North Myrtle Beach protected nest #3

The beaches had already been raked, high tide had also erased the crawl below the high tide line, so no evidence of the crawl was left that would lead volunteers to the body pit (nest), the only signs left were the body pit itself.  As we encounter hundreds of holes and disturbed sand while looking for a possible crawl or nest, it is very difficult to find sometimes if the signs are gone, or very faint from wind-blown sand, rainstorms, high tides or raking done on the beaches. Thankfully Horry County Sanitation had spoken to NMB STP Volunteers, about a Sea Turtle they had encountered during the early hours of their morning shift.  Horry County Sanitation immediately sent a photo of the location to the NMB STP Hotline. The location was soon found by the NMB STP Volunteers.

Probing is very carefully done, as not to break any eggs. This is how the nest will be found.  

And yes we have a nest.  Because this nest is located on an unsafe section of the beach, it will safely be relocated and protected on a safer part of the beach.  128 eggs in this nest

While working to relocate this nest to a safer part of the beach, NMB STP Volunteers do what they love, sharing their passion and knowledge with all that happen to come upon the nest.

After the nest is relocated, a cage to protect the nest, rope and poles are put up, with a sign indicating this is a protected endangered Sea Turtle nest.  

Endangered Sea Turtle nest in NMB protected nest Number 3

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally, and state protected.  Special guidelines, training and permits are required to work with Nesting Sea Turtles, nest, hatchlings and strandings.

If you are in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and encounter a Sea Turtle please call the NMB STP Hotline.

NMB STP HOTLINE

843-213-9074

ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT

False Crawl # 3 And # 4 in North Myrtle Beach

 Not 1 but 2 false crawls on the same day. While calls coming in from NMB STP Volunteers, sound promising, all Volunteers hopeful that these could be a nest. 

The crawl will tell most of the story, by looking at the crawl the NMB STP Volunteers can tell the incoming and outgoing crawl.

while hopeful and excited volunteers are checking this crawl out, they find the Sea Turtle had turned around going back into the Ocean without nesting.

False crawl number 2

Again, a promising crawl at first sight 

But more investigating shows that, while she made all the effort to crawl out of the water using just her flippers while dragging her heavy body up to nest, she has made a turn around right back to the ocean.

Towards the end of this crawl you will see two holes that were left by beachgoer's digging in the sand but not filling them in.

Any deeper and this Sea Turtle may have been trapped unable to get out.  Holes and built-up piles of sand can block or entrap a Sea Turtle coming to shore to nest.  Let's all do our part, enjoy the beach during the day, make the sandcastles, but remember to knock them down, fill in the holes, not just for the Sea Turtles but anyone else enjoying the beaches with us.

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally and state protected.  Special guidlines, training and Permits are required to work with nesting Sea Turtles, nest, hatchlings and stranded Sea Turtles.

If you are in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and encounter a Sea Turtle please call the NMB STP Hotline.

NMB STP HOTLINE

843-213-9074

ANYTIME DY OR NIGHT

Briarcliffe false crawl

  Just before sunrise the dedicated Briarcliffe STP Volunteers are out on their patrol walks, looking for any signs of an Endangered Sea Turtle Crawl or nest so it can be protected.

These Volunteers walk rain or shine (unless unsafe conditions) every morning, knowing the importance that protecting a nest will have on the survival of the Endangered Sea Turtle Species.  

While Sea Turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean, only coming to shore to nest or stranded and in need of help. There are still some mysteries why She might come to shore, returning back to the ocean without laying her eggs, was she checking out the sand for a future nest, was the sand too soft, too hard or just not right as this can happen naturally.  But sometimes she returns back to the ocean because she had an encounter with wildlife, people or activity on the beach, so please if you encounter a Sea Turtle, Stay away from her and let her nest in peace.  It is illegal to shine lights on, touch, harasses or in any way hinder an Endangered Sea Turtle.    

The crawl was described as a beautiful crawl going up the beach to the dunes where she turned around and came back down to the ocean.  Very clear tracks of the flippers and drag marks of her heavy body.

The crawl at the dunes as she turns around and returns back to the ocean.

But the Volunteers Day does not always end here. The Love of all wildlife continues in their daily lives.

Claire and Bob spending most of their day, in contact with a wildlife rehabilitation center as they were working with a baby bluebird fledgling that had been injured.  While the drive would take hours to complete, they did not hesitate to get this baby to the wildlife Center. Once the wildlife rehabber looked at the baby bluebird fledgling, it was determined that the foot, leg and wing were injured.  The baby fledgling is in great hands thanks to Claire and Bob.

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally, and state protected.  Special training, guidelines and permits are required to work with a nesting mother, nest, hatchlings or stranded Sea Turtles.

 If in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and encounter a Sea Turtle, please call the NMB STP Hotline

843-213-9074

Call anytime day or night.

Team Building 2nd night

 Volunteers of the NMB and Briarcliffe STP, share a night at the Painted Potter for a team building night.  They are just a few of the many dedicated Volunteers all making the difference in helping to save the endangered Sea Turtle Species.

So many talented artists at work.

A FUN NIGHT FOR ALL

North Myrtle Beach False Crawl #2

 Just as they were starting their walks, looking for any signs of an endangered Sea Turtle Crawl, NMB STP Volunteers see a promising crawl.  This is called into the NMB STP Hotline by both Sanitation and the NMB STP Volunteers, and soon other NMB STP Volunteers are there to help.  Unfortunately, this ended up being a false crawl, (the Sea Turtle came to shore to nest but did not lay her eggs).

A beautiful crawl going right up to the dunes.  

The NMB STP Volunteers share their passion and knowledge with people that happen to be on the beach at this time.  They help to share and educate about the Endangered Sea Turtle Species as to how important it is to stay away from a Sea Turtle, as they can be easily scared back into the ocean without nesting.  Sometimes if unable to nest, she may lay them in the ocean, where they would become non-viable. Once the crawl is determined to be a false crawl all are welcome to come and look at the crawl and partial hole the Sea Turtle had started to dig.

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

If in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and you encounter a Sea Turtle, please call the NMB STP Hotline

843-213-9074

ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT

NMB PROTECTED NEST #2

 North Myrtle Beach now has the 2nd protected nest of 2023.

First year Volunteers (the Carmens) have a great find on their NMB STP walk looking for any possible Sea Turtle crawls or nest that will be protected. While not much of the crawl was left as high tide had erased most of the crawl and the beached had been raked, they knew just what to look for.  Soon more NMB STP Volunteers are there to help.

The nest is carefully studied as the signs will give a lot of detail as to where the nest may be.

The eggs are easily located, but they are not in a safe part of the beach, so they will be relocated to a safer part of the beach and protected.

136 eggs are found and protected. 

1 egg out of every protected nest will be used for DNA testing, this information will be shared in a data base which is critical in the conservation and future to help save this Endangered Sea Turtle species.

Just the outer eggshell will be used for DNA studies, this will contain just the mothers DNA.

 Volunteers are eagerly sharing their passion and knowledge with each other and the many curios people who are on the beach while the nest is being protected.

This nest is protected with a metal cage, to help prevent any wildlife that may be sharing the beach, from digging it up and alert people that there is a protected endangered Sea Turtle nest here.

NMB protected nest #2

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are Federally and State Protected. Special training, guidelines and permits are required to work with nesting Sea Turtles, Nest, Hatchlings and stranded Sea Turtles.

If in NMB or Briarcliffe areas and you encounter a Sea Turtle, please call the NMB STP Hotline

843-213-9074

Any time day or night

North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle False Crawl #1

A very wet and windy night leading up to Sunrise, where the NMB STP Volunteers are out walking 11 miles of beach, looking for any signs of a crawl or nest of the Endangered Sea Turtles to be protected.

Many times, when the weather is bad, very windy or bad storms, it is very difficult to see Signs of a Sea Turtle crawl.  But the NMB STP volunteers knew just what to look for. A great find as the storm and wind had distorted much of the crawl.

The crawl was determined to be a false crawl, where this Mother Sea Turtle came to shore but did not nest.  

We can all make the difference in helping the beautiful Sea Turtle Species.  Keep the Beaches clean and clear of any obstacles, take everything off the beach that you brought to the beach.  Have a fun day making those memorable sandcastles, but be sure to knock them down and fill in any holes before leaving the beach. Be like a Sea Turtle, leave only prints in the sand.

 

All Sea Turtles are endangered, they are federally, and state protected.  Special guidelines, training and Permits are required when working with nesting Sea Turtle mothers, nest, hatchlings and strandings.

If you are in North Myrtle Beach or Briarcliffe areas and encounter a Sea Turtle or stranding, please call the NMB STP Hotline.

NMB STP HOTLINE

843-213-9074

ANYTIME DAY OR NIGHT