You never know what you’re going to see on the beach during Turtle
Patrol walks. We believe this was the first horse/Bride sighting. Thanks to Mary Zamora for the photo.
Friday, May 25th
The Memorial Day Holiday weekend started off early with nest 4 being found by Walkers Ruth Ann Henderer, Kathy Chamberlain, Kathy Francis and Pat and Valerie Luzadder. Bill Greubel responded and found the nest which was left in situ near Boardwalk 3.
Saturday, May 26th
Francie & Rick Segal reported a crawl on South Beach between the cross and the warning sign. Sandy MacCoss, Terry Fansler, and Jane Magioncalda responded and Sandy found nest 5. The whole group helped move the nest to a safer location above the high tide line.
Sunday, May 27th
Sadly, nest 4 was predated by raccoons. Approximately 30 eggs were lost. The Doanes and Carters cleaned up the shells and double screened the nest to prevent further predation. They also double screened nest 3 as a precautionary measure. Later in the day, we installed finer mesh screens under the existing screens as a further deterrent. This is a new methodology we’re trying this year. Let’s hope it works.
The Turtle Patrol’s annual participation in the South Carolina Aquarium’s World Turtle Day Celebration took place on Saturday, May 26th. This year Melanie Jerome, Lori Porwoll, and Anne Snelgrove manned the booth and represented Seabrook Island as they have for the past several years. There were also booths from other turtle patrols and the Department of Natural Resources.
Each year the Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol sets up a booth which includes educational materials and interactive activities. We provide various educational materials suitable for many age levels from coloring pages and activities for young children to curriculum guidelines provided by seaturtle.org. Consistent with the Patrol’s theme for 2018, the emphasis was on plastics and their negative impact on the environment in general and particularly on sea turtles.
The biggest draw at our booth is the carapace of a juvenile Green Sea Turtle. Many of the children enjoy posing for pictures “wearing”
the carapace. Even Josephine Broderick, the Aquarium’s Public Affairs and Advertising Coordinator, couldn’t resist posing. We also bring a Loggerhead skull as part of the exhibit.
-Submitted by Gary Fansler