Beach tilling is set to begin on Captiva Island on Monday.
The Office of the Captiva Erosion Prevention District said residents and visitors should expect heavy equipment on the beaches for the week and are advised to keep their distance.
This practice is to ensure a suitable environment for the upcoming sea turtle nesting season, which takes place annually from May until October.
There are other things residents and visitors can do to ensure the turtles have a successful nesting season:
- Turn off or shield all lights that are visible from the beach. Do not use flashlights or cell phone lights on the beach. If necessary, use amber or red LED bulbs.
- Do not disturb the screens covering nests. They prevent predators from eating the eggs and the hatchlings emerge through the holes without assistance.
- Remove all beach furniture and equipment from the beach at night.
- Dispose of fishing line properly to avoid wildlife entanglement.
- Fill in large holes that can trap hatchlings and nesting sea turtles.
- Do not disturb nesting turtles – please do not to get too close, shine lights on, or take flash photos of nesting sea turtles.
- Pick up litter.
For more on sea turtles on Captiva and Sanibel go to https://www.sccf.org/our-work/sea-turtles.
View an interactive map of post-storm aerial imagery of Sanibel and Captive Island from NOAA: CLICK HERE
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.