Sea Turtle Conservancy

08/29/2026

Read below to hear how Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, AMITW is working to proactively educate community members about problematic lighting! Thank you for your effort.

🐢 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐌𝐈!

This week, AMITW staff and volunteers surveyed beachfront properties and reached out to owners and managers about lights that can disorient sea turtle hatchlings.

We’ve contacted 26 properties, and 21 have responded by turning off lights, closing blinds, installing shields, switching to turtle-friendly bulbs or fixtures, or working toward lighting solutions. We’ve also seen several properties make changes on their own, and the reduction in artificial light from landward sources is already noticeable. 🌙

We’re happy to report only 3 disorientations this week—and no dead hatchlings found on Gulf Drive! 🙌

A huge 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 to everyone who has stepped up to help—and especially CJ at Synergy Lighting, who personally made courtesy visits to at least 13 properties to help find turtle-friendly solutions.

When our community works together, we give hatchlings a better chance to make it safely to the Gulf. 💚🐢

08/28/2026

We have some heartbreaking news to share. The nest laid by Krysta, the first loggerhead we satellite-tagged and released as part of the 2026 Tour de Turtles, disoriented this week due to lights from nearby properties on Anna Maria Island.

This week Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, AMITW was notified about 70 live and five dead hatchlings scattered along Gulf Drive South. They successfully rescued the live hatchlings and released them onto a darker stretch of beach. The next morning, they also found a hatchling in a pool and another in a storm drain – these hatchlings are recovering at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

Florida’s beaches host 90% of all sea turtle nesting in the U.S. and are densely developed, leading to disorientations like these occurring regularly. When local governments, property owners, and visitors are educated and change their behavior, it is possible to prevent disorientations.

As we enter peak hatching season, remember to turn off lights visible from the beach, close blinds and curtains, leave flashlights at home, and share this knowledge with your friends. Visit our website learn more: https://conserveturtles.org/program/beach-lighting/

08/28/2026

We love human-generated art! Tell us your favorite in the comments 🎨

08/26/2026

Did you know that commercial space activities intersect with important sea turtle nesting habitat in the U.S.?🚀 Canaveral National Seashore, located near the world's busiest spaceport, just reported a new sea turtle nesting record, with 16,813 nests along 24 miles of coastline. A recent proposed rule change by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) threatens the habitats and communities subject to commercial space activity.

The proposal allows for the Transportation Secretary to exempt the commercial space industry from complying with 13 key environmental laws.‼️ Laws like the Clear Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act were passed to protect our wildlife and our communities.

We need your help to submit comments on this rule change by August 31. Comments can be submitted here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/30/2026-15415/waiver-of-specified-statutory-requirements-for-commercial-space-launch-and-reentry-actions

08/26/2026

Thank you for your artistry, philanthropy, and love for our planet. 💜

08/25/2026

The shallow seagrass habitat along Florida's Big Bend provides a perfect haven for juvenile sea turtles from across the region. 🌾

08/24/2026

A sea turtle nest disorientation on Anna Maria Island made international news last week. The death of sea turtle hatchlings due to poorly managed lighting is devastating, and unfortunately occurs consistently during nesting season in Florida. 💔

The good news is that coastal light pollution is manageable. Swipe to read how communities can work together to reduce disorientations and to learn more about how STC is addressing this problem, visit our website here: https://conserveturtles.org/program/beach-lighting/

08/24/2026

Digging holes (or trenches, in this case) may be fun for a moment, but when left on the beach, they can harm sea turtles AND people. Share with your friends to help remind them to fill in holes before leaving the beach. 🐢🌴

Today on patrol we came across one of the longest deepest trenches we’ve ever seen on the beach. Someone or someone’s were trying to connect a creek to the gulf. Please don’t be these people. It’s so dangerous for people, turtles, and vehicles. We aren’t the only ones that ride the beach. The counties do, the Sheriff deputies do, and FWC also does to conduct their own surveys. It’s also hatching time and hatchings can get trapped in things like this, making them more vulnerable to predators. We filled this massive trench, but as always, we are compelled to spread the awareness..

08/21/2026

Look who Inwater Research Group found nesting this week! It's Hei Hei, the loggerhead sea turtle we satellite-tagged with Disney Conservation last month as part of the Tour de Turtles!

It is rare that we get to see our satellite-tagged turtles nest again in the same season, and Hei Hei is even more interesting because she nested on two different beaches during the same season! Sea turtles continue to amaze and surprise us.

It's Hei Hei! 🐓

Hei Hei is an adult female loggerhead that our night crew originally encountered and tagged on our nesting beach on June 6th, 2026. Two weeks later, we saw her nesting again on June 20th.

Hei Hei was then encountered by Sea Turtle Conservancy on July 31 and received a satellite tag as part of their Tour de Turtles program, tracking the migration of sea turtles from their nesting beaches to their foraging grounds. Hei Hei was sponsored by and received her name from the Disney Conservation team.

Just three nights ago, we saw Hei Hei again! On August 18th, she came up to nest on our beach for a third time. We can't wait to see where this girl goes next. To follow along with Hei Hei's journey, visit https://conserveturtles.org/find-my-turtle/.

08/20/2026

Checking in on the 2026 Tour de Turtles Migration Marathon!

Ironically, Jennifer Slowpez is in first place in the leatherback race! After remaining close to where she nested in Panama for about a month, Jennifer Slowpez traveled to the Gulf to a known foraging hotspot for leatherbacks! Since the official start of the Tour de Turtles on August 2, she has traveled 2,271 miles!

Pua, the loggerhead in first place in the hardshell Tour de Turtles race, is currently near Grand Bahama! She has traveled 488 miles since the start of the Tour de Turtles.

To track all of the Tour de Turtles participants, visit https://tourdeturtles.org/