saw a turtle DURING THE DAY. Karen asked to see the photo. Look who came in for a visit……a Kemp’s ridley. The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest of the 7 species of sea turtles. They are the rarest of the sea turtles and are critically endangered. On Manasota Key, we typically host 1 nest each season. If you see a daytime nesting sea turtle on Manasota Key or Don Pedro/Palm Island, please take a photo and text it to us with a location so we can mark the nest and document. 941-212-2214. Thank you Jim Sammarco for the photo and letting us know you saw the turtle. #kempsridley #BestSideOutside #seaturtles #conservation #criticallyendangered #seaturtlenestingseason #LoveFL #palmisland #donpedro #manasotakey #englewoodfl (fb)