According to Turtle Watch volunteer, Freda Perrotta, there are only 12 sea turtle nests left to open with the next one occurring at 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 3 at 7085 Gulf of Mexico Drive. Oct. 31 marks the end of turtle nesting season, and Mote Marine specialists have compiled data so far this season that indicates certain species of sea turtles have decreased nesting numbers while other species have slightly increased nesting numbers.
A sea turtle chilled to the bone by this past winter’s cold snap was released Monday from Manasota Key by Mote staff, who helped the turtle recover from severe cold-related tissue damage.
A nest has hatched at 4425 Gulf of Mexico Drive (La Playa Condominiums) and will be excavated at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3. Parking will be at the Longboat Harbour beach access, which is just south of La Playa Condominiums.
A green sea turtle rehabilitated at Mote Marine Laboratory was released Friday, July 2 from Longboat Pass in Manatee County after successful treatment for a boat strike injury. Boats have struck a record number of sea turtles in Sarasota and Manatee county waters this year, according to Mote staff, who caution boaters to keep a careful eye out for turtles and other marine life during Labor Day Weekend.
Three sea turtles rescued from oily waters near Louisiana and given follow-up care at Mote Marine Laboratory were released Aug. 18, in oil-free waters near Cedar Key in Levy County, Fla.
Longboat Key Turtle Watch invites you to watch turtle nest openings Saturday, July 31:
Sea turtle nesting season is well underway, and one of the first Longboat nests has hatched. The Longboat Key Turtle Watch group noticed the first hatching on the Manatee County portion of Longboat and held a turtle nest opening yesterday. Several hatchlings had not yet made their way to the Gulf, so Turtle Watch volunteers placed the remaining hatchlings into the water as onlookers watched them swim away.
Although the leak has been stopped and even if no oil escapes for 48 hours, the flow of oil and gas has not been stopped permanently. If the pressure within the cap on top is low, it may mean that oil is leaking out further down the well.
As BP continues to be criticized for the way it has responded to the Gulf oil spill, its American-born chief operating officer is again making the case that the British company is doing all it can. And, Doug Suttles tells NPR’s Melissa Block, the entire oil industry and the government will learn valuable lessons from the disaster.
