Several nests to our west have been found which means that the turtles are out  there and moving our way.  Of course, there's no way yet to determine if the oil spill will affect nesting activity.  You've probably heard comments about the "Loop Current" that swirls out in the Gulf in a clockwise rotation and migrates in and out depending on conditions.  This is just another name for the "Gulf Stream"  which sea turtles enter and follow once they come in from the Florida Straits or from the Caribbean, thus the reason why they approach the western Gulf  first and then follow the stream eastward toward us.

Most seasons our first crawls appear around May 28-31 or during the first week of June.  However, we have had crawls before those dates and as early as May 12.  On Alligator Point sea turtles nest not only on the open beach but quite often in the dunes and over escarpments.

I hold FWC Marine Turtle Permit (MTP) #151 which covers from Bald Point State Park westward across Alligator Point and all of the Nature Conservancy's Phipps Preserve. There are 20 trained and authorized volunteers on the permit. FWC requires that any MTP permit holders and authorized volunteers be HAZMAT trained to deal with any oiled turtles from the BP spill.  To date, I and four MTP #151 members have been HAZMAT trained and certified.  Several more are planning to take the training and become certified.  FWC is sending chemical suits, gloves, boots, containers, plastic bags, cages, etc.  In the event that we will have to contend with any of this, I will call an organizational meeting of authorized volunteers to discuss and plan the mandates and strategies associated with the process.  Hopefully, it won't be necessary.

Attached for your information are the forms and protocols for dealing with oiled sea turtles.

Oil Spill Chain of Custody Form

Instructions for Completing a Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network (STSSN) Report Form

Outline Protocol for Turtle Retrieval from an Oiled (or Oil Alert) Beach

Sea Turtle Nesting Beach Survey and Turtle/Nest Protection Protocols

Sea Turtle Identification Key

Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network - Stranding Report

Bill Wargo, Director and MTP #151
Alligator Point Sea Turtle Patrol, Inc.
(850) 349-2295

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