Beach Driving and Recreational Equipment Can Harm Sea Turtles
Human use of nesting beaches can result in negative impacts to nesting turtles, incubating egg clutches and hatchlings. The most serious threat caused by increased human presence on the beach is the disturbance to nesting females. Night-time human activity can prevent sea turtles from emerging on the beach or even cause females to stop nesting and return to the ocean.
Beach furniture and other recreational equipment (e.g., cabanas, umbrellas, canoes, small boats, bicycles) can reduce nesting success and increase false crawls on nesting beaches when left out overnight. There is an increase in the documentation of nesting females becoming entrapped in beach furniture. Beach driving, either at night or during the daytime, also poses a danger to sea turtles. Tire ruts left by vehicles can extend the time it takes a hatchling to reach the ocean and increase their chance of being caught by a predator.
Taking a Closer Look
Leave only footprints
Do your part by keeping beaches CLEAN, DARK and FLAT! Some beaches now have Leave No Trace ordinances, which require items to be removed daily from the beach each night. Even if your beach doesn’t have an ordinance, you can still Leave No Trace at the end of your beach day by removing all trash and beach equipment.
