WHAT DO SEA TURTLES DO DURING A BAD STORM OR HURRICANE

 While watching a big storm come in or the threat of a hurricane, I have often wondered how Sea life would be affected, one in particular, the endangered Sea Turtles.  

Unfortunately, because the storms typically hit our beaches during the nesting season, the storms often over wash the incubating nest, or the severe erosion will take the nest out to Sea. While This is nature and one that adds to the loss of this already struggling endangered sea turtle species, special groups and patrols all over the world do what they can to help in other ways to protect the Sea Turtles and the nest.  In NMB with special training and permits, the Patrol will put cages over the nest to protect the nest from animals, they will also relocate the nest if it is in an unsafe part of the beach or too close to the water in hopes to help make the difference.

But what do the Sea Turtles do during the storms, they have a couple of ways that they have adapted to help survive during these times. 

 Some of the Sea Turtles dive deep down under the turbulent waters into the calm waters and try to wait out the severe parts of the storms. Sea Turtle do need to breath and need to come up for air very often, they can hold their breath for 2 to 3 hours at a time before needing to surface for more air if they are not active.

Sometimes they will leave the area, aligning themselves with the currents of the Sea. The Sea Turtles are often able to know ahead of time when the bad storms and hurricanes are coming because they are often swim in the area between the surface and turbulent waters coming. 

  

THE NORTH MRYTLE BEACH PATROL HAS ADOPTED FOUR BEACH ACCESSES IN NMB

 Through Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful, the NMB STP has adopted four Beach Accesses.  The NMB STP commitment will be to keep these beach accesses clean.  While the NMB STP also walk 11 Miles of beach from May 1st to the middle of August, many Volunteers also pick up allot of trash and fill in holes while they are walking their daily segments, while many also walk the beaches year round, picking up trash on their walks.  Every bit helps.

THIS IS OUR FIRST DAY OUT

WE MUST DO BETTER!! WHY?

6 buckets of trash on one segment, and two buckets full of trash on the other

Every piece of trash is documented

                                  

While this is a small portion of the beach, many people have volunteered to adopt a beach access Through Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful, what a great way to make a huge difference.  

Always remember, each and every one can make a huge impact, just make sure to bring everything off the beach that you came with, the broken sand toy, chairs, umbrellas, and the sandwich wrappers, drink bottles, and the Plastic bags, and if you pick up a couple of extra pieces of trash and dispose of on your way off the beach, what an added bonus this would be. If every one of us did this, what an impact for the oceans and beaches we will have, one piece at a time.

Many thanks to the Judy and Margarete for helping to get this started. 

NMB STP OUTREACH PROGRAM PARTICIPATES AT THE SWAMPFEST ON NOVEMBER 5 TH

 What a fun day for the NMB STP and for many groups of kids and families at Playcard Environmental Education Center in Loris.  Many others had participated in this program, geared towards the environment, many booths and games were set up for a fun and educational day for all.

  

Many thanks to the Playcard Environmental Education Center for inviting us to participate in this great event.

INVENTORTY ON BRIARCLIFFE FOR NEST MB NEST # 23

 THIS NEST WAS FOUND ON JULY 6 th, IN MYRTLE BEACH, AS IT WAS IN AN UNSAFE PLACE ON THE BEACH, MANY HIGHRISES AND BRIGHT LIGHTS, IT WAS RELOCATED TO BRIARCLIFF.  THIS NEST HAD 114 EGGS AND INCUBATED FOR 55 DAYS. 

THE NEST WAS ORIGINALLY LAID RIGHT NEXT TO A LIFEGAURD STATION

THE NEST (BODY PIT) WAS VERY WINDBLOWN WHEN FOUND

AFTER INCUBATING FOR 55 DAYS A HOLE, AND MANY HATCHLING TRACKS ARE FOUND, INDICATING A MAJOR EMERGENCE.

AND NOW TO THE INVENTORY

 MANY PEIOPLE HAD COME TO WATCH AS THIS NEST WAS INVENTORIED.

THE EGGS AND EGGSHELLS ARE CAREFULLY DUG UP AND DOCUMENTED.  THESE RESULTS AND THE HATCH SUCCESS RATE ARE SHARED IN A NATIONAL DATABASE AND ARE USED TO HELP IN THE FUTURE OF THE ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES.

MANY HAVE GATHERED TO HEAR ABOUT THE GREAT RESULTS OF THE INVENTORY ON THIS NEST ARE SHARED.

THE INVENTORY RESULTS

114 EGGS, ONE USED FOR DNA STUDDIES

88.5% HATCH SUCCESS RATE

113 EGGS

100 HATCHED EGGS

13 EGGS DID NOT HATCH

NO DEAD HATHLINGS

ALL SEA TURTLES ARE ENDANGERED, THEY ARE FEDFEDERALLY AND STATE PROTECTED, THERE ARE SPECIAL GUIDLINES, TRAINING AND PERMITS NEEDED TO WORK WITH THE NEST, EGGS AND STRANDED SEA TURTLES.

IF YOU SEE A HATCHLING OR STRANDED SEA TURTLE IN NMB OR BRIARCLIFFE PLEASE CALL THE NMB STP HOTLINE

843-213-9074

ANY TIME DAY OR NIGHT

NMB LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE PROTECTED NEST #20

 This was a small nest in comparison to the nest laid earlier in the year, typically the early nest has a larger number of eggs laid. Towards the end of the Sea Turtles nesting season, they typically become smaller in the number of eggs laid. Sea Turtles can lay multiple times during a season when they are nesting. This was the last nest of the season, unfortunately we are unable to take an inventory, as this nest was washed away from the storm surge that came with IAN, that had devasted many of the coast's dunes, piers, and caused flooding.

NOT KNOWING WHAT IMPACT IAN WOULD HAVE ON THE COAST OF SC, PREPERATIONS WERE TAKEN. CHUCK HAD PUT A POLE WAY BACK AT THE TOP OF THE DUNES, A WAY TO HELP FIND THE NEST IF IT WAS STILL THERE AFTER IAN. 

AS SAFETY IS ALWAYS TAKEN FIRST, NEST CHECKING WAS CALLED OFF AS IT WAS UNSAFE TO GO ON THE BEACH. THE LAST PICTURE THAT WAS TAKEN WAS BY SUSAN, SHOWS A MAJOR EMERGENCE. INDICATING A LARGE NUMBER OF THE HATCHLINGS MADE IT OUT.

IT WOULD BE TWO DAYS AFTER WE KNEW OF THE EMERGENCE OF THIS NEST, BEFORE IT WAS CONDIDERED SAFE TO CHECK ON THE NEST.  UNFORFUNATLY NO EVIDENCE OF THIS NEST WAS SEEN.  MEASURMENTS WERE TAKEN FROM THE IDENTIFICATION POLE THAT WAS PUT IN MARKING WHERE THE NEST SHOULD BE IF IT WAS STILL HERE.

PROBING WAS DONE ALL AROUND WHERE THE NEST SHOULD BE, BUT NO EVIDENCE OF THIS NEST WAS LEFT.  THIS NEST WILL NOT HAVE A INVENTORY RESULT PERCENT, AS THERE IS NO  EVIDENCE OF THE NEST LEFT.  BUT THE GREAT NEWS IS WE DO KNOW MANY IF NOT ALL HAD MADE IT OUT OF THE NEST BEFORE WASHING AWAY.

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally, and state protected, special guidelines, permits and training are needed to work with the Endangered Sea Turtles.

If you are in NMB or Briarcliffe and see a stranded Sea Turtle or hook a Sea Turtle, please call 

The NMB STP Hotline

843-213-9074

any time day or night

The NMB STP HELPS WITH 33rd ANNUAL BEACH SWEEP/CREEK SWEEP

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A SATURDAY, CLEANING AND DISPOSING OF TRASH AND DEBRIS, KNOWING THAT EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF PLASTIC, BOTTLES, FISHING LINE, AND SOME THINGS THAT YOU WOULDNT EVER EXPECT TO FIND, ALL OF THIS WILL NOT END UP IN THE OCEANS, MARSH AND BEACHES.

  

SOME OF THE NMB STP STRARTED OUT AT THE BOAT RAMP ON 53rd AVE.TO MEET UP WITH KEEP NORTH MYRTLE BEACH BEAUTIFUL, BAGS AND TOOLS, WERE GIVEN OUT.  SOME VOLUNTEERS, ALSO STARTED OUT AT THIER DESTINATIONS TO START RIGHT AWAY, WHICH I DO NOT HAVE THIER PICTURES.

THEN THE WORK REALLY BEGINS, YOU MAY THINK HARD WORK, DIRTY AND EXHAUSTING, AND SOMETIMES PRETTY GROSS, YES ALL ARE TRUE, BUT WHAT COULD ALSO BE SEEN IN THIS GREAT GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS, WAS THE COMPATION, THE FEELING OF FULFULMENT, AND EVEN SOME SHAKING OF THE HEADS WITH SOME OF THE THINGS YOU COULDNT IMAGINE WOULD BE OUT THERE.

EVERY PIECE OF TRASH PICKED IS DOCUMENTED

DOCUMENTING THE TRASH THAT WAS REMOVED FROM WATERWAYS, BEACHES, AND MARSH AREAS.

NMB STP PROTECTED LOGGERHEAD NEST #19 INVENTORY

This nest was found on July 24th, there were 107 eggs, one was used for DNA studies, and it had incubated for 54 days.

THIS IS WHAT IS LEFT FROM THE MAJOR EMERGENCE, AND THE TRACKS OF THE BABY HATCHLINGS AS THEY LEAVE THE NEST.

THE EGGSHELLS ARE COUNTED AND DOCUMENTED, AND PUT IN A NATIONAL DATABASE TO SHARE INFORMATION.

ONE OF LOGGERHEAD EGGS THAT WAS NOT VIABLE.

VOLUNTEERS HAVE COME TO HELP WITH THIS NEST, SHARING THEIR PASSION AND KNOWLEGE WITH ALL THAT HAVE COME TO WATCH.

A SPECIAL TREAT FOR THE PATROL, AS MANY STUDENTS FROM CURRENT TRANSITIONS IN LITTLE RIVER HAVE COME TO THE INVENTORY.

INVENTORY RESULTS

88.7%

106 eggs

94 hatched eggs

12 whole eggs,3 dead hatchlings

no live hatchlings

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally, and state protected, special guidelines, permits and training are required to work with Sea Turtles.

If you are in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and see a stranded, or hooked Sea Turtle please call 

NMB STP Hotline

843-219-9074