On Saturday, we do a sea turtle nest inventory Dewees.  The nest showed signs of hatching (cave-in, tracks, etc.) on Wednesday morning, so we wait 72 hours and then investigate the nest to see how successful we are.  Why come watch?  Because it’s real science in action.  What was the hatch rate? Did moving (or not moving) the nest appear to increase the success rate? And, really, what we’re all looking for is whether or not there are still hatchlings inside who were not able to make it out.  WIthout our intervention, those hatchlings would probably become part of the sand dunes and the food chain in the ecosystem.  But we let them out to make their way to the water.

6:30, Saturday August 10, near Osprey Walk.

DO: bring a drink and something to sit on.  DON’T bring a dog or climb on the dunes.  Here’s a video of hatchlings from an inventory two years ago:

Here’s a link to Claudia DeMayo’s video from Nest 1 Inventory: we had 15 robust hatchlings making their way to the ocean!

An excerpt from our Sea Turtle Manual tells you what to expect tomorrow night:

Once 72 hours has passed since the first documented emergence, we conduct a nest inventory.  Our inventories are usually publicized on the ferry and at the nature center.  An inventory is a way for us to learn about the hatch success rate of a particular nest, and a way to assist weak hatchlings who might not otherwise make it out.  We never know what we are going to find: there may be dead hatchlings, rotten eggs, empty eggshells, or live turtles.  While we appreciate that the fact that a live turtle can etch an indelible memory in the mind of a child or adult and help build our community culture of conservation, we need to keep in mind that this is a scientific process and part of a large scale conservation and citizen-science effort.  Inventories are conducted carefully in order to collect as much specific data as possible. Each member of the community has a valuable job to do, even if it is just to sit quietly and watch the hatchlings slip into the sea.

A certified team member will go early to the nest with data collection equipment, rubber gloves, a writing utensil, and traffic cones or other markers.  They will mark off the area in a triangular shape, all the way to the water.  Watchers can line up along this boundary to give any hatchlings a clear path to the sea.  This is NOT a dog-friendly event.  Dogs must be on leashes and must stay a clear distance beyond this boundary.  Turtle team members will divide into three roles:  interpreter, excavator, and data collector.

• The interpreter focuses on the people: explaining the project, setting rules and boundaries, and communicating possible outcomes and expectations.  They are responsible for crowd control.  They will explain the role the decomposing nest remains play in nourishing the dunes, and the fact that it is the weakest hatchlings that remain in the nest. They will keep people behind the boundaries and stress the need for them to stand still until all turtles are completely out to sea.

• The excavator focuses on the nest, donning rubber gloves to dig gently into the nest cavity.  If at any point live hatchlings are encountered in a group at the top of the nest, the team will close up the nest to let it hatch on its own and cancel the inventory until the nest hatches naturally.  The excavator places piles of eggshells in groups of 10 on the sand, separating shells and unhatched eggs.  Viable hatchlings are placed in a bucket until the nest is totally excavated.  Then, making sure that all observers are safely behind the lines, the hatchlings in the bucket will be released to make their way into the ocean.

• The data collector focuses on the data.  He or she calls for the data requested by DNR and supervises the excavation and inventory protocol.  The data collector is prepared with clipboard, camera, forms, and writing utensils.  As the nest is inventoried, they will count eggshells, pipped eggs, unhatched eggs, dead hatchlings and live hatchlings.  They will make note of any special circumstances like leucosystic (white-pigmented)hatchlings or deformities.

The remainder of the crowd will serve as observers.  They will stay behind the boundaries and watch quietly.  Once the inventory is complete, the excavator and data collector will help keep people well out of the water, standing with still feet so any hatchlings washed back in by waves will be safe.