Despite encouraging nesting numbers on Florida beaches in recent years, nesting activity long-term has been in decline. The Pacific loggerhead population on the U.S. West Coast is listed as endangered while the North Atlantic loggerhead population, which includes the Gulf of Mexico, is listed as threatened.

“The Atlantic loggerheads are really dependent on U.S. coastline for nesting beaches,” said Catherine Kilduff, the staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. “And, so with sea level rise and climate change, those beaches are threatened because as the shoreline moves inland, the beaches get smaller and smaller because there are structures along the beach that prevent a natural progression as the sea level rises. So basically, the beaches for the loggerhead sea turtles are in peril of being underwater soon.”

The environmental advocacy groups first petitioned the federal government for critical habitat protections in 2007.

“We’re a little bit worried because it’s an election year,” said Kilduff. “But we think it’s really important that we’re not just playing catch up, but thinking about the future to recover healthy populations of sea turtles.”

Kilduff says she hopes to speak with federal officials before the 60-day intent to sue notice expires in mid-June. Sea turtle nesting season got off to an early start this year, but officially runs from May 1 through Oct. 31.