Have you ever been walking along the beach and seen sections of the sand roped off with tape? You were in fact looking at a sea turtle’s nest! Florida has the highest number of sea turtles coming to lay eggs each year. In 2012, there were 540 nests found on the beach from the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park to Oakland Park Boulevard. The City of Fort Lauderdale works with Broward County, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to make sure we provide a welcoming environment for nesting sea turtles.
This is accomplished in a number of ways: sea turtle nests are marked off so that nests are not disturbed, the nests are mapped and monitored by City staff, and 100 city-owned street lights along a two mile stretch of S.R. A1A is being replaced with turtle-friendly lights. There are many opportunities to volunteer locally with sea turtle conservation and there are also small efforts you can make on your own to protect sea turtles and ensure that their populations grow.
Read more here about sea turtle nesting season, threats to sea turtles, lighting concerns, the A1A light replacement project, the nest locator program, reporting sea turtle violations or emergencies, what you can do to help, as well as volunteer and educational opportunities.
For basic information about sea turtles, how to tell the difference between a turtle and a tortoise, and for information on other marine animals in our area, see Our Wild Neighbors.
