If you’ve spent time visiting Caswell Beach and dropping by our sea turtle nests, you have seen first hand all the things we do at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch to try to ensure our hatches are successful. You may have noticed green barriers that run from nest enclosures heading towards the water – we call these “runways”. They essentially provide fencing or guardrails to help direct hatching turtles towards the water. These are more necessary at beaches such as ours where light interference from homes and street lights can disorient hatchlings, sending them in a wrong and often deadly direction.
We’ve had a lot of comments and questions about our sea turtle runways this summer. The biggest question of all is always – when will they hatch? We wish we knew! But the runways or “greens” are a telltale sign that we are preparing for that.
This summer, with the record high nest counts and many nests clustered together, we’ve had to get creative in our runway building, so we’d though we share some highlights of that just for fun!
Building protections around sea turtle nests is a delicate balance between making sure they are visible to beach goers, protective for the turtles, and minimally impede the recreational use of the beach. We appreciate all the support we get from our community and beach visitors.
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 26ST03).
YOU CAN HELP! If you see a sea turtle mama coming onto the beach and and attempting to nest, please call our hotline immediately (910-368-6323) to notify us. During sea turtle season, we monitor 24/7. Please educate your family, friends, neighbors and especially – your renters. ALWAYS feel free to reach out to us if there is a concern, or you have questions. (All contact info is at the top of the page.)
Online Store Still Open!
Reminder, you can still T-Shirts and Hats at our Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Online Store ANYTIME!
Don’t miss your chance to grab this year’s design – tie-dye!
