Our primary function is to survey Amelia Island’s beaches during May through October, the months of sea turtle nesting and hatchling emergence, to enhance nesting success and to collect accurate data on nesting activity.

• Every May, our trained volunteers locate nests, crawls, or stranding s and report to the coordinator.

• In areas where vehicular traffic, beach lighting, or beach renourishment activity impacts the viability of nests, clutches are relocated to safer areas of the beach for incubation and monitoring.

• We work with governing agencies and beachfront residents to minimize the effects of artificial beachfront lighting on emerging hatchlings. The data we collected in the early years was also instrumental in developing the use of the Turtle Excluder Device (TED) by commercial fishing industry.

• US Army Corps of Engineers request that we ensure the sea turtle nests are not adversely impacted by summer beach renourishment projects.

Beachfront residents and visitors meet us on the beach in awe at the sight of a turtle crawl.

We have documented 3 species of turtles nesting on Amelia Island. Loggerheads, green turtles, and leatherbacks have found Amelia Island a suitable habitat for the incubation of their precious clutches.

We truly have a valuable resource and will continue to preserve their most precious part of our natural heritage.