To close out our week last week, we encountered just one leatherback on Juno Beach. She was a new nester with no tags; she nested on south Juno Beach. The turtle was named “Norma” and she was successfully sampled, tagged, and documented by our biologists. Norma was just under 150 cm in length, which is slightly smaller than the average leatherback size we have seen so far this season. We hope that Norma will return to Juno to lay more nests in the upcoming weeks!
Last night, Juno Beach was void of leatherbacks but full of loggerheads! The loggerheads are still nesting in strong numbers. Night after night, researchers see more and more loggerheads emerging to nest. As turtle nesting continues to increase throughout the summer, there are a few things you can do to help! A whole list of tips can be found on LMC’s Conservation webpage; scroll to the bottom and look for “At the beach.” Here are some easy ones to remember:
- Knock down sandcastles and fill in holes at the beach.
- Avoid the use of white lights on the beach at night; instead, use a red light.
- Keep your distance from nesting turtles and hatchlings.
- Pick up any garbage or debris left on the beach.
As always, stay tuned for more updates from our team!