Watch for sea turtles during nesting season peak

The 2018 sea turtle nesting season is coming to a peak in Palm Beach County.

That means there will be lots of hatchlings. We’re talking about numbers possibly in the tens of thousands, so the folks at marinelife.org want to remind beachgoers to watch out for nests and baby turtles.

The Loggerhead Marine Life Center says there are currently 145 leatherback nests, 4,115 loggerhead nests, and 26 green turtle nests – for a total of 4,286 nests on the 9.5-mile stretch of beach the group monitors.

Final numbers for the year are calculated at the end of October. In 2017, there were a total of more than 19,000 nests in the same area.

The group hopes this year’s number will surpass last year’s, but they need the public’s help to make it happen.

Below are some tips to help sea turtles during nesting season:

-If you live near the beach, turn off lights and draw blinds at night.

-If you dig a hole or make a sandcastle on the beach, fill it in or knock it down before you leave to clear the path for turtles.

-Avoid walking through dunes and the surrounding vegetation.

-Put away chairs, beach toys, or other items on the beach.

-Keep your distance from hatchlings and nesting sea turtles (Check with your local turtle watch group for scheduled walks to safely see turtle nests).

-Don’t litter or release balloons and lanterns.

-Share these tips with your family and friends.

For more information about nesting sea turtles, visit marinelife.org/nesting-18.