Nests Up, Hatchlings Out

By Pamela Nicholls, GSAC Board Member
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Turtle nests on Parkshore at the end of June.

Every year, as spring turns to summer, the profusion of stakes and yellow tape marking out sea turtle nests on Naples’ beaches grows and grows. As summer wanes, those nests start erupting with hatchlings.

Despite Ian, the numbers of nests are up county-wide on last year’s count. In 2022 the county recorded 1,972 nests – this year, the number, as of August 14, reached 2,143.

Parkshore and Naples Beaches account for 555 nests, 92 more than last year.

There were almost 100 more nests along Parkshore and Naples beaches this year than last.

According to Dr Jeff Schmid, Environmental Research Manager at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, we are about halfway through the hatching season on all the

County’s beaches. It is thought that the unseasonably warm temperatures over the last couple of months seem to have sped up the incubation process, and some nests are hatching a week or more ahead of schedule.

To keep a tab on sea turtle activity, visit Collier County’s weekly sea turtle report.