Mark and Buffie, volunteers and residents at Prince George received a call around 4:00 p.m. that a turtle had come on the beach and was nesting south #16mm. The caller said people were being respectful of the turtle and keeping their distance.
The volunteers put on their SCUTE shirts and headed out to see this rare occurrence. When Buffie and Mark arrived and staying behind, they could tell the turtle was in nesting mode, still and dropping her eggs. The process took about 45 minutes and then the covering process began. The mother turtle laboriously began moving forward and throwing sand with all 4 flippers to disguise her nest. When she felt it was adequate she made a sharp pivot and started her trek back ‘home’. Mark was able to douse her with a refreshing bucket of ocean water and get measurements of her carapace (shell) which will help determine her age. DNA will tell us how often and where else she has nested this and prior seasons.
Mark said she gracefully swam off into the waves. He and Buffie, assessed the location of her nest and after consulting with Betsy, decided to relocate since it was low on the beach. They moved 121 eggs directly back to the base of the dunes for safer incubation. This was a great effort today for “DEB24” by Buffie and Mark! Thank you also to those who kept their distance and were rewarded by witnessing this amazing process! WATCH VIDEO: https://youtu.be/6m_omeXcIN4
