PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sea Turtles Able To Nest In Peace As COVID-19 Empties Broward Beaches

This sea turtle nest was discovered recently by a surveyor for the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, on the northern portion of Hillsboro Beach.
Curtis Slagle
/
Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program
This sea turtle nest was discovered recently by a surveyor for the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, on the northern portion of Hillsboro Beach.

On Hillsboro Beach before sunrise Wednesday morning, the program manager for the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program made his rounds to survey nests — and put stakes in the sand to protect a new one.

 

There haven't exactly been sunbathers around. 

WLRN is committed to providing South Florida with trusted news and information. In these uncertain times, our mission is more vital than ever. Your support makes it possible. Please donate today. Thank you.

Orders to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic mean people aren't allowed on the beaches in Broward County.Derek Burkholder, director of the conservation program, explains there's an upside to that for marine life:

"One of the things that we're experiencing with having our beaches closed to the public, is that it does kind of open up opportunities for our sea turtles," Burkholder said. 

 

 

Burkholder, a research scientist at Nova Southeastern University, directs the  Marine Environmental Education Center (MEEC) at the Carpenter House in Hollywood. (The MEEC is currently closed to visitors until further notice due to COVID-19.) 

The hiatus for beachgoers coincides with the beginning of this year's nesting season for sea turtles.

 

Three different types of sea turtles come to lay their eggs on Broward beaches: leatherbacks come first. There are about a dozen nests so far, Burkholder said. Any day now the loggerheads should start laying their eggs — they make up the most nests in Broward. Later in the season, green sea turtles will lay some nests, too.

 

Loggerheads that come ashore in Broward County usually leave about 50 percent of the time, Burkholder said. 

 

"For whatever reason, maybe they don't like the conditions, maybe there's not enough sand or maybe there's too bright a light, or somebody running down the beach with a camera taking their picture … something might spook them back into the water without laying a nest. That's what we call a 'false crawl,' he said.

 

"For me it'll be interesting to see what the loggerheads do and if we get a higher nest ratio to the false crawls, without a lot of people out there … If you don't have quite as much trash on the beach, if you don't have as many beach chairs on the beach and things like that they're running into, then we might see more favorable conditions for these animals."

 

Read More: An Unlikely Coral Reef Becomes The Source Of Quarantine Entertainment

 

The Conservation Program has surveyors looking at about 24 miles of beaches every day from March 1 through the end of October. One thing they've already seen is less garbage in the turtles' way.

 

"Marine debris is a huge issue across the board … we do still see the things that are being washed in, but we're certainly seeing less trash on the beach than when we've got tens of thousands of people on the beach every day throwing their stuff in the sand," Burkholder said. 

 

He acknowledged, it's too early to see impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown just yet but nests in the coming months will show how much a break from human interaction can help.

 

"Time will tell on that one, as we start getting those nests coming in," Burkholder said. "It's certainly more natural."

 

A green sea turtle hatchling made its way out of the sand on the northern end of Fort Lauderdale Beach in 2019.
Credit ABBY NEASE / BROWARD COUNTY SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAM
/
BROWARD COUNTY SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION PROGRAM
A green sea turtle hatchling made its way out of the sand on the northern end of Fort Lauderdale Beach in 2019.

Copyright 2020 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit WLRN 91.3 FM.

Caitie Switalski is a rising senior at the University of Florida. She's worked for WFSU-FM in Tallahassee as an intern and reporter. When she's in Gainesville for school, Caitie is an anchor and producer for local Morning Edition content at WUFT-FM, as well as a digital editor for the station's website. Her favorite stories are politically driven, about how politicians, laws and policies effect local communities. Once she graduates with a dual degree in Journalism and English,Caitiehopes to make a career continuing to report and produce for NPR stations in the sunshine state. When she's not following what's happening with changing laws, you can catchCaitielounging in local coffee shops, at the beach, or watching Love Actually for the hundredth time.