How the coronavirus is impacting sea turtle nesting season on Grand Strand beaches
Sea turtle nest monitoring is off to a different start along the Grand Strand this year as the coronavirus pandemic impacts the area.
With May being the start of nesting season, volunteers who sweep the beaches looking for new nests and false crawls are having to do so solo, said Erin Weeks with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
“Our staff and volunteers are observing social distancing guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus, which means they must work solo to walk the beach and identify, count and protect nests,” Weeks said.
“On many beaches, teams of several volunteers are used to working together to make faster work of this often labor-intensive job,” Weeks said. “It’s going to be challenging to adapt to this new protocol, but we’re hopeful we can do the same rigorous job of protecting and studying our nesting sea turtles and hatchlings.”
Weeks said SCDNR does not anticipate much, if any, positive impact from coronavirus quarantining on nesting, like less disturbance to nesting mothers, since most of the state’s beaches had reopened by the time the nesting season began.
Though little data is available so far this season, some nests are popping up on the Grand Strand.
One loggerhead turtle nest was found on South Litchfield and another was located at Briarcliffe Acres, according to the online sea turtle nest monitoring system. There have been false crawls logged on Grand Strand beaches, including Huntington Beach State Park, South Litchfield, Myrtle Beach and Briarcliffe Acres, the monitoring system shows.
Nesting season lasts through October. There are now about 36 nests along the South Carolina coast, the monitoring system shows. Keep your lights off while walking the beaches at night — flashing a light on turtles can cost you up to $15,000, officials say. If you are digging holes in the sand, covering those holes before you leave the beach will prevent mother turtles from becoming stuck while trying to nest.
Here are tips from DNR if you encounter a nest:
- Report any sick, injured, dead sea turtles and nest disturbances to SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431.
- Always respect turtles by observing from a distance on the beach.
- Keep beaches clean by avoiding the use of single-use plastics. Plastic bags and balloons are some of the most common pieces of trash on South Carolina beaches, and can injure or kill sea turtles if they mistake trash for food.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 7:22 AM.
