SEA TURTLE PATROL

 

 

 

Duties - the volunteer will be involved in patrolling the south beach of the island to look for turtle “crawls”, nest identification, documenting the nests, protecting the nests, periodically checking nests for activity and predation, and doing inventory/examination of the turtle nests. Polaris (all terrain) vehicles are used for the patrol. There will be some walking involved. Volunteers will be accompanied by and supervised by an experienced turtle patroller.

 

Hours Required - typically, five to six hours per day that you are on duty. This figure does not include travel to and from the island. Sea turtle season is from mid May to early October. During the summer months, temperatures can reach the mid to upper 90’s.

 

Skills/Licenses Required - volunteers must have a willingness to learn about sea turtle habits, identification, and documentation procedures.

 

Training - If the volunteer is going to be involved in nest evaluation and excavation, special government training is required. This entails attending a sea turtle seminar every other year. The seminar is usually held in March. On-the-job training will be provided by an experienced turtle patroller.