LET’S SHELL-EBRATE WORLD SEA TURTLE DAY

By Susan Skinner

As the sun rises over the ocean, waves break gently on the shore and a soft, salty breeze blows. The dawn’s pinkish light quickly gives way to brighter rays that illuminate fresh tracks in the sand.

The comma shaped indents left by a nesting loggerhead turtle moving up the beach reveal a story played out in the dark of night.

This story will be repeated night after night this summer as it has been for the 110 million years that sea turtles have roamed the oceans. Our Brevard County beaches will see tens of thousands of nests laid this season as the world’s largest nesting aggregation of loggerheads can be found here.

It’s important to remember our area’s role in the sea turtle’s story as we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day on June 16, which is the birthday of sea turtle researcher and conservationist Archie Carr.

Join STPS as we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day this weekend. On Saturday, June 15, 2019, we will host an open house at our Turtle House, 111 S. Miramar Ave. in Indialantic. You are welcome to join us and learn more about sea turtles and how you can help them survive. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature educational displays and presentations as well as a silent auction and raffles. Our gift shop will have in-store specials and special giveaways. Our mascot Lucy the Loggerhead will be on hand for photos, too.

The celebration continues on Sunday, June 16, at our Turtle Nest kiosk at Port Canaveral. The kiosk will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is located by Terminal One near Grills restaurant. Educational displays, presentations and merchandise will be available all day.

Even if you can’t join us for our World Sea Turtle Day activities, you can celebrate sea turtles every day of the year. Here are some ideas:

Join STPS: Individual, student and family memberships are available. You can join online at https://seaturtlespacecoast.org/become-a-member/.

Keep the beach flat, clean and dark: When enjoying the beach this nesting season, please remove all beach chairs and other obstacles, fill in holes and knock down sandcastles, pick up all trash and remember it’s lights out on Brevard County beaches from May 1 to Oct. 31.

Recycle: Plastics pollution poses many hazards for sea turtles, from ingestion to entanglement. By recycling, you cut down on waste that may end up in the ocean or on the beach.

We can each do our part to help sea turtles survive.