Pensacola Beach Hosting Sea Turtle Baby Shower

A Florida beach is expecting, and you're invited to the celebration!

Pensacola Beach Advocates is throwing a sea turtle baby shower on Saturday, June 4. The free event is meant to help educate the public about local nesting sea turtles.

From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., more than 20 vendors and sea turtle experts will be at the Gulfside Pavilion at Pensacola Beach. There will be family-friendly games, music, and even a live mermaid! You can win a chance to be Sea Turtle Queen for only $5.

Nesting season for Gulf Coast sea turtles spans from May 1 to October 31 and peaks in July and August. It's a pivotal time for these creatures, and the survival of the next generation depends heavily on humans.

Nearly 90% of sea turtle nesting in the U.S. occurs on Florida beaches. Loggerheads are the most common sea turtle along Pensacola Beach, but green, leatherback, and the Kemp's Ridley have been known to nest there as well. Residents and visitors are asked to help protect sea turtles by cleaning up after trips to the beach, filling in holes, knocking down sandcastles, and most importantly, by keeping lights off at night.

Female sea turtles will continue to nest for a few more weeks. Sea turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two months, so be on alert for tiny turtles through October.