An Overview of the Island Turtle Team Volunteer Project

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Sea Turtle Management
An Overview of the Island Turtle Team Volunteer
Project
PhotoDocumentary by Rachel Teller
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Each year thousands of volunteers help sea
turtles by helping with management projects that
range from nest protection, to relocation, to
public education.
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The South Carolina Department of Natural
Resources issues permits and trains people who
wish to participate in a management project.
Permits are required to manipulate nests and
eggs, but not to help by other means (ie.
patrolling the beach for tracks).
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Loyal volunteers look for tracks on the beach at
dawn every morning, rain or shine, on foot or by
ATV or other four-wheel drive vehicle.
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If they see tracks, they have to decide if the
crawl resulted in a nest, or if no nest was laid,
which is sometimes called a false crawl.
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If there is a nest, volunteers have to decide
whether it should be left in situ (in its
original place) or if it needs be moved to
increase chances of embryo and hatchling survival.
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Volunteers study field signs, clues such as
broken vegetation and the pattern of thrown sand,
around the spot she dug up (the body pit).
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They locate the nest cavity by probing the area
because sand over the chamber gives. Eggs can be
found a few inches below the surface, so this is
a very delicate process.
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• A nest is always left in situ if it was laid
• above the high tide line
• on the seaward side of the dunes
• in an area with little erosion

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As a last resort, a nest can be relocated. If
this is necessary, the eggs are uncovered by hand
because one broken egg can result in
contamination of the entire nest.
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Turtle eggs are pliable, unlike bird eggs, so
theyre not damaged when laid. Eggs must be moved
within 12 hours of being laid, without being
rotated, to reduce chances of movement-induced
mortality.
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The alternative site should be close to the
original, above the high tide line, not in dense
vegetation, and away from areas with a lot of
erosion and light pollution.
Volunteers in this area often use an Atlantic
cockle shell to dig out the new pear-shaped nest
cavity.
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Some areas are permitted to use a hatchery to
incubate the eggs. This hatchery was built to
protect the nests from erosion and raccoons.
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These volunteers used goggles to protect their
eyes from sand blowing in the strong winds during
a tropical storm.
Nests in danger of being washed away by an
extreme high tide or storm surge, such as during
a tropical storm or hurricane, can be moved any
time during incubation.
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Nests are monitored throughout the incubation
period. Before the hatchlings are expected to
emerge, screens and cages are removed and
potential obstacles are cleared.
This photo shows a screen placed behind the nest
to reduce hatchling disorientation that may occur
naturally or from light pollution.
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If they notice any tracks leading away from the
water, volunteers will search for the disoriented
hatchlings.
About 3 days after the nest boils, volunteers
conduct a nest inventory. Its very important
they wait until all hatchlings emerge naturally
before the nest is excavated.
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Nest inventories provide information that helps
wildlife officials and scientists monitor
reproductive health of the local population.
This photo shows a volunteer counting shells from
an in situ nest to estimate how many turtles
successfully hatched.
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Sometimes there are a few live hatchlings still
in the nest chamber. These small turtles are
released and, if necessary, helped to the water.
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At the end of the season, volunteers submit an
annual report on their management program to the
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
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The data the volunteers gather is used to assess
the effectiveness of the South Carolina
loggerhead recovery plan.
As human presence increases on nesting beaches,
we must ensure our actions do not negatively
affect these animals.