This Georgia beach is having its biggest sea turtle nesting season ever

And the numbers should keep rising.

Just off the coast of Savannah on Tybee Island, the familiar signs of high summer have officially arrived: temperatures are scorching hot, the tall marshgrasses are bright green, the tables on the patios at Sea Wolf and Huc-a-Poo’s are packed, and the protected nests of endangered sea turtles are dotting the sandy shores.

This year, however, beachgoers may spot more nesting sites than usual, as the island is boasting a record-breaking year. As of July 15, there were already 49 sea turtle nests—the most ever documented—topping the previous record of 35 in 2022.

A Banner Year

“We thought this season was going to be big. We didn’t think it was going to be this big, which is exciting,” says Alli Williford, Program Director of the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. Since joining as a seasonal educator in 2024, Williford has grown to lead the conservation programs, including the Tybee Island Sea Turtle Project.

“We honestly thought our record-breaking season was going to happen last year, or get very close. The reason is when sea turtles nest, they will do so multiple times in a summer, then they will take a couple of years off,” she explains. “If you look at all of the sea turtle data from when it started being collected in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, you start to see these really high peaks and valleys.”

During her decade-plus of experience on the island, Williford has seen increasing progress for loggerhead sea turtles, the most common nesting species on Tybee Island, which typically travel hundreds of miles to return to the same beach where they were born. In 2022, the state of Georgia surpassed the 4,000 mark of recorded nests for the first time—a stark contrast to the less than 400 recorded along the coast in 2004.

So, when the high numbers didn’t happen last summer as hoped, Williford and her colleagues were bracing themselves for a busy season this year. Still, the results so far have come as a pleasant surprise.

“Me and some of the other directors had a bet going with the highest number, and I guessed the highest this season at 49,” she shares. “We are all going to be wrong, which is great—we are going higher than any of us thought.”

These positive results are thanks largely to the dedicated network of researchers, agency employees, and volunteers permitted by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to patrol beaches daily to mark, monitor, and protect nests across the state’s coastline.

The Threat Of Humans

While the sea turtle nests on nearby undeveloped barrier islands face threats from predators such as wild boars, coyotes, or raccoons, the nests on Tybee face unique challenges due to the high volume of visitors and locals.

“Tybee turtles have to be tough because they have to be able to deal with humans on the beach,” says Williford. “We’re really trying to educate people about keeping the beach flat, clean, and dark, and these roles everyone can play to help them out.”

How To Help Sea Turtles

when a day at the beach is done, visitors should clear debris, remove tents, fill holes, and flatten sand castles, all of which could deter sea turtles looking to nest or create obstacles for the tiny hatchlings—some as small as a potato chip—when they crawl to the ocean.

It’s also crucial to minimize any artificial light on the coast, which causes disorientation among turtles who mistake it for the moon and head toward the dunes instead of the water.

“Light pollution is a really big deal,” Williford warns. Between May 1 and October 31, local ordinances require that all beachfront homes turn off or shield their exterior lights by 9 p.m., and if any lights are used, they must use amber, orange, or red LED bulbs.

Baby turtles take approximately 50 to 60 days to hatch, and when a nest is anticipated to emerge, Williford and her team camp out overnight to ensure the crawls are safe and successful.

In recent years, more fans who closely monitor the turtles’ progress via social media have started joining the night watches to see the action up close. While Williford appreciates the enthusiasm, spectators should respect the turtles by keeping a safe distance and following the expertise of credentialed leaders so no one harms a hatchling or uses too much light.

“We love that everyone is excited, but it can be a lot when you have 100 babies coming out of the nest,” Williford says.

She also cautions that even though the loggerhead populations have increased, they still aren’t in the recovery phase—meaning there is still much work to do before these vulnerable sea turtles are no longer considered an endangered species.

“We’re still trying to get those numbers up,” Williford adds. “It’s a group effort that takes everyone.”

Read the original article on Southern Living