GUIDEPOSTS
Turtle Patrol Update:
Week Three
The Coastal Expeditions summer interns arrived and went straight to work on with AK, Jerry and the rest of the Cape Romain Turtle Patrol- and they had an exciting first week!
As of Tuesday, May 27, there are 322 nests in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge on Cape and Lighthouse Islands.
*All activity conducted with loggerhead sea turtles is done under state and federal permits (MTP-563)
Coastal Expeditions Foundation interns Juanita Franco and Parker Pound working together to relocate a nest in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge
Stranded Turtle Response
The team at Cape Romain came across a disoriented mama turtle on May 21 during their survey. After observing the ~500 yard crawl which started at the high tide line, it was determined that the turtle had been up on the beach for several hours unable to find her way back to the ocean.
Under the guidance of Sea Turtle Field Tech Abigail S. King (permitted stranding response team member MTP-563) The team was able to initiate the live stranding protocols authorized by SCDNR and USFWS such as documenting the turtle’s length and width, noting any physical abnormalities, and circumstances of the encounter.
The team, including Coastal Expeditions Foundation intern Kai Hudson, then redirected the turtle- assisting her occasionally as she eventually made her way below the tide line and released safely and unharmed back into her natural habitat.
If you come across a distressed sea turtle this summer, call the SCDNR Hotline at 1 (800) 922-5431.
Interns Update
The 2025 Summer Interns for the Coastal Expeditions Foundation arrived last week and after an orientation day began work on the islands. We’ll share more about them next week!
In addition to assisting with the loggerhead rescue, they have been relocating nests and collecting data on Cape and Lighthouse Islands. Intern Juanita Franco is pictured here carefully removing eggs from the nest.
Coastal Expeditions Foundation intern Parker Pound relocating a loggerhead sea turtle nest
First day of Turtle Patrol with interns Parker, Lauren and Juanita
Coming Up
Don’t miss out on the summer fundraisers! We’re offering two expeditions into Cape Romain NWR and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to pay the seasonal salaries of the technicians and interns that make this program go.
The Beach Drop for Sea Turtles is a family-friendly trip to the north end of Bulls Island for an ecotour and nesting demonstration. We’ve added a kids rate this year, so gather your family and come on out for loggerheads!
And new this year: Sunrise for Sea Turtles. This “morning in the life” of the sea turtle team leaves before dawn to head out to Bulls Island. Led by Capt. Chris Crolley, it’s a chance to walk the low-tide shoreline of a wild barrier island at dawn to look for loggerhead tracks and nests along the beach. Only 30 spots available for this one, y’all.
