“All nesting sea turtles, their incubating eggs and emergent hatchlings are listed as Threatened or Endangered by federal and state law. As such, they are protected from “take,” including harassment, harm, injury, or death. We recognize that the presence of sea turtle nests and hatchlings on the beach provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the conservation status of sea turtles. We also recognize that excessive numbers of beach visitors during a hatchling emergence event or a nest inventory event can pose a threat to the safety of the turtles and sea turtle volunteers. Therefore, we recommend that WRC-authorized sea turtle nest monitoring groups, on beaches with a high density of visitors, do not publicize information about location and/or expected timing of hatchling emergence events or nest excavation activities, to avoid possible negative impacts to the sea turtles caused by large crowds of beach visitors.”
– Matthew Godfrey, PhD, Sea Turtle Biologist, NCWRC
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 25ST03).
Please consider donating to our efforts as we build up our necessary resources for the season.
You can donate at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Donations.