The Carr Companion The newsletter of the Friends of the Carr Refuge Spring 2004

The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge authorized by an act of Congress in 1989, is a twenty and one half mile stretch of beach, on the Southeast coast of Florida. This refuge hosts the largest concentration of nesting loggerhead and green sea turtles in the United States. It is the second most important nesting site in the world for loggerhead turtles. The Refuge protects animal species by preserving the coastal habitat on which they depend; and is also a place for public recreation and education. The Refuge, named for the late Dr. Archie Carr, honors his lifetime commitment to conservation and research.

Refuge Reports: Archie Carr NWR Staff Recognized

At the April meeting of the ACNWR Working Group, Representative Dave Weldon's staff recognized and lauded Refuge Manager, Paul Tritaik and his staff for their excellent management of both the Archie Carr and Pelican island National Wildlife Refuges. The FOCR strongly supports that recognition, and looks forward to a continued successful relationship with the Refuge managing staff.

Turtle Talk: Possible Effect of Global Warming on Sea Turtle Nesting

At the recent Working Group meeting, Dr. Ehrhart presented a study on changes observed in the sea turtle nesting period between 1989 and 2003. Dr. Ehrhart and his staff survey and study sea turtle nesting on the beach area from Sebastian Inlet State Park up to and including Patrick Air Force base. During these 15 years, the median point of loggerhead sea turtle nesting has occurred 10 days earlier, moving from June 29 to June 19. This coincides with an increase of ocean temperature in the month of May of .8 degrees Celsius, as measured at the NOAA buoy located 20 miles east of Cape Canaveral.

Sea turtles' bodies are regulated by the ambient temperature of their surroundings. As the temperature of the water increases earlier in the nesting season, it would appear that the turtles begin to mate and nest earlier as well. The results of this change raises some concerns, namely: Will it have an effect on the number of offspring; will it have an effect on hatchling survivorship; and, what effect, if any, will it have on the sex ratio of the offspring. The sex ratio of hatchlings is determined by the ambient temperature of the nest, with females becoming predominant at temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and males below that.

Backyard News: NESTS Program Introduced to Refuge Neighbors

The NESTS program, which stands for Neighbors Ensuring Sea Turtle Survival, is designed to work with Homeowners Associations and Individual Homeowners to help protect sea turtles that nest right here on our neighborhood beaches. The program is being initially introduced in the area adjacent to the ACNWR on the barrier islands from Melbourne Beach in Brevard County to Johns Island in Indian River County. In the future the program will be extended to sea turtle nesting areas throughout the State of Florida. The NESTS program is a coalition of the following national organizations: The Walt Disney World Corp., The Ocean Conservancy, The Caribbean Conservation Corp., and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with local organizations including the Sea Turtle Preservation Society, the Brevard Zoo, Sebastian Inlet State park and the Friends of the Carr Refuge.

The program consists of some simple activities that will have a direct benefit to helping the survival of sea turtles. It will foster a coalition of neighbors working together to build community interest and support, and gathers everyone together to work toward an important conservation priority for the State of Florida ‚ helping to save sea turtles one NEST at a time.

The participants will become more familiar with sea turtles and some of the challenges they are facing through three levels of certification: Partner, Guardian and Champion. At each level the participants will be sent a packet of appropriate brochures to aid them in their efforts. At the Partner level, the activities are geared toward sharing information, becoming more informed, and making the right choices to assist nesting turtles and hatchlings. Participants will be given a list of items to choose from and be expected to complete most of them to become a NESTS Partner. The list of activities include working to turn off lights that shine on the beach, learning more about sea turtles from a resident expert, reducing the amount of litter found on our beaches, securing garbage to discourage raccoons, and reducing the amount of pesticide and fertilizer used around the home. Once a participating resident becomes a NESTS Partner, they will receive a decal and certificate that can be displayed to show their commitment.

Once participants reach the Partner level, they will be invited to join in the next level of activities, a NESTS Guardian. The activities include converting outside lights to "sea turtle friendly lights", participating in a beach cleanup, getting involved with fishing line/monofilament recycling, distributing sea turtle information packets, landscaping with native plants and supporting sea turtle conservation efforts through volunteering with a sea turtle organization or financially supporting programs such as the Sea Turtle License Plate. Once these tasks are completed, Guardians will receive a yard sign and a plaque to display.

Those participants that have reached the Guardian level will then be sent information describing how they can reach the highest level, Champion.

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Who to call for information:
Friends of the Carr Refuge 1-321-676-1701
Web site: http://www.nbbd.com/npr/fcr/
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge: 1-772-562-3909 ext. 258

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