Sea Turtle Hatchling Sighting

Margie from Cocoa Beach sends word of the first report this year of a sea turtle hatchling sighting. In Margie's words, "Turtle nest survey guy told me a jogger in south CB told him he/she'd seen one at first light near the Officer's Club, heading for the water. " This loggerhead hatchling photo is courtesy of Jim Angy. Jim and Matt MacQueen are wildlife photographers extraorindaire responsible for the photos in our Florida Beach Basics - The Space Coast DVD and reference cards. And if you love Jim's sea turtle photos, check out http://www.stillnature.com/, where you'll find our wildlife digital photo albums that display on PCs.

The Third Annual Sea Turtle Friendly Lighting Extravaganza will be held at the Cocoa Beach Holiday Inn on Saturday, July 12, from 9:00 until noon. Lighting experts will present an educational workshop on turtle friendly lighting. There will be short presentations on Brevard County’s sea turtle lighting and homeowner giveaway programs and the NESTS (Neighbors Ensuring Sea Turtles Survival) Program. Code Enforcement Officers will be present to answer residents lighting questions. A vendor area will be accessible throughout the event and will have something for everyone. Turtle friendly lighting vendors will display and sell fixtures, shields, and window tinting. Matt, Jim, and I will be there with our Florida Beach Basics - The Space Coast - hope to see you there, especially if you are a beachside resident or business.

Nice story in the Orlando Sentinel about the "return of 140 juvenile loggerheads to the Atlantic Ocean this morning after two years in captivity and two weeks of scientific testing to make the seas safer for the rest of the turtle species. The turtles were part of a two-week study conducted annually to evaluate the effectiveness of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in shrimp trawls." Read the rest of the story and watch a very interesting video of the event at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-loggerhead-sea-turtles-063008,0,1763935.story