Sea turtle nesting site in Florida

[Catherine]

There is a major sea turtle nesting site along the Florida coast just 90 minutes away from Disneyland. The area is known as the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. It was only established in 1991 so there is some development in the area. The sea turtles return here to lay their eggs. The biggest problem is humans who use lighting at night. The turtles won't come ashore and their eggs can be lost at sea.

There are turtle nesting tours that people can take. They are done carefully with an educational section before they head to the beach to observe the turtle laying eggs.
It is important to protect the turtles and their nests. Only 1 in 1000 hatchlings make it to adulthood.
Daytime beach use is okay as long as the nests are not disturbed. At night there are strict light restrictions. Lights confuse the turtles and can prevent them from coming ashore. Lights can confuse the hatchlings. Loud noises are a problem too.


https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250...ve-to-nest

As long as we are careful and respectful we should be able to coexist with the sea turtles and not disturb them.
I have mixed feelings about the turtle tours, but they do teach people about the turtles and our need to protect them.
They probably do a lot of good by educating people. The tours would generate tourist dollars so the locals would benefit and would want to protect the turtles.
We can always get people to protect an animal if it benefits them financially.