Florida’s sea turtle nesting season ends this month and a Broward County conservation program is giving folks the chance to watch online.
The county’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program typically allows people to attend hatchling releases in person. But that’s being held virtually this year because of the pandemic. Derek Burkholder is director of the county’s Sea Turtle Conservation Program. He says sea turtles help people learn about the ocean. "They are a vital part of our marine environment and because they do sort of link the ocean and land by coming up and laying their nests on the beaches." Stephanie Kedzuf is the county’s natural resources specialist. She says the programs teach people how they can help with sea turtle conservation. "Local people don’t even know the importance of our beaches for sea turtle nesting and the habitat even that we have offshore. So, I think it’s a really great opportunity for people to learn from our biologists a little bit more about sea turtles and maybe learn something they didn’t know before." People can watch sea turtles hatch every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm. The program runs until October 29th. You must pre-register to participate. Visit our coronavirus live blog on WLRN.org to learn more.
