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AMELIA
ISLAND SEA TURTLE WATCH
The
Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, Inc. (AISTW) was
formed in 1985 to integrate a variety of activities
focused on the conservation of Amelia Island's
nesting sea turtle population. The original
group was spawned from and interest of Greenpeace
and the Florida Department of Natural Resources
(FDNR) to determine the status of sea turtle
nesting activity on Amelia Island. Greenpeace
supported the group until 1988 when we became
incorporated.
We
are motivated by concern over the decline in
nesting sea turtles brought on by commercial,
developmental, and recreational pressures and a
sense of responsibility to moderate the adverse
impact of human activities along our shore.
AISTW's primary function is to survey Amelia
Island's beaches during May through October, the
months of sea turtle nesting and hatchling
emergence, to enhance nesting success and to
collect accurate data on nesting
activity.
In
May of each year survey areas are assigned to
volunteers trained in survey procedures.
Volunteers locate nests, crawls, or stranding s and
report to the coordinator. In areas where
vehicular traffic, beach lighting, or beach
renourishment activity impacts the viability of
nests, clutches are relocated to safer areas of the
beach for incubation and monitoring.
The
data we collected in the early years led to our
participation in an Index Nesting Survey project
conducted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWCC), formerly
FDNR. The long-term project collects data
from selected beaches along Florida's coast in an
effort to determine nesting trends in our sea
turtle population. The original project lasted for
10 years, ending in 1998. The 1999 nesting
season began our second decade of participation in
this project.
We
have also participated in a genetic research
project by the University of Florida to determine
the genetic relationship of sea turtles nesting in
Florida. From this research, it was
determined that the sea turtles nesting on Amelia
Island are separate family of turtles nesting
elsewhere in Florida. Our population is
directly related to turtles nesting in Georgia,
South Carolina, and North Carolina. This
finding has great implications in conservation
effort in Florida and these other
states.
Central
to our endeavor is public awareness of the need for
sea turtle conservation. Slide presentations
to schools and community groups, periodic
newsletters to supporters, public nest excavations,
and reports of our activities in both print and
electronic media augment our educational
efforts.
Our
efforts also take an advocacy role. In 1987
we successfully lobbied for lighting restrictions
on both county and city beaches during nesting
season We still work with governing agencies
and beachfront residents to minimize the effects of
artificial beachfront lighting on emerging
hatchlings.
The
data we collected in the early years was also
instrumental in developing the use of the Turtle
Excluder Device (TED) by commercial fishing
industry. Our efforts to alert officials to
the high incidence of strandings along our shore
fed into a statewide database used to enact
commercial fishing regulations in offshore
waters.
We
are asked by the US Army Corps of Engineers to
ensure that seat turtle nests are not adversely
impacted by summer beach renourishment
projects. We monitor daily activity,
document, and relocate clutches laid in areas to be
covered by renourished sand.
Each
year new residents, seasonal visitors and the
general public join the AISTW's sea turtle
monitoring efforts. We frequently receive
calls requesting information on all marine
resources. We respond to situations involving
marine birds, whales, dolphins, and
manatees.
Our
group has grown over the past 20 years from a core
group of about 6 to a group of 14 permitted
volunteers and approximately 60 regular
volunteers. As our group grows, our efforts
become more consistent and reliable. We have
documented as few as 30 nests in a season to as
many as 150 nests in another season. While
the numbers of sea turtles nesting each year
varies, our efforts have become more consistent and
point to flat or even declining trend in loggerhead
nesting
Our
volunteers are on the beach at sunrise everyday
from May through August, seeking signs of sea
turtle activity the previous night.
Beachfront residents and visitors will frequently
meet us on the beach to awe at the sight of a
turtle crawl in the sand being lit by the sun
peeking over the horizon.
We
have documented 3 species of turtles nesting on
Amelia Island. Loggerheads, green turtles,
and leatherbacks have found Amelia Island a
suitable habitat for the incubation of their
precious clutches. We truly have a valuable
resource and will continue to preserve their most
precious part of our natural heritage.
Click
here for a powerpoint presentation about the
different types of turtles in our area, the
different types of threats and what those threats
are, nesting behaviors, and
pictures.
(warning: this is a large file - patience is
required)
Click
here for a student's powerpoint presentation on
turtles - submitted by Missy
Hendricks
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