Sea Turtle Monitoring at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge

Female Leatherback prepares her nest

Female Leatherback prepares her nest









Leatherback Sea Turtle t-Shirt





Geographic Consulting was contracted in 2011 by US Fish and Wildlife Service to run the sea turtle monitoring project at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. This long term project began in 1982 and has continued since then without interruption. The primary focus of the monitoring program has been the federally endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), although other turtle species are monitored and tagged in some years. The leatherback is the largest of all living turtles and the 4th largest living reptile (learn more). Over the years, saturation tagging (with every effort made to tag every nesting sea turtle) has provided accurate population estimates, identified long-term population trends, and produced detailed assessments of adult morphology, remigration intervals, fecundity, and nesting activities.

Leatherback sea turtle eggs being moved during a nest relocation

Leatherback sea turtle eggs being moved during a nest relocation

In addition to monitoring trends in leatherback  nesting at Sandy Point, sea turtle nests that are laid in areas where they are unlikely to survive, due to erosion or drowning, are relocated to safer places on the refuge beach. In the first three years that Geographic Consulting ran the project, over 12,000 hatchlings  have been given a chance to mature into adults instead of being killed in their nests, thanks to our relocation program.

Liz Zimmer, Geographic Consulting's Field Director for the 2013 Leatherback nesting season as Sandy Point National Wildlfe Refuge

Liz Zimmer, Geographic Consulting’s Field Director for the 2013 Leatherback nesting season as Sandy Point National Wildlfe Refuge

Geographic Consulting has also periodically conducted monitoring on Green and Hawksbill  turtles at Sandy Point. In 2011, we established that nest predation rates  for these smaller turtles were far higher than originally suspected and the main culprit was the introduced mongoose (Herpestes javanicus). Jennifer Valiulis  and her team of wildlife biologists at Geographic Consulting collaborated with the Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge staff and biologists with USDA – Wildlife Services to come up with a plan to control mongoose in high density nesting areas. As a result, predation was reduced significantly.

IMG_2740 (640x427)

For additional details on this years leatherback sea turtle monitoring team, please see our staff page. For updates of preliminary findings and notes from the field, follow our blog or see updates on Facebook

 

 

 

A single leatherback hatchling at the start of a potentially long journey

A single leatherback hatchling at the start of a potentially long journey

 

Female Leatherback returns to the sea at dawn after successfully nesting

Female Leatherback returns to the sea at dawn after successfully nesting

Comments

Maria D. Quinones2012-06-13 18:27:33

Born in St. Croix and have never seen turtles nesting. Can you email me info of turtle nesting watch on the Islands? That will be so amazing. Thanks!

bdaley2012-06-14 21:06:56

Hello, We only run the scientific research and monitoring. The turtle watches are done separately by US Fish and Wildlife. I believe they are booked for the rest of the year, but it is possible to make a reservation to see hatchlings emerge. They can be reached at this website http://www.fws.gov/caribbean/Refuges/Sandypoint/default.htm or Michael Evans, Refuge Manager Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge 3013 Estate Golden Rock, Suite 137 Christiansted, St. Croix USVI 00820-4355 Phone: 340.773.4554, Fax: 340.713.8971

Comments, Questions? Contact Us.

Close