Fans of Georgia sea turtles can now log on to the internet and keep track of recently discovered nesting sites. The web site will also help researchers manage the data collected daily from May to October each year. The site is a collaboration between the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
In a statement on the sea turtle.org website, a spokesperson for the group called the new Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System "a revolution in sea turtle conservation and management."
Sea turtles are considered as either endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. However, Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials are confident the nests are safe from overenthusiastic sightseers.
Researchers and sea turtle fans will be able to coordinate nesting data on-line in real-time for four species of sea turtles, along 710 miles of coastline between North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia for approximately 4,800 nests each year. To learn how many turtles have nested this season --- and where they are -– go on line to www.seaturtle.org.
In a statement on the sea turtle.org website, a spokesperson for the group called the new Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System "a revolution in sea turtle conservation and management."
Sea turtles are considered as either endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. However, Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials are confident the nests are safe from overenthusiastic sightseers.
"More than anything, I believe that this database will allow people to see where the turtles are nesting. And, it goes a long way simply because many of the residents of coastal Georgia are somewhat competitive about which turtles nest on their beaches, so its kinda something they want to know. For researchers, I don't think that they're necessarily worried about people going out and disturbing the nests," says Christina Summers.
