This Land, Your Land

State park rangers and volunteers are monitoring more than twice as many sea turtle nests on Bear Island at Hammocks Beach State Park this season than last, a news release says.

One of the 19 sea turtle nests was created by the relatively rare green sea turtle, the release says, while the rest are by loggerhead turtles, which while also endangered are more common. The green sea turtle nest is among only nine known on the North Carolina coast this season.

There were eight sea turtle nests recorded on Bear Island in 2009.

There are three species of sea turtles that nest within Cape Hatteras National Seashore: the loggerhead, green and leatherback. All are federally listed as either threatened or endangered.

Programs at Hammocks Beach and Cape Hatteras enlist volunteers to monitor sea turtle nests and to ensure the success of hatchlings as they emerge and make their way to the ocean.

At Hatteras, volunteers are needed and will be trained to assist National Park Service biologists with monitoring nest sites, educating the general public about sea turtle management, installing and maintaining closures, handling hatchlings, and assisting with excavations.

Loggerhead and green sea turtles dig nests above the high tide line along beaches, and lay eggs that incubate for roughly 60-90 days before producing hatchlings from September to November. Hatchlings emerge from the nests at night and make their way toward the brightest horizon, which on an undeveloped beach is always toward the sea. Bright, artificial lights can confuse the hatchlings. Officials and volunteers re-orient confused hatchlings.

Each nest could produce more than 100 sea turtle hatchlings.

A loggerhead that was tagged at Bear Island with a GPS satellite tracking device and later nested at Brown Island can be tracked at the website www.seaturtle.org.

If you're interested in volunteering at Cape Hatteras and can commit to a specific number of hours, leave your contact information for Katy McCurdy at 252-995-6968 or 252-216-7829.

Authorities are looking for people who know about the death of a nesting female loggerhead turtle that was hit and killed by an vehicle on the beach at Ocracoke Island last Friday night. The National Park Service says it's the first time a nesting sea turtle has been killed by an ORV at Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

(Note: there's a photo of the dead turtle at the first link above. It's not pretty.)

The turtle had crawled out of the ocean and attempted to lay a nest between Ramps 70 and 72. The turtle was hit by an off-road vehicle and dragged approximately 12 feet, causing fatal injuries.

The vehicle that struck and killed the turtle is likely to have been a four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle or pick-up truck, the Park Service says.

Vehicles are prohibited on the beach from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. during turtle nesting season. Loggerhead turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

If you know anything about this incident, call the Dare Community Crime Line at 252-473-3111.