It was a happy, busy morning on the beach. Cool weather brought a mama into Zone 3 just north of Boardwalk 2 around 10:15PM. A concerned beachgoer noticed the mama had come ashore and called Turtle Patrol as there were still two groups with bonfires going nearby. Turtle Patrol responded and educated the remaining bonfire attendees who were very respectful and extinguished their fire. The mama was able to nest successfully while Turtle Patrol gathered data for submission to the DNR.
Walkers Mike Vinson, Rob Jerome, Gary Holtz, Bonnie Bohme and Catherine Scully along with Gary's son Patrick called in the crawl in the morning. Bill Nelson responded and the 142 eggs from Nest 13 were moved further back on the beach.
Kim Neath, Melissa Andrews, Sarah Dewey and Julie Minch were ready to call in on Zone 4 with "no activity" when they spotted a promising crawl all the way at the end of the spit. This mama was REALLY good at hiding her eggs. Both the Doanes and Bill Greubel spent considerable time searching for the nest. Ultimately, Bill found Nest 14 with 97 eggs which were relocated closer to Boardwalk 1.
Note: the image below was taken during authorized conservation activities by licensed individuals. If you encounter a nesting sea turtle on the beach, please keep your distance, attempt to stay out of the turtle’s field of view, and use only red lights.
