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