MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — In a dedicated effort to safeguard endangered sea turtles, the Marco Island Police Department’s (MIPD) “Turtle Task Force” (TTF) undertakes nightly beach patrols.
This two-person civilian team, armed with a police cruiser, patrols the coastline, targeting potential hazards that could disrupt the nesting and hatching activities of these majestic creatures. During a recent ride-along, we witnessed the TTF’s unwavering commitment to preserving the fragile turtle population.
The TTF embarks on their nightly beach patrol about an hour before sundown. Their mission involves scanning the shoreline for obstacles such as litter, holes and sandcastles that could impede sea turtle activities. The team promptly removes these barriers and provides educational outreach whenever necessary.
As darkness descends, the officers abandon their vehicle and begin patrolling the beach on foot. Each visible white light facing the beach after 9 p.m. is a violation of Marco Island City code and is subject to citation. During our trip near Hideaway Beach, we witnessed the TTF in action, documenting violations and preparing to issue tickets to offenders over the next two days.
Ira Warder from MIPD guided us through the process of identifying and addressing illegal lighting.
“So what we are going to do is grab the rake and flatten these out,” Warder explained, indicating raked sand areas that could disrupt nesting sea turtles.
The team also encountered litter being thrown into a bucket, emphasizing the potential harm such actions could cause.
The issue of false crawls, where sea turtles attempt to nest but encounter obstacles or disorientation, was another concern highlighted during our beach patrol.
“A false crawl is when a sea turtle comes out to lay her eggs, she starts heading onto the sand, and for some reason…either she bumps into an object, gets stuck in a hole, or gets disoriented with light…she doesn’t lay her eggs,” Warder explained.
These false crawls, along with multiple instances of deceased sea turtles washing ashore, underscored the urgency of the Turtle Task Force’s work.
Enforcing compliance with lighting regulations proved to be a significant challenge.
“Those three white lights? Those would be in violation at nine o’clock,” Warder pointed out, referring to lights emanating from a nearby condo complex.
Despite the $150 fine for a first offense, compliance with regulations remains an ongoing battle.
Warder lamented, “I think the money for the first offense…isn’t really an attention-getter, unfortunately.”
To further illustrate the need for their operations, Warder provided figures indicating the frequency of violations throughout the year. The team’s efforts to mitigate the impact of excessive lighting contribute to the survival of sea turtle hatchlings.
Warder’s dedication to the cause was palpable as he reflected, “That sea turtle wasted all that energy that they need to reproduce and survive.”
He also expressed frustration over the proximity of certain condos’ lights to turtle nests.
“This particular location just happens to be the location of Nest Number 2. This nest is scheduled to hatch in the very near future…and you can see the proximity between the nest and the light…if this nest was to hatch, the hatchlings would probably die,” Warder passionately emphasized.
Despite the challenges faced by the TTF, their work is making a tangible impact on protecting sea turtles.
“If we don’t see violations, that in itself is a measurement of success. That our outreach has been effective,” Warder noted optimistically.
Thus far, throughout 2023, the City of Marco Island has seen 359 false crawls, compared to 190 in all of 2022 (a 105% increase).
MIPD has handed out 82 turtle protection violations thus far this year.
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