The last viable nest on Anna Maria Island yielded one live hatchling.
The loggerhead’s release to the Gulf unleashed a wave of emotion, as this season Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring lost its longtime leader, Suzi Fox.
AMITW volunteers had noted the last nest near the 700 block of North Shore Drive in Anna Maria hatched Oct. 21 and marked it for excavation Oct. 24.
Volunteers wait three days so any remaining hatchlings are undisturbed and can crawl out of the nest on their own.
But occasionally there are hatchlings remaining and the volunteers extract them, evaluate their health and determine if they can be released to the Gulf of Mexico.
That last nest had been washed over with high tides and yielded 90 unhatched eggs, as well as 16 hatched and one live hatchling.
The volunteers tearfully named the hatchling Suzi, in honor of Fox, who died Sept. 31.
As the hatchling crawled to the water’s edge, AMITW volunteer Karen Anderson said, through tears and emotion, “Go Suzi. You can make it.”
AMITW’s reports will be finalized for the state to wrap up the nesting season but questions remain for the nonprofit.
Who will become director and how will the team transition?
An Oct. 25 news release from Diane McCausey, AMITW vice president and a member of the board of directors, said the board is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to determine their plans.
“We have really big shoes to fill and we will be working to ensure Suzi’s legacy with AMITW moves forward with the same care and dedication she gave the program for more than 30 years,” McCausey stated.