Sea turtles are ancient creatures having existed 120 million years ago – coexisting with the dinosaurs. Today only seven species of sea turtles remain and each of them are classified as either threatened or endangered. Satellite Beach waters are home to four of the seven – the Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, and occasionally the Kemp’s Ridley. All of whom nest on our beaches.
Sea turtle nesting season is from March 1st – Oct 31st. The first part of the season you may see a female crawl up on the beach to lay eggs – up to 120 per clutch! While the latter part of the season you may see hatchlings making their way to the ocean. In an effort to protect the nesting female sea turtles and the hatchlings, the City of Satellite Beach has a Sea Turtle Nesting and Lighting Ordinance (No. 1210). This requires that lights visible from our beaches be turned off or appropriately covered from 9 pm to 7 am. The lighting restrictions also mean there should be no flashlights, cell phones, flash photography or any other form of artificial lights used on the beach at night.
Do you want to do your part to help the sea turtles? Here are a few ways you can help: turn off or cover any lights visible from the beach; remove all trash and beach toys when you leave; fill in any holes in the sand; Do NOT touch or disturb turtles, nests, or hatchlings – it is illegal; observe nesting females from a distance and do not block her return to the ocean; skip the straw at restaurants or bars; pack groceries in reusable bags, bypass plastic carryout bags whenever possible; invest in a reusable water bottle; and do not deliberately release balloons in coastal regions. If you see a turtle in distress, injured, or deceased please report by calling FWC wildlife alert hotline at 1-888-404-3922.
There are only a handful of places around the world where sea turtles nest and we are fortunate enough to live in one of them. They are one of the unique treasures that define this place we all call home.