Cameras click, children giggle, and murmurs of "Oh, wow" rise from the crowd as a tiny sea turtle hatchling makes its way toward the ocean. The air tingles with excitement here on DeBordieu Colony until the lone straggler successfully reaches the waves.
"It is a bittersweet moment when they leave the beach," says Betsy Brabson, a project coordinator for South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts (SCUTE). "Sea turtles have such a long road ahead of them." How long? Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings makes it to adulthood.
In the Swim of Things
Loggerheads, leatherbacks, and four other marine turtle species (all threatened or endangered) return each year to our beaches to lay their eggs. Volunteer groups from North Carolina to Florida devote countless hours helping the turtles survive.
"Each state has its own guidelines," Betsy says. "But we all are trying to accomplish the same thing: protection of the nests and turtles."
The state's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) supervises protection programs along the coast. In Horry and Georgetown counties, SCUTE patrols beaches and monitors nests from May to October. On DeBordieu, "Volunteers walk 5-mile stretches each day at sunrise, looking for turtle tracks from the ocean to the dunes," explains Betsy.
Only DNR-certified volunteers are allowed to legally probe for eggs, relocate nests, conduct inventories, and remove dead turtles. A newfound nest is protected with mesh and marked with a dated sign if it's in a good location or relocated if it's not. Betsy's group records this information to determine when to expect hatchlings. They collect and share all data with DNR. "Everything associated with sea turtles is protected by state and federal laws," notes Betsy.
"The turtle problems are global," she continues, reeling off the offenses. "We've polluted the oceans, longline fishermen catch them on their lines, boat propellers strike them and lop off flippers. Also, they've had loss of habitat due to erosion, storms, and development. So we are trying to help them and undo what man has done."
