GULF SHORES, Ala. — Last week, I thought I was dreaming when I walked outside of my house and felt the brisk air hit my face. There was no stickiness; no fog to wipe off my windshield. In fact, I actually had to go back inside and grab a light jacket.  It seemed that fall was finally at our doorstep.  Not only did this mark the beginning of football season, school, and the holidays. It also marked the end of turtle nesting.

We can proudly say this year’s nesting was a huge success. It’s amazing what a little volunteerism can do for Mother Nature. 

Dozens of Share the Beach volunteers devoted countless hours to monitoring sea turtles and their nests. 

This was no easy task. Volunteers had to start their day just before the sun peaked over the horizon. They monitored several stretches of beach, looking for crawls, or any other signs of possible nesting. Once they spotted a nest, they recorded its location and egg count. 

On some occasions, volunteers had to take cautious measures to protect the nests from severe weather. 

Unfortunately, not every egg produced life.  Despite heroic efforts of volunteers, some nests fell  victim to predation. But for the most part, the hard work of the volunteers paid off.

Although the female sea turtles are done nesting, there are still eggs that have yet to hatch. 

Twenty-nine out of 65 nests are sitting in the sand, waiting for Mother Nature to take its course. So far, we can confidently report how many hatchlings made it into the water alive. 

Volunteers got these statistics by watching the nest closely about 60 days after finding it.  Volunteers will literally camp out overnight with the nest. 

Once the eggs hatch, which is usually at night, the baby sea turtles emerge out of the nest, which is called a sea turtle “boil.”  Using tarp on both sides of the nest, volunteers delicately ensure a safe journey into the Gulf. At Alabama Point, 213 hatchlings made it into the water.  Gulf State Park saw 158 hatchlings.  Laguna Key made out with an impressive 438 hatchlings. 

Orange beach produced 233 hatchlings while West Beach landed 22 hatchlings. But volunteers recorded the most hatchlings on Fort Morgan, where 1,744 baby sea turtles made it safely into the water. 

Share the Beach and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife wouldn’t have had such a successful year without the help of the public. 

We sent out a strong message about bright lights and excess items on the beach, which hinder nesting sea turtles; the public heard it loud and clear. 

Thanks to the cooperation of folks on the beach, we continue to make our beaches more conducive to sea turtle nesting.