And a new online database will now make this friendly competition simpler to follow.
The database, housed at seaturtle.org, tracks nests in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Visitors to the site can see the number of nests by location as well as other information, including nest losses and false crawls, where a female turtle comes ashore and then leaves without nesting. Information is updated in real-time as members of Georgia’s Sea Turtle Cooperative enter their findings.
Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the cooperative, a milestone for sea turtle conservation. Coordinated by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the group of volunteers, researchers and biologists from various agencies monitor turtle nesting activities on Georgia beaches.
The new database will make it easier for the cooperators to share their information.
“The new database management system is exciting because it allows us to monitor sea turtle nesting in real-time and make more timely management decisions,” said Mark Dodd, Senior wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, Nongame Conservation Section and Sea Turtle Coordinator. “In addition, it allows cooperators who are often isolated on barrier islands to see what is happening on nearby beaches.”
Sea turtle nesting data is crucial in monitoring populations, formulating protective regulations, making management decisions, and maximizing reproduction for recovery.
To view the new database visit seaturtle.org/nestdb/index.
Organizations and agencies that team with Wildlife Resources for the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative include Caretta Research Project, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Lodge at Little St. Simons Island, Little Cumberland Island Homeowners Association, Sea Island Co., St. Catherines Island Foundation, St. Simons Island Sea Turtle Project, Tybee Island Marine Science Center, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service — Savannah Coastal Refuges.
Drive careful, avoid creating roadkill
FORSYTH — Forget the chicken: Why did the turtle cross the road?
In spring and early summer, probably to find food, a mate or a nest site.
Particularly after rain, turtles and other wildlife wander, sometimes venturing by day onto county roads and state highways that double as death traps for the unsuspecting creatures. The roadkill lineup varies from diamondback terrapins on the coast to fledgling mockingbirds along back roads in the Piedmont.
Senior wildlife biologist John Jensen of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources encouraged drivers to be alert.
