World Sea Turtle Day: FL Plays Major Role
Posted June 16, 2014 04:45 am
Ripley Ripley is an adult female loggerhead sea
turtles released with a satellite transmitter on July
28, 2013 from the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge,
Florida. She measured 103 cm in curved carapace (shell)
length. Ripley took part in the 2013 Tour de Turtles and
was named by her sponsor, Ripley's Aquariums.
View migration map.
GAINESVILLE, FL - Today is Florida's wildlife advocates are coming out of their shells to speak out on the importance of sea turtles to the world's ecosystem.
It is World Sea Turtle Day, and according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the Sunshine State is home to most of the sea turtle nesting habitat on the continent.
Gary Appelson, policy coordinator for the conservancy in Gainesville, is reminding residents of the turtles' importance.
"There's no other place in the country where you can
even come close to seeing turtles as easily as you can
here in Florida," he points out.
Florida is home to the largest amount of loggerhead sea
turtle nests in the world, and its beaches also provide
nesting places for green and leatherback turtles.
The nesting season is in full swing, and Appelson says
it's important to remove all trash, furniture and
umbrellas as you leave the beach each day, to help
protect the turtles during this sensitive time in their
life cycle.
Beach lighting also can have a big impact on the success
of nesting season, says Elizabeth Fleming, Florida
senior representative with
Defenders of Wildlife.
She explains turtles instinctively use natural
reflections of the water to guide them back to it.
Lights from hotels and streets can lead them away from
the water - and ultimately, to their death.
"It's really important to reduce artificial lighting in
coastal areas during the months when sea turtles are
nesting," she stresses. "Sea turtles need dark, natural
beaches."
Appelson says World Sea Turtle Day is a good way to
remind people about the threats sea turtles face in the
state.
"It's not easy to protect sea turtles in a state like
Florida, which has 19 million residents, 100 million
tourists and a highly developed beach - but luckily, the
State of Florida has very strong turtle protection
laws."
Other threats to sea turtles along the Florida coast
include the use of large, commercial fishing nets,
coastal development, pollution and climate change.
Appelson says the state's
sea turtle specialty license plate is the largest
source of funding for protection, raising more than $1.2
million a year for conservation and research.
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