Why sea walls affect turtle nesting success.

False crawls 9 June 2010, Treasure Beach

here on Cape Cod we prohibit any retaining walls abutting the beach or marsh areas. there is a man here (Eastham) who has been very successful in creating "turtle gardens" where areas of the marsh edge are cleared of vegetation so the turtles can lay their eggs without having to journey across roads where they can be hit by cars. because of his efforts the population of diamond terrapins has increased from the brink of local extinction. food for thought.

With the risk of this being edited, the sight of this, knowing that these mothers risked their lives only to be met by a wall is enough to make me vomit.

Is there an inventory of egg laying spots?

Would be good to know for TB. The Font Hill data would also be helpful.

The data NEPA has for turtle nesting beaches is very old. We are trying to collect new data. We are asking everyone in Treasure Beach to contact JET with reports of turtle nesting (or attempts at turtle nesting), preferably with photos like these, date and time.

Diana from JET

I am aware the photo above shows only one wall and there are far more in Treasure Beach. So I am not holding the property owner totally responsible for what is happening to the sea turtles in Treasure Beach. I would still like to know exactly where this wall is located.

My next question is if the owner of beachfront property wants to have a fence to keep out goats and higglers what kind of fence is recommended that will achieve the purpose but still not keep the mother turtles from laying their eggs?

the tracks in the sand brings tear to my eyes

i truly know the beauty of this creature as last year i had a sea turtle swim by me one day while i was swimming in the sea
i suppose that she was coming to shore for nesting?

it was a most wonderful experience and one that i can not even explain with words - it was amazing to watch her swim by and just give me a glace - i was breathless

what people forget is that these creatures were here before us and it is our responsibility to care for them and their habitats

Now now, let's not start pointing fingers at land owners, for a couple of reasons:
1) The wall may have been there before they owned the property.
2) Education! Many people who built these walls in the past had no clue what the negative results would be. ANd no one told them.
And let's not single out this particular property just because they happen to be the unlucky one who was photographed.

What's a higgler?

I thought I stated my question in a way that did not thrust blame MNKEN. My intent was to learn more not to point fingers.

A higgler, as I knew the term, is a person who goes around selling things like clothing, shoes and household products. Another term is "peddler."

Essentially, all sea walls and fences should be located BEHIND the area where the dune meets the beach (where the turtles nest) and all natural vegetation should be retained.

The dune itself is part of a complex beach sand replenishment mechanism, and that is a whole 'nother story...

Diana from JET

Diana, if I read your post correctly, all walls should be behind the dunes. In the photo above, it appears there are no dunes and a well tended lawn has grown down to the inside of the wall. I am 100% for saving the turtles, but what would have been the correct thing for this one particular landowner to do?

Then what difference does it make where the wall is located Turtles and Walls and Fences? It is
not fair to single out this owner, just because this particular time the turtle just happened to come up by his property and someone just happened to have a camera. . The wall is one of many in TB. Have you ever been to TB? Just look at the background and that will tell you where it is.Everyone out there knows I am a turtle lover, so I am not defending the wall, but looking at the big picture.
{edited by TBNet}
Bless

I agree with mnken. It isn't fair to single out this particular person. I think at the time this particular wall was being built there had been no known evidence that turtles were ever nesting in this exact area. I know the owner and I'm sure if there had been any indication that there were turtles here they would have made accommodations for it. I don't think the picture is meant to single out a particular individual but instead to show what walls can do to the potential nesting area and that in the future we should consider how close we build the walls to the foreshore. I know that when we built our sea wall 40 years ago we had no idea either. It's a matter of education.

I also know the piece of land before this wall was built and there was no sand or soft dirt there (nor was there a manicured lawn)...it was the hard red clay dirt and iron shore and would probably have been an impossible nesting area for the turtle. Not that this justifies it but I really do not think this particular owner was aware.

"So I am not holding the property owner totally responsible for what is happening to the sea turtles in Treasure Beach".
With all due respect, this quote from 'Turtles and Walls and Fences' sounds like blaming to me.
This is not an attack, just quoting what was aid above.

To not fully understanding - what you are seeing is a man made landscape. I can't say for sure what was there before, but very likely it would have been a small sand dune with sea grape and other types of vegetation marking a gradual transition from land to sea. All over Jamaica and in other parts of the world, sea walls have been built without understanding their impacts on turtle nesting or beach replenishment. It's hard to go back, but we certainly should not be building new ones in the same places. And it's not about blame of landowners - I do blame regulators - but I am trying to build understanding... and a sense of humilty and wonder. I just did a blog about this, so if TB.net will forgive the promotion, please see http://www.dianamccaulay.com/apps/blog/

That's how I feel.
Diana from JET

Diana, I believe I speak for Rebecca in saying that TBNet heartily welcomes your (and any other Jamaican writer's) promotion of their work here. Thanks for sharing.

-Eric (TBNet)

Diana Mccauley,
i am not pointing figers,jut trying to state the obvious, in the search for "possibly" somewhere to lay its eggs the turtle has made a mistake.My suggestion is that it might have been disorientated or has the sea moved further inland? explore all possibilities Only trying to help.

Do turtles always return to the same spot to lay?

If so, how close to this spot to they seek each time?

Turtles return to the beaches where they were born to lay their own eggs. Turtles will lay maybe four or five different nests (once every two weeks) during the nesting season. In some cases I've seen turtles return to lay their nests in the same area where they'd laid before.

Thanks Christine.

Christine, could you be fairly explicit in the dates people should be watching both for egg laying and hatching.

Turtles can lay year round but the peak nesting season is around June to November.

I have heard beach bonfires can hurt the turtles which would be a shame. But I have been looking forward to another bonfire when we come down. What dates is it best not to have bonfires? If the beach is not one where turtles lay eggs is it OK to have a bonfire?

Bonfires are not a good thing to doing at all:
the many reasons should be pretty easy to figure out.

'think about it' your message seemed demeaning to 'bonfire' question. Not everyone is as smart as you, that is why we ask questions. And your reasponse is what makes us hesitant to ask the next one.

WHY are bonfires not a good thing to do AT ALL? Please explain.

Burning of anything adds a range of different pollutants to the air - the type of pollutant depends on what is burned. Think how you feel when confined to a smoky area - bad for your lungs. Of course, on a beach with a nice breeze, people nearby may not feel this, but the particulates and gases are still sent into the atmosphere. Also, it's hard to convince people they should not burn their land or their garbage, when bonfires are tolerated, so it's best not to burn at all.

As far as the turtles are concerned, if a bonfire is set near to their eggs, the eggs get cooked.

Diana from JET

Some good news:
Pictures of baby sea turtles

Thank you for the pictures Rebecca.

They are So Sweet...fills my heart!