Visitors and residents of Pinellas County’s southernmost beaches see quite the array of marine life on a daily basis. From dolphins playfully jumping out of the waves, to sleek sharks stalking their prey and small speedy crabs digging holes on the shore, to sneaky sting rays, majestic manta rays, and countless varieties of seabirds and vibrant schools of fish. However, there’s a special group of migratory marine animals that flock to the sugar-sand shores of Pinellas County’s southernmost beaches from May until October each year that most people might forget about.
These unique and fascinating creatures, which have inhabited the Earth since the time of the dinosaurs, are sea turtles. Found in all warm and temperate waters throughout the world, sea turtles are air breathing reptiles that can be divided into seven living species, including the green turtle, leatherback, hawksbill, flatback, Olive Ridley, Kemp’s Ridley, and the loggerhead turtle, which is the primary species of sea turtle to migrate to and nest on Pinellas County’s beaches.
At the beginning of every summer, female sea turtles undergo long migrations between their feeding grounds and the nesting beaches on which they were born. Although sea turtles spend most of their lives in the water, with males rarely returning to land after crawling into the ocean as hatchlings, the female turtles return to their natal beach to dig out a nest and lay their eggs. They will come ashore to lay eggs several times per nesting season–May to October–every two to five years. Using their back flippers, the female turtles dig a nest in the sand, and bury their clutch of eggs, which can contain between 70 to 190 eggs depending on species. They then return to the ocean, leaving their young hidden under a mound of sand. Once a female has left her nest, she never returns to tend to it.
The gestation period for sea turtles is on average between 6 to 10 weeks. Once the hatchlings are ready to break out of their shells, they use a sharp, temporary egg-tooth called a “caruncle”, which is an extension of the upper jaw that falls off soon after birth. After each hatchling breaks out of its shell, it then becomes a group effort to dig out of the nest, which can take several days. Once out of the nest, the group of baby turtles make their way to the water in the night by locating the brightest horizon, which is usually the moon. Sometimes they can get confused and instead be drawn toward hotel lights, street lamps, and residential lighting, which usually turns out to be a fatal mistake for these newly hatched sea turtles. The group must make it to the water quickly or they risk being caught by predators or die of dehydration when the sun comes up.
Not only do these hatchlings have a great deal of threats on land while making their way to the water, but they also face many obstacles once they are in the water. From dangerous predators like sharks, large fish and sea birds, to harmful ocean pollution and the deadly risks of accidentally consuming debris like plastic, baby sea turtles have a long road ahead of them until they are free and clear. In fact, the threats and obstacles are so great for these hatchlings, that only about one in 1,000 survives to adulthood … needless to say, these magnificent sea creatures are in dire need of protection and advocating.
Sea turtle nests and hatchlings are powerless to the forces of nature and mankind. Luckily, there is a group of devoted individuals in Pinellas County that spring into action every sea turtle nesting season, starting May 1, to do their part in looking after and protecting these defenseless nests and hatchlings. This group of hardworking, passionate sea turtle advocates is a newly formed nonprofit organization called Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. that was recently founded to help nesting sea turtles on St. Pete Beach and Shell Key as well as educating the public about the role sea turtles play in the beach and ocean environment.
Bruno Falkenstein, founder of Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc., is something of a turtle guardian, if you will, devoting his time and energy to protecting the sea turtles on these southernmost Pinellas County beaches for over 30 years! His journey began when, one day, he was walking on the beach and came across a dead turtle. He proceeded by taking the turtle to a group of scientists in the area, then, from there on out, he began calling the State Department of Natural Resources whenever he found turtle tracks on the beach. Then, in 1979 he started the first Turtle Patrol on St. Pete Beach, after being granted a permit by the State of Florida to watch over the sea turtles that return year after year to nest.
This special permit allows Bruno to take his bike and car on the beach to check for turtle tracks and nests, which must get marked so they don’t get destroyed by oblivious beachgoers or city staff raking. And while his permit allows him to do whatever is necessary to insure the survival of injured or misplaced hatchlings, Bruno cannot interfere with natural forces, such as non-human predators. In 1982, Bruno had a big year with his continued work to protect the turtles by helping relocate 340 eggs to the State’s Department of Natural Resources lab for safe incubation. In the years to follow, he continued to gather volunteers to join him every day at 5:00am during the summer months to check St. Pete Beach and Shell Key for turtle tracks, nests and hatchlings trying to make their way to the water. He even notifies owners of properties that do not have “turtle friendly” lighting. The lights from nearby hotels and homes confuse turtles trying to make it to the water, so when Bruno locates a nest close to those “non-turtle friendly” lights, he’ll inform the property owner about the nearby turtle nest and ask them to install the proper lighting. Consequently, if a hatchling gets misdirected due to improper lighting, as a permit holder for turtle patrolling, he must report the incident to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Bruno goes above and beyond and plays such a huge role in the community, specifically in the protection of these nests and hatchlings. Its no wonder the Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association honored Bruno with aPrivate Citizen Award in 2009. The city of St. Pete Beach even declaredJuly 28, 2009 “Bruno Falkenstein Sea Turtle Day”!
Bruno and the team of volunteers involved with Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. work diligently day after day during nesting season to, as their mission statement says, “assure a suitablehabitat for sea turtles, people and the ecosystem of the islands and their surrounding waters…through public education and cooperation.”
With the education, encouragement, and guidance from Bruno, many residents and snowbirds truly make the difference in the lives of thousands of hatchlings by volunteering for Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. each nesting season. The duties that are preformed by this organization include going out to the beaches at dusk and dawn to check for turtle tracks. If a new nest is found it must be roped off with orange tape, while those that are due to hatch will usually get covered with a mesh cage with an opening that faces the water. The goal is to not only see more and more nests pop up each season, and watch this endangered species slowly become stronger in numbers, but also to try to understand the health of extremely vulnerable sea turtle populations.
The specific species of sea turtles/nests that Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. usually comes across in the designated beaches they survey are Loggerhead turtles. “Loggerhead nesting numbers in Pinellas County have been all over the place in the past 15 years with close to 200 nests in the early 2000’s, to a low near 40 after the bad red tide in 2006,” says Joe Widlansky, VP of Operations for Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. “Numbers in Pinellas County have been between 200 and 250 nests the past two seasons. St Pete Beach itself had 40 nests last year and 30 more on Shell Key. We are optimistic that numbers will be good again this season.”
Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc. was officially incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 2013 after having their most successful nesting season ever; Bruno and the rest of the team are confident that 2014 will be successful as well. Also this year, the organization plans to participate in the upcoming Beach Nourishment Projectwith Pinellas County and Army Corp of Engineers. This fantastic local nonprofit organization has high hopes and big plans to protect the sea turtles and educate the community, and every little bit helps! So, if you’re interested in making a donation or becoming a volunteer for Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc., please visit their website at www.seaturtletrackers.org for more information. Make a difference by joining their forces and doing your part in saving the sea turtles one track at a time!
Sea Turtle Data
Sea Turtle Classification: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Testudines, Suborder Cryptodira, Family Cheloniidae or Dermochelyidae. As for Genus and Species, most scientists recognize seven living species of sea turtles grouped into six genera. (http://www.conserveturtles.org)
• Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their legs & head into their shells, and their “carapace” or shell, is streamlined for swimming quickly and effortlessly through the water. (www.defenders.org)
• Sea turtles do not have teeth, but their jaws have “beaks” suited to their particular diet. Although their diet depends on the subspecies, some common items that sea turtles eat include shrimp, crabs, jellyfish, seaweed, sponges, algae, snails and mollusks. (www.defenders.org )
• Sea turtles have an excellent sense of smell, good vision underwater, and they hear best at low frequencies. They do not have visible ears, but have eardrums covered by skin. (www.conserveturtles.org)
• Only females come ashore to nest from May to October. Males rarely return to land after crawling into the sea as hatchlings. Most females return to nest on the beach where they were born, which is called their “natal beach”. (www.conserveturtles.org)
• All sea turtles occurring in U.S. waters are listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). (www.nmfs.noaa.gov)
• Of the seven species of sea turtles, six are found in U.S. water: Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Olive Ridley. The seventh species is only found in Australia and it is called the Flatback Sea Turtle.
• The biggest threats for sea turtles include ocean pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, poaching and illegal trade of eggs, meat and shells, global warming, coastal development, as well as harm from plastic and other marine debris. (www.seeturtles.org)
• These air-breathing “marine turtles” inhabit tropical and subtropical ocean waters throughout the world and can weigh anywhere from 80 pounds to an enormous 1,300 pounds, depending on species. (www.seeturtles.org)
• Sea turtles spend most of their lives in the water and most undergo long migrations, some as far as 1,400 miles, between their feeding grounds and the beaches where they nest. (www.defenders.org)
• One of the Earth’s most ancient creatures, sea turtles have been around for more than 100 million years, even surviving the dinosaurs when they became extinct 65 million years ago. (www.seeturtles.org)
• There is no way to determine the age of a sea turtle from its physical appearance, but what is known is that they grow slowly and take between 15 and 50 years to reach reproductive maturity, depending on the species, and it is theorized that some species can live over 100 years.
• The primary nesting turtle in St. Pete Beach and Pinellas County is the Loggerhead turtle. Loggerheads can reach sizes of 300 lbs. or more and are thought to live 60-80 years in the wild. (Joe Widlansky, Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc.)
• Pinellas county will occasionally see a green turtle nest or a Kemp’s Ridley . They are rare and don’t occur every season, although there was a green turtle nest found in 2013. (Joe Widlansky, Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc.)
• Loggerheads usually lay five or six nests in a season and then take a year or two off before nesting again. There is an average of 100-120 eggs per nest and they take 50-60 days to hatch. (Joe Widlansky, Sea Turtle Trackers, Inc.)
Written by Sarah Meitz
Date: May 2014