Two Collier County beach sites are at loggerheads over the first turtle nest of the season.

Or, rather, you should say they are with loggerheads.

Two different groups reported the first sea turtle nests of the year on Collier County beaches this week.

On Wednesday, the Collier County Sea Turtle Protection Team reported that they recorded the first sea turtle nest on Barefoot Beach.

And scientists with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida reported finding the first sea turtle nest in Collier County on Tuesday on Keewaydin Island.

Since there's no prize for being "FIRST," both beaches are "winners."

Conservancy officials were still gathering data and information from the accessible-by-boat-only island. But they did provide a photo of the nest and the protective screening employed to guard the slowly-maturing eggs under the sand.

The Keewaydin site, on the south end of the long and skinny slip of land, was a loggerhead nest.

The Barefoot Beach nest, also made by a loggerhead turtle, has been staked by the county team and will be monitored until the eggs hatch.

The Transportation Engineering Department’s Sea Turtle monitoring group started the permit-required daily nest surveys on April 15. The team patrols and records sea turtle emergences (nests and false crawls) along 22.5 miles of Collier County beachfront daily.

Sea turtle nesting season in this area runs from spring to the end of October each year. During this time, the Sea Turtle Protection Team’s Environmental Supervisor, Mary Toro, asks everyone living on or near our beaches to follow a few simple guidelines.

“Please remember to turn off or shade lights from illuminating the beach by 9:00 p.m. and remove all beach furniture from the beach by 9:30 p.m. We are hopeful for a good nesting season, and with the public’s help, we can make it a great season,” said Toro.

Reminders about sea turtle nesting season

If you find a dead or injured sea turtle, please immediately notify the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/ or (888) 404-3922, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; or *FWC or #FWC from a cell phone.

• If you witness a turtle crawling out of the ocean or digging a nest, remain quiet and at a distance. Movements and noises can easily frighten away a female turtle.
• Don't use flashlights on the beach at night. Lights deter turtles attempting to nest.
• If you live near the beach, shield lights that face seaward or turn off unnecessary lighting.
• Never stop a turtle that is returning to the water.
• Please fill in any dug holes for public and environmental safety.

Do not interfere with hatchlings heading for the water; this can weaken them and increase mortality. Contact the FWC (1-888-404-3922) if you witness any situation that may interfere with sea turtle activities.

For more information on the Sea Turtle Protection Program, please visit collierparks.com/sea-turtle-protection/.

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