2019 Record Nest Total for Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol

A sea turtle hatchling crawls to the sea from Kiawah

The good vibrations coming from the sand dunes on Kiawah Island in 2019 were decades in the making. Loggerhead sea turtle conservation really got going strong 25 to 30 years ago, and the record nesting activity in 2019 all along the South Carolina coast could be a direct result from those efforts. No matter what may happen next year, the fact is that the beach on Kiawah Island welcomed a new record of 575 sea turtle nests this year, keeping the 400 volunteers on the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol happy in their work.

Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol nest inventory results

Lynne Sager of Kiawah is the island’s SCDNR permit holder for the sea turtle nesting program.  Sager has many years of experience as a turtle lady, but in 2017 she assumed the top leadership role on Kiawah, and the record year in 2019 makes her glad. “It’s encouraging that we are doing the right thing by loggerhead sea turtles,” said Sager. “It takes them 25 to 30-years of life for a female to mature and begin nesting, and it was about that long ago when Turtle Excluder Devices became standard on shrimp boats, and barrier island turtle nesting teams got organized. We are hopeful that higher nest totals will be a trend in future years too.”

Over the Labor Day weekend I was able to visit the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol in the field for several nest inventories. After a sea turtle nest hatches, the turtle patrol waits three days and then carefully digs out the nest to gather data. They are counting the number of eggshells that produces a hatchling, and also the number of eggs that did not incubate. More scientific information is recorded such as the number of days it took the nest to hatch, and just one eggshell can provide the DNA for any nesting turtle.

Nest Inventory at #456

Jane Pannone and Lindy Michael are assigned to Zone Three of the beach on Kiawah and I joined them at dawn for the nest inventory procedure. Walking down the beach I could not help but notice that another nearby sea turtle nest had hatched overnight, as evidenced by about one hundred baby sea turtle tracks leading to the ocean. When I met the turtle ladies at the first nest to be inventoried they shared that they also saw the same nesting activity and reported it to Sager.

Another sea turtle hatchling encounter took place later in the day while checking other nests that are nearing their expected hatch date. A lone loggerhead hatchling was floundering just below the surface of the sand, and appeared to be laboring. Turtle Patrol’s Ally Frey donned a plastic glove and then picked up the baby turtle and escorted it to the water’s edge. She took a minute to educate a curious young girl about the physical features of the sea turtle, thus planting the seed for a future turtle volunteer.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries from Kiawah Island click on 2018 2.0 Expansion Plan - 2017 Shorebird Symposium - 2012 PGA Championship - 2011 Sea Turtle Release with S.C. Aquarium

To view past blog entries about sea turtles click 2019 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins - SCDNR Sea Turtle Trawl - TurtleFest at Edisto Beach State Park - Seabrook Turtle Patrol - Leatherback Sighting - World Sea Turtle Day - SC Aquarium Sea Turtle Release