Ladies Tarpon Tournament 2005 - Memories in the Pass

By Linda Fudala-Tucker

The first nest of the sea turtle nesting season was reported this week. Make that two nests.

Gasparilla Island Turtle Patrol leader, Grace Harvey said the first nest was found on the beach north of 18th St. on Tuesday, May 17 in Tracy Bowe's sector. The second nest found in Sector 6, was reported by Tina Marrelli-Glass.

Nesting season started on May 1. Last year the first nest tagged was also in Bowe’s sector, but on May 12. That nest was also the first excavated under the strict guidelines of the patrol’s state turtle permit.

After last year's hurricane season, the turtle nest count suffered, said Harvey. On the Charlotte County side of the island, there were 58 nests counted, 10 of which were attacked by predators, (fox, raccoon, crabs, ants); 38 were destroyed by erosion, accretion or inundation mostly due to storms. That left 10 nests and only 219 babies that made it to the water. There was also evidence found of 52 false crawls, that is, mommas who changed their minds and went back to sea.

On the Lee County end of the island, there were 110 total nests found, of which 29 were destroyed by predators; and 51 by aforementioned erosion, accretion etc., but 3005 babies made it to the sea. Of course the data collected is dependent on volunteers who take morning strolls on the beach to observe signs of nesting activity; volunteers who are trained by Grace who carefully reports the findings of the season to the state.

Harvey said that now is the time to bring in beach furniture and keep lights off the beach. ATV vehicles are also prohibited during the nesting season.

"We had a number of dead, adult turtles washed up this season, which may have been related to the red tide outbreak, or to being caught in nets, or disease," said Grace. "Only one in 1000 will reach adulthood and some biologists say that only

1 in 2,500 reach sexual maturity. A loggerhead turtle is 25 to 50 years old when she begins to return to her natal beaches every few years to deposit an average of three to five nests during the nesting season."

Volunteers are still needed to fill in, says Harvey Call 964-5642.

Grace Harvey is happy to report the first sea turtle nest of the nesting season.

A Morgan Plus 4, early 60's	A street rod, Ford early 30's.
Maserati, is a recent model classic in bright yellow.	A 1957 Studebaker Silver Hawk is in great shape.