Leave the beach as you found the beach.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers and code enforcement officers ask that people remove their items when they leave and leave the shoreline, leaving the beach as they found it.
Cabanas, chairs, clothing and trash on the beach can create hazards for hatchling and nesting female sea turtles.
The problem can be exasperated by numbers.
AMITW has reported more than 100 loggerhead nests over last year’s numbers through the last week of July. Last year, there were 389 nests through July 25 and this year there are 505.
The volunteers also said they’ve seen an increase in disorientations over last year’s numbers, some created by lighting that isn’t sea turtle-friendly and others the result of items left on the beach.
Hatchlings need an unimpeded path to the beach. They weigh about 8 ounces and are barely 2 inches long.
So traversing items left behind or holes is hazardous.
Hatchlings that get stuck in a hole face death without the intervention of people. And crawling into beach gear can cause the hatchlings to turn away from the Gulf of Mexico and possibly die of dehydration.
Adult turtles also get tangled in chairs and tie-downs on cabanas and fall into holes. Adults too large to get out of holes also can succumb to dehydration.
AMITW volunteers Hans Duerr and Birgit Kremer noted sea turtle tracks going between beach chairs July 27 near the 1600 block of Gulf Drive North in Bradenton Beach, where the sea turtle was not dissuaded — she laid her eggs.
In another situation, Duerr and Kremer contacted the Bradenton Beach code department July 22 to report a large hole and several items left on the beach between 23rd and 24th streets north in Bradenton Beach.
Bradenton Beach code compliance officer Ronald Peterson said July 24 that he spoke with resort management and requested they remove beach chairs at night.
He also encouraged business people to educate guests on the do’s and don’ts during sea turtle season.
Holmes Beach code compliance officer Jayson Clayton said July 26 that items left on the beach vary with everchanging visitors.
He patrols the beach daily and also performs nighttime patrols. When items are left behind, they will be moved closer to the dunes and, if not retrieved in two days, public works collects the items.
Anna Maria city clerk LeAnne Addy said July 28 that code compliance regularly patrols the beach in Anna Maria and picks up items left behind by beachgoers.
In other nesting news, a loggerhead nest adopted by AMITW volunteers to honor the late actress Betty White has hatched, yielding 100 hatchlings, all of which headed to the Gulf of Mexico.
The nest hatched July 19 and the excavation for the egg count took place three days later.
For more information or questions about AMITW, contact volunteer Barbara Riskay at snqqpy24@aol.com or 404-275-9422.
Esther’s course
Esther, the first chelonian — hard shell — turtle released for the Tour de Turtles, traveled more than 330 miles since the loggerhead’s release June 20 from Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach.
Esther was tracked near Sanibel Island July 29 and appeared to be swimming south. It was anticipated the sea turtle would nest again this season on AMI.
The Tour de Turtles is an educational effort led by the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The official start date was Aug. 1.
The Waterline Resort, Mainsail Vacation Rentals, both located on Marina Drive in Holmes Beach and AMITW worked with the conservancy to make the tagging of Esther possible.
Esther’s travels can be viewed at tourdeturtles.org.