Loggerhead turtle egg, Georgia coast. Photo: Tessa Jenkins
Loggerhead turtles have laid a record number of nests this year on the East Coast of the U.S. from North Carolina to Florida — more than 12,200, smashing the previous record by nearly a thousand nests in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. And while just the nest numbers alone bode well for the future of the threatened loggerheads, scientists also consider the nests themselves a key indicator of the health of the population now — the numbers have increased dramatically in the last 15 years. In 2004 there were only 400 nests on the Georgia coast (the low point since counting began) but this year scientists expect to see 10 times that number by the end of nesting season. What this really shows is that when people care about protecting nature, it can and will come back. Our Endangered Species Act works — if we let it. As we consider the UN’s warning of an extinction crisis, we now know there are things we can do — we just have to have the will to do them. #30×30 #CampaignForNature
Tessa Jenkins, turtle volunteer Photo: Danny Klain
July 16, 2019 » #30x30, #CampaignforNature, Endangered Species Act, loggerhead turtles, threatened species
