Palm Beach County tourism officials and leaders are hoping this news will make people more comfortable traveling to and visiting the area.
The Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach recently announced that sea turtles are thriving during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the beach closures. From mid-March to Mid-May the beaches in Palm Beach County were closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Since the beaches have been previously closed for two months, the center noticed a change in the sea turtle’s behavior and in their nesting habits. The turtles were nesting more efficiently and a little quicker than normal because of the beach closures.
Juno Beach is a popular sea turtle nesting location where thousands of sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand along the sandy 9.5 mile of shoreline. The beaches during sea turtle nesting season which runs from March 1st through October 31st are closely monitored by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
The nests usually contain about 100 eggs in each and requires 45 to 60 days to hatch roughly. Juno Beach is one of the most populated sea turtle nesting areas in the world. The main reason is being so close to the gulf stream current that bends toward Florida and its close proximity to the Sargasso Sea, a region of the Atlantic Ocean.
Loggerheads, Greens and Leatherbacks nests are often found on the beach during this time. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center focuses their efforts on helping the injured and endangered sea turtles before releasing them back into the ocean.
The season is critical to help protect the turtles by keeping our beach clean. The sea turtles help tell us the health of the ocean and the ocean helps to tell us the health of the planet.
Here are some Do’s and Don’t when you come across a sea turtle nesting spot.
Do’s:
Throw away any debris or trash left behind on the beach
Observe sea turtle nest from a distance
Fill in any holes with sand and help provide a clear pathway to and from the ocean
Don’t’s:
Interact or disrupt sea turtle nesting’s – its illegal
Bring or use balloons on the beach
Harm or Harass sea turtle, their nests or hatchlings – its illegal and sea turtles are protected by the United States Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Statute Chapter 370.
The Loggerhead Marinelife Center reopened their doors to guests on Monday, May 18th and cleanliness and sanitation is their top priority. The Sea Turtle Research Hospital will resume their normal hours form 10 am to 5 pm with a limited guest count. Guests are required to wear mask and the staff at both the Pier and Marinelife Center are required to wear masks.
Additional sanitizing, social distancing signage, hand sanitizer stations, hourly cleanings and health and safety policies have been put in place to keep everyone healthy.
