Volunteers with the Escambia County Sea Turtle Conservation Program walked the sand at first light Friday morning, marking the start of nesting season on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. The patrols will run every morning into September, with volunteers looking for tracks, nests and any signs of overnight turtle activity before the day's footprints and weather obscure them.
Four species nest in Escambia County. The loggerhead and green sea turtles are the most common, the county says. Kemp's ridley and leatherback turtles nest here less often. Female turtles will come ashore through early summer, and a single female may nest several times in one season. Eggs incubate roughly 60 days. When hatchlings emerge, they emerge all at once, under cover of darkness, and race for the water.
Patrols, permits and reporting
Conservation work runs on a year-round monitoring rhythm. After a nest is identified, volunteers and staff check on it through the incubation period and remain on standby for strandings or other turtle-related incidents. The work operates under Marine Turtle Permits 032 and 202 issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Dead or injured sea turtles and other marine life can be reported to Escambia County Marine Resources at 850-281-5904 or to the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-FWCC.
What residents and visitors can do
The county lists three rules for the season. The first is lights out. Bright artificial light disturbs nesting females and disorients hatchlings, sending them away from the water. Beachgoers after dark are asked to keep cell phone screens and flashlights off, or to use a red flashlight if light is needed. Beachfront residents are asked to turn off exterior lights when not in use and keep blinds and curtains closed after sunset.
The second is leave only footprints. All personal items — chairs, tents, umbrellas, toys, water equipment — must be off the sand by sunset. Holes in the sand should be filled in. Sandcastles flattened. Empty obstacles can trap nesting females and disorient hatchlings just as effectively as lights.
The third is share the beach. Visitors are asked to stay clear of posted nesting areas, give nesting turtles space and avoid handling eggs or hatchlings.
The same beaches host nesting shorebirds in the summer, including least terns, snowy plovers, Wilson's plovers and black skimmers. Their nests are shallow scrapes in the sand with camouflaged eggs that can disappear under a casual footprint. Dogs are allowed only in designated dog beach areas and must be on a leash.