9/19/23 @ 3:00 p.m. - For this week's Turtle Talk Tuesday, we are re-sharing a video of a turtle excavation that we attended in September 2020. This short video provides insight on the activities of the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch and the excavation process. Enjoy!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

NESTING SEA TURTLES
Have you ever wondered about the process of a nesting sea turtle? Well, you no longer have to wonder. Below is some information from the Sea Turtle Conservancy which will provide you with insight on this very interesting topic. 

The female turtle emerges at night and ascends to the beach, searching for a suitable nesting spot. Once choosing a site, she using all four flippers to begin digging a pit. Once the pit is complete, she begins to dig an egg chamber using her rear flippers, alternating between the right and left flipper to scoop out damp sand. When she can reach no deeper, she will stop and contractions will begin. Following each contraction, the mother will drop between one and four eggs in short intervals until the chamber is nearly full. She will then use her rear flippers to replace the sand on top of the chamber until the eggs are completely covered. She will then pat down the area using the underside of her shell to camouflage the area. Slowly moving forward, she continues to flip dry sand behind her in an effort to conceal the location of her eggs from predators. The eggs will then incubate for approximately 60 days before hatching.

Below is a fun graphic from the Inwater Research Group showing the Anatomy of a Nesting Sea Turtle. Enjoy!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

9/5/23 @ 8:30 a.m.

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

​SEA TURTLE TRACKING

Did you know that the Sea Turtle Conservancy has launched a Sea-Turtle Migration-Tracking Education Program?  This free educational service provides a website with maps showing the migratory movements of endangered sea turtles tracked by satellite. Through the educational components of the website, you can learn about all the different species of sea turtles; their feeding, mating and nesting behavior; the threats they face; and the steps being taken to protect them. You can also discover the global importance of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge as a sea turtle nesting beach, the role of coastal habitats, or you can learn about Archie Carr, a remarkable scientist for whom the refuge is named. 

The website also offers free, downloadable Educator's Guides in which teachers can use to incorporate the Sea Turtle Tracking Program into their classrooms. 

-Sabrina Roberston
 Public Information Officer

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.

Message from the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch

Much has been revealed about sea turtle nesting behavior with the Northern Recovery Unit Genetic Research program. It has always been believed that once a female sea turtle finds a nesting beach, she is loyal to that beach. From our genetic research, we have found that to be somewhat true.  The 2023 nesting season has brought back some familiar turtles to Amelia Island. One turtle in particular is a turtle called Nubby. She nested on Amelia Island 3 years ago in 2020 and now again in 2023. Nubby got her name from her unique track.  She has a damaged left rear flipper. 
​
Normal loggerheads crawl with an alternating gait. Since loggerheads have shorter front flippers, the marks observed in the sand are from their rear flippers. The alternating gait reveals a zigzag pattern in the sand.
 
Nubby’s tracks, on the other hand, are very unique. The damage to her rear left flipper could have been caused by various traumas. Since it takes 25-30 years for a female sea turtle to become reproductive, the anomaly could have occurred as a juvenile. She could have been attacked by a larger fish or perhaps she became entangled in discarded fishing gear. At any rate, we recognize this female as a recurring turtle to Amelia Island.  She definitely shows site fidelity to our special habitat. She was responsible for several nests in 2020 and so far she has laid 3 nests on Amelia Island in 2023. With a 3 year remigration, we will look for her to come back in 2026.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

8/15/23 @ 11:30 a.m. 

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them. 

This week for Turtle Talk Tuesday, we interviewed Mary Duffy, President of the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, who provided us with a mid-season update. We were thrilled to hear that not only have Nassau County beaches seen more sea turtle nests than ever before this season, we are also seeing an increase in green turtle nests. This is especially exciting because green sea turtles are one of the species that have been declared by the United States as "endangered". (Loggerhead sea turtles commonly found on Amelia Island are currently classified as "threatened")

As we move forward through the remainder of this sea turtle nesting season, we would like to remind everyone to leave the beach clean, flat and dark. Remove all items and trash when leaving the beach; fill holes; knock down sandcastles; and use turtle-friendly lighting if living along the beach or walking on the beach at night. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer 

8/8/23 @ 10:30 a.m. - It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them. 

Genetics Research
Did you know that sea turtle shells contain DNA that offer scientists a simple and powerful way of tracking the health and whereabouts of endangered sea turtles? This is a key step in sea turtle conservation and on Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch is in its 8th consecutive year of participating in the loggerhead DNA Project conducted by the University of Georgia. By colleting the top egg in a loggerhead nest, the University of Georgia is able to analyze each for the Mother's DNA. 

This data provides us with information on: 

• The type of sea turtle that nested
• How many nests each female lays in a year
• Whether the turtle is visiting more than one beach
• How close together or far apart each individual turtle lays her nests, both within the same summer and from year-to-year
• The number of turtles nesting in more than one state
• How often each turtle nests 
• How precisely a daughter returns to the beach where she hatched to lay her own eggs

The DNA identifies each mother turtle and from these results, UGA can determine if, where and when a particular female has nested on Amelia Island or other participating beaches (North Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina). This research has produced exciting results. For example in 2022, it was determined that a turtle identified as CC008618, returned to northern Amelia Island every 3 years, laying 4-5 nests each time. It was also determined that this mother (shown on the below graphic with a white star) now has 3 daughters that have laid nests along Florida and Georgia's beaches (shown on the below graphic as colored triangles). 

The Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch shares the results as they become available and publishes them on their webpage. Unfortunately, the project lost some of its funding so UGA has been soliciting donations to assist with the costs of collecting, analyzing and archiving each genetic sample. If you are interested in donating to this cause, please see the UGA Genetics Future Plans and Funding Request linked here. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them. 

Ready for three quick facts about sea turtles?

1. Sea turtles are reptiles that live in the ocean
2. Sea turtles can hold their breath underwater for hours
3. There are seven know species of sea turtles.

Do you want to find out more about sea turtles?  Visit your nearest Nassau County Public Library. They can help you locate books in their collection that focus on sea turtles as well as show you how you can use Gale in Context, an online database, to learn more about these fascinating creatures.

Five branch locations: 

Fernandina Beach
25 N. 4th Street

Yulee
Located within the FSCJ Campus
76346 William Burgess Blvd.

Callahan
450077 State Rd. 200 Suite 15

Bryceville
7280 Motes Road

Hilliard
15821 County Rd. 108

If you have any questions, please visit www.nassaureads.com or call the library at (904) 530-6500.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/25/23 @ 8:30 a.m. - It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them. 

In previous weeks, we have discussed many steps that are being taken on land to protect sea turtles, however this week, we would to focus on how we can protect sea turtles in the open ocean. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), vessel strikes are one of the most common causes of sea turtle injury and death in the United States. In Florida alone, injuries consistent with vessel strikes are observed in 20-30 percent of stranded sea turtles. 

In the southeast, adult sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to vessel strikes during nesting season as they often congregate near nesting beaches.

​NOAA has offered the following tips for vessel operators to help avoid hitting sea turtles: 

• Always be alert
• Wear polarized sunglasses to better see marine animals
• Follow speed zones and other signage
• Travel at the safest minimum speed in areas that sea turtles are known to frequent

Should you encounter a dead, sick or injured sea turtle, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922 or email Dr. Allen Foley (State Coordinator) at allen.foley@myfwc.com. 

Note: The below photos are credited to Sea Turtle Adventures from the City of Boyton Beach, Florida. 

-Sabrina Robertson 
 Public Information Officer

7/18/23 @ 11:00 a.m. 

For this Turtle Talk Tuesday, we would like to take a moment to thank our lodging partners for helping us educate visitors about sea turtle nesting and what is being done locally to protect the species. 

We recently visited the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island to see strategies they employ for sea turtle safety which includes placement of signage, double checking that all outdoor lights are turtle friendly, and by securing their courtyard switch so it can’t be turned on by guests during turtle nesting season.
 
Through their two staff environmentalists, they also work hard to ensure that guests are aware of local regulations that enhance sea turtle safety. This includes suspending bonfire activities, ensuring all beach furniture is brought in daily, and by placing informational magazines in the room of all guests educating them on sea turtle nesting season and what they can do to keep our beach safe for nesting sea turtles. 
 
We greatly appreciate the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island for doing their part to protect this wonderful species!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer