Rookery Bay Science vs. Mother Nature
2008 Loggerhead Nesting Results

Three species of sea turtle, the oldest reptiles found in Florida, are known to inhabit the waters of Southwest Florida. The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green (Chelonia midas) turtles are both listed federally as endangered species, and the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) is listed as a threatened species.

Each year, loggerhead sea turtles travel back to the beaches where they were born to lay their eggs. And most years they find the solitude and safe and protected areas necessary for a successful nesting season within the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Loggerhead turtles live in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico and are relatively common along southwest Florida beaches. They feed on mollusks, crabs and jellyfish, and reach weights between 300 and 500 pounds. Female loggerheads come ashore to lay eggs on these beaches each summer, May through August, and hatching generally continues throughout October. With loggerhead populations decreasing worldwide due to loss of nesting habitat, predation of eggs by raccoons and other animals, ingestion of floating trash, and entanglement in fishing line or other marine debris, safe nesting areas are crucial to the survival of the species.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve works in cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Collier County Environmental Services and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida to preserve this threatened species. Reserve staff and volunteers patrol the beaches of Sea Oat Island, Cape Romano, Kice and other islands in the Ten Thousand Islands five days a week during nesting season to locate nests. Since 2005, monitoring efforts have been expanded to include placement of cages over nests to protect eggs from predation by raccoons.

“It’s amazing how quickly a nest can be destroyed,” said Greg Curry, an environmental specialist responsible for caging efforts in Rookery Bay Reserve. “If we don’t cage a nest the morning after the eggs are laid, a nearby raccoon will dig right in.”...more