Harbor Island Turtle Program

10/13/2026

We had a 59.2% Beach Success for the 2026 season. This stat is determined by the number of nests divided by the total # of crawls. We had 108 nests and 75 non-nesting emergences (false crawls).

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

10/12/2026

Today our team responded to a tragic sea turtle stranding event. We would like to thank Chrissy for calling it in and the visitors who assisted us in removing the dangerous debris from the water and beach so other innocent animals aren't impacted.

Please contact island security if you see a sea turtle, and spread the word on how important it is to properly dispose of all trash, litter, construction debris, fishing gear, etc.

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

10/07/2026

King Tides, strong winds, and cooler temperatures are happening now on our beaches! In the off-season, we are watchful for washback and cold-stunned sea turtles.

"Washback sea turtles are young post-hatchlings that made it out to the open ocean and into floating Sargassum seaweed mats, but were pushed back onto the beach by strong fall storms, winds, and rough surf."

"Cold-stunning is a hypothermic condition where sea turtles become weak, lethargic, and paralyzed after exposure to rapidly dropping water temperatures, usually below 50°F (10°C)."

If you happen upon a sea turtle on the beach, please contact Island Security at 843-838-9985 so they can contact our team.

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

09/25/2026

Did you know...HISTP volunteers (Grant & JoAnnie), routinely take his invention-a long stick that jabs trash-to pick up debris that has fallen from the boardwalks?! This is an example of one of their trash hauls! Thank you for providing a valuable service to the island and the environment!

09/22/2026

Very interesting sea turtle news from California! 😳

This is the first time a sea turtle is known to have nested anywhere on the West Coast, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Read more: https://ktla.com/news/california/sea-turtle-nests-on-southern-california-beach-for-first-time-in-recorded-history/

09/21/2026

21st day of September...⚡delay, 🌈on the beach, always a great on the beach!

09/21/2026

We had a weather delay ⚡ this morning, but were able to conduct an inventory (54.7% H/E) and survey the beach. While we miss starting our mornings with our teammates, we hope they are sleeping in and doing all the things they put off during the season! Thank you to all our volunteers for your time, hard work, and dedication! ❤️

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

09/20/2026

Since it's the end of the season, we've pared down our patrols to monitor the beach and the few nests that remain. There were human footprints 👣 leading right up to our nests at sunrise this morning. We love that people are interested in our work and care about sea turtles. However, please give nests a wide berth as you may be inadvertently obliterating field signs that we need to observe and document. Our work is authorized by SCDNR and volunteers attend training annually in order to complete beach surveys. We truly appreciate your interest and support!

A great way to support our work is to purchase official HISTP t-shirts! Email [email protected] to order your shirts! We have a wide variety of sizes and colors that make excellent gifts, and proceeds go directly to fund our project! ❤️

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

09/19/2026

Good Morning from Harbor! All is quiet on the eastern front, so nothing to report. Have a wonderful weekend!

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

09/18/2026

The last official day of patrol for the 2026 season brought a great team and two inventories (stats in captions). A huge shout out of gratitude to all of our volunteers for a fabulous season! We are so thankful to have such amazing people willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make our conservation project a success. We are also grateful for our many followers who provide so much encouragement and love for our work. Thank you and please keep following for final closure soon!

SCDNR Permits MTP550-1/555

(AI not used in this post. Not sure why it says AI content...user error, I'm sure! 😆)