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Tag: Kristen Mazzarella

Sand dune loss may affect sea turtle nesting

Sand dune loss may affect sea turtle nesting

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Featured.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – With the loss of sand dunes from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella is concerned about a possible increase in sea turtle disori­entation in this year’s upcoming season.

“Without dunes as a barrier, hatchling and adult sea turtles that head towards artificial light may find their way into the road,” Maz­zarella wrote in a March 25 email to The Sun. “This is definitely a concern and we are in contact with FWC (the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission), FPL (Florida Power and Light) and the municipalities on AMI to let them know about this concern such that light­ing issues may be addressed prior to the start of sea turtle nesting season on May 1st.”

In addition to serving as a shield from artificial lights, Mazzarella wrote that the dunes provide a dark background that is a critical cue for sea turtles.

“They go away from dark shadows and towards bright horizons. Sea turtles need the dark background of dunes and vegetation to contrast with the light of the night sky over the water, so they don’t get confused about which direction to go to head to the Gulf,” she wrote. “If the background is as bright as or brighter than the night sky over the water, they will not know which direction to go and will either travel in circles or head towards the brightest light, which is often the artificial light.”

In advance of the official start of nesting season on May 1, Turtle Watch volunteers will begin patrols on Tuesday, April 15 to look for any new nests.

“We have not seen any turtle activity yet,” Mazzarella wrote. “On AMI, we generally get nesting loggerhead and green turtles which do not usually start nesting until late April or May. Leatherbacks have started nesting already in Florida but we have never had a leatherback nest on AMI… yet.”

She also said that there have been no sight­ings of nesting shorebirds on Anna Maria Island so far this year.

“Not yet, but we are always watching,” she wrote.

Mazzarella offered the following tips for anyone who may see a sea turtle nest or a turtle in distress.

  • Please call AMITW at 941-301-8434 as soon as possible if you see a nesting turtle or turtle nest prior to April 15. Once patrols begin, volunteer turtle patrols will survey the entire island every morning and will locate all the turtle crawls and mark the ones that are nests with protective stakes and flagging tape.
  • Remember that sea turtles are protected by the Endan­gered Species Act. If you see a sick, injured or dead sea turtle on the beach or in the water, please also call AMITW or FWC. AMITW’s stranding team is standing by to help rescue sick and injured sea turtles and collect important information on dead sea turtles.
  • If the turtle is painted with an X, that means that someone from our team has already attended to the turtle and it will be disposed of by the local authorities.
Sea turtle nesting season comes to an end

Sea turtle nesting season comes to an end

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Sea turtle nesting season comes to an early close due to the remaining nests being washed out by Hurricane Helene.

“We had eight nests left prior to Hurricane Helene and it’s likely that all eight washed out in the storm,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella wrote in an email. “I was able to conduct a survey on the beach on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from Bean Point down to the Beach House restaurant; however was unable to traverse the beach any further. Six of the eight remaining nests were south of the Beach House, so I can only presume that they washed out due to the extent of the damage on that part of the Island.”

She issued the following nesting numbers for the 2024 nesting season:

4/15/2024 – 9/24/2024
Total nests: 685
Total false crawls: 835
Hatched nests: 303
Hatchlings produced: 20,557
Adult disorientations: 36
Hatchling disorientations: 54
Nests remaining on the beach: 0

“We will be spending the next few months reviewing the data for accuracy so that we can report our final numbers to FWC and Manatee County,” she wrote. “We are grateful to our volunteers and community members who helped us prepare for the storm such that our equipment and UTVs were safe during the storm. We are now focusing on helping our volunteers, assisting in beach cleanups, and doing what we can for the community of AMI.”

Turtle Watch’s major fundraiser, Suzi Fox Turtle Watch Wednesday scheduled for Oct. 23 at Hurricane Hank’s, has been postponed and a new date will be announced.

“Our hearts go out to our sponsors and volunteers that have sustained damage from the storm,” Mazzarella said. “We will let you know more when the Island is further along with cleanup efforts and rebuilding.”