Abstract

Four species of sea turtles commonly occur in Gulf of Mexico waters and nest on the beaches of northwest Florida. Although sea turtle nesting is less dense in Okaloosa County than areas on the East coast of Florida, sea turtle nests are still observed, documented and protected every year. With these nesting trends comes conservation efforts. The Destin – Fort Walton Beach Coastal Resource Division has started to build a program that focuses on improving sea turtle conser-vation efforts through public engagement, outreach, and education. In order to better understand where the most effort is needed, we have been evaluating nesting trends in Okaloosa County since the year 2000. Each morning from May 1 – October 31, Coastal Resource staff look for evidence of sea turtle emergence and nesting. Seasonal nesting data in Okaloosa County has shown a slightly negative nesting trend within the past five years. Another observable comparison is the differences in nests laid between developed and undeveloped beaches. In 2021, only 3 of the 37 (8.1%) nests were laid on the 9-miles of developed beaches that Coastal Resource staff survey. The Coastal Resource Team has worked to improve conservation efforts in Okaloosa County by increasing the amount of outreach and education being conducted for the public. These initiatives include free turtle-friendly flashlights, providing lectures on sea turtle conservation, developing a library of resources for staff and others to utilize, and the most successful initiative is a weekly event called C.A.R.E.ing for Turtles. The Coastal Resource Team has new initiatives and programs planned for the upcoming seasons to increase public engagement and awareness. Assessing nesting trends will also allow the team to come up with solutions to increase nesting activity and conservation efforts.

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