GUIDEPOSTS
Turtle Patrol Update:
Week One
Loggerhead nesting season began on May 1 in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, marking the return to work for the Cape Romain Turtle Patrol!
*All activity conducted with loggerhead sea turtles is done under state and federal permits (MTP-563)
**Images in this post are credited to Cape Romain NWR technician AK King.
First Nest of 2025
The first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge was recorded on May 2, 2025. Cape Romain NWR technician AK King, SCDNR Wildlife Biologist Meredith Bean, and Cape Romain Turtle Patrol volunteer Nora were on this team.
Three islands were surveyed that day and this was the only crawl that they observed.
Now up to 29 Nests!
We’re well on our way to the *3000* nests that we could have in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. As of May 11, there are 29 nests on Cape and Lighthouse Islands!
What We’re Working On
The Coastal Expeditions Foundation is providing three paid internships for college students to work in the refuge this summer. They move into federal housing next week, so the team at Coastal Expeditions- along with a group of veterans from our Coastal Warriors program- are setting up their housing with the items that y’all purchased off the Amazon Wish List.
On Friday, we’ll move out the old household items and move in the MUCH NEEDED dishes, rugs, tables, curtains and other items. We can’t thank you enough for supporting the intern program with your generosity. They will be working long days in the heat- 12 hour beach days- and it is important that they have a comfortable place to rest at the end of the day.
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.
