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.

Six sea turtles rescued from oily waters near Louisiana received health checkups Aug. 6 at Mote Marine Laboratory. The turtles, which arrived oil-free and in stable condition Aug. 4, are among more than a dozen transported to Florida rehab facilities for final care and eventual release following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Turtle nest opening Wednesday

The turtle nest numbers through July 31, 2010, are

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.

Longboat Key Captain Wayne Genthner is concerned that Sarasota’s Oil Spill Response Plan will not be enough. “We need a Plan B, a better than BP Plan B. The booms are failing to protect Pensacola Sound because they are not engineered to withstand the current. We need better booms with better resistance to current,” said Genthner.