Wrightsville Beach Survived Hurricane Florence!

The north end of Wrightsville Beach and Shell Island Resort on September 19, five days after the landfall of 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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:

  1. Hope From Helen
  2. Plastic Ocean Project
  3. Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

The Gimme Five Challenge

Happy May, y’all! This month marks the beginning of sea turtle nesting season in North Carolina! Woo-hoo! To start off the 2018 nesting season with a bang, we would like to introduce our first-ever online challenge: The Gimme Five Challenge!The rules of the challenge are simple:

Either pick of five pieces of litter in 30 seconds

-or-

Donate five bucks to the Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project

You can pick up litter at the beach, at your school, in the grocery store parking lot, while walking your dog around the block– anywhere you are!

-or-

You can donate five bucks to the WBSTP. We are a registered 501 c(3) nonprofit organization. We have no paid employees, so all of your donation (minus the 2.9% Paypal fee) goes toward sea turtle protection and conservation efforts. You can make a secure donation using the “Donate” link at the top of the page.

Why does picking up litter matter to sea turtles? Something as small as a plastic cup can become a death trap for a sea turtle hatchling. Litter poses a threat not just to sea turtles, but to all wildlife that can ingest litter or become entangled in it. By picking up litter, you are leading by example and helping to make our world a safer, cleaner, and more beautiful place.

So will you take the Gimme Five challenge? Share your results with us and tag them #gimmefive

The fine print: The WBSTP will provide no goods or services for donations. The WBSTP does not receive your personal financial information through Paypal. The WBSTP will not sell or distribute your name, email address, or any other information provided by Paypal.