The 2022 Sea Turtle Nesting Season Draws to a Close with Two Successful Loggerhead Nests at Wrightsville Beach
It’s Time for Summer 2022 Turtle Talks!
Join us for Summer 2021 Turtle Talks
2020 is Successful Nesting Season for Loggerheads on Wrightsville Beach
August 4 Virtual Turtle Talk is Postponed
Hurricane Isaias may cause widespread power outages, so we are postponing the virtual Turtle Talk we had planned for tomorrow. We’ll reschedule for a date later in August!
Join Us for a Virtual Turtle Talk on Tuesday, July 7
We’re excited to announce that we will be hosting our first-ever virtual Turtle Talk on Tuesday, July 7 at 6 p.m. ET.
Turtle Talks are fun, kid friendly, and free. Attendees will learn about Wrightsville Beach’s nesting sea turtle population and ways that we can all help preserve and protect our local sea turtle nesting habitat.
To participate, all you need to do is:
1. Follow this link to Zoom- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/76354732651…
2. Enter meeting ID: 763 5473 2651
3. Enter password: turtles
(please note that Zoom passwords are case sensitive)
For the summer of 2020, all in-person Turtle Talks and WBSTP events have been cancelled as a protective measure for COVID-19.
If you cannot attend this Turtle Talk, don’t worry! We will offer a second one on the first Tuesday in August.
2019 is Banner Year for Sea Turtles in North Carolina
In southeastern North Carolina, sea turtle nesting season lasts from mid-May until the end of August. As the season draws to a close, volunteer organizations are tallying up the nest counts and celebrating a banner year.
As of August 22, volunteers have located a total of 2,309 nests across the state. To read more about this amazing summer of nesting, click here to read a full story in the News & Observer.
Wrightsville Beach has also experienced a successful year of nesting, with a total of 10 loggerhead nests.
Wrightsville Beach Survived Hurricane Florence!
Wrightsville Beach experienced a week-long mandatory evacuation during Hurricane Florence. On Wednesday, September 19, the island reopened again to both residents and nonresidents.
We were very fortunate to not have any incubating sea turtle nests left at the time Florence made landfall. This means we did not lose any sea turtle nests to the storm on Wrightsville Beach.
If you should visit Wrightsville Beach in the coming days, please remember the following:
- Do NOT go in the water. Severe flooding in the surrounding regions led to pollution of all the local rivers that run into the ocean. This, sadly, is filling the water with dangerous debris, bacteria, and toxins. Please monitor updates from the Town of Wrightsville Beach, the Wrightsville Beach Fire Department, and the City of Wilmington to see when it is safe to go in the water again. Even if you just get your hands and feet wet, make sure to wash them thoroughly with soap and water.
- Consider bringing a trash bag with you and hauling away some litter. The hurricane left piles of trash on the beach, particularly up in the dunes and wrack line, and more will continue to wash up as a result of flooding.
If you would like to make a contribution to support environmental conservation following the storm, please consider these reputable organizations with whom we frequently partner:
Join Us for Summer 2018 Turtle Talks
The 2018 Sea Turtle Nesting Season in North Carolina Has Begun
The month of May kicked off the official start of sea turtle nesting season in North Carolina. During the months of May, June, July, and August, sea turtles will crawl ashore along the coast of North Carolina to lay their nests. A nesting mother will nest as many as five times in one summer and lay approximately 100 eggs in each nest.
Remember these tips for help keep our beaches safe for nesting mother sea turtles:
- Turn off or cover ocean-facing lights after dark. Sea turtles dig the dark.
- Never leave litter, beach chairs, tents, umbrellas, or other items on the beach. These items become entrapment, choking, and entanglement hazards to sea turtles.
- Re-fill any holes you dig at the beach. Sea turtles are great swimmers but crawling on sand is difficult and they cannot easily dig themselves out of a hole.
- If you see a nesting sea turtle, do not approach or disturb her. A frightened sea turtle will crawl back into the ocean without laying her eggs.
- If you see a stranded or injured sea turtle anywhere in North Carolina, call 252-241-7367. This is a state-wide turtle emergency number.
- If you see a stranded or injured sea turtle in Wrightsville Beach, call 833-4-TURTLE. This is our emergency hotline.
- For tips on how to recognize nesting sea turtle tracks, please click here.
Thanks for helping us make 2018 a successful nesting season for the turtles!