A loggerhead sea turtle hatchling
You might say that when Sierra Ciciarelli was a little girl she was as determined as the sea turtles that she works to protect.
“My dream was to be a marine biologist and work with them,” she said. “But from a young age, I was quickly told that I wouldn’t get a job in the marine biology field, let alone with sea turtles.”
Sierra Ciciarelli
Ciciarelli used those words as fuel for her future, inevitably graduating in 2020 with a Master of Professional Science in Marine Conservation from the University of Miami. While finishing up her master’s, the 24-year-old came to Nova Southeastern University where she has been realizing her dream as outreach manager and assistant field manager with the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program.
NSU’s Halmos College of Arts and Sciences manages the program through a partnership with the county and a network of multiple community volunteer organizations. The challenge: to monitor all sea turtle nesting activities along more than 24 miles of Broward County beaches and effectively contribute to sea turtle conservation by providing thorough and relevant data to local, state, and federal conservation agencies, and active engagement with the community through outreach and education.
Ciciarelli has been with the program since 2020. This is her third Broward County nesting season, which starts each year on March 1 and ends October 31. There are three species of sea turtles on beaches she patrols: loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles. Loggerheads make up about 95 percent of the nesting in Broward County. All told, there are about 140,000 hatchlings each season, Ciciarelli said.
Protecting sea turtles is a tireless, yet important, task, she said, adding that “many species take upwards of 25 years to become sexually mature. Only then can they breed and supplement their populations.”
Sea turtle nesting area
The sea turtle program relies on two crews who work seven days a week during nesting season.
“Our most visible crew is our Morning Crew. We begin our surveys a half hour before sunrise and follow the high tide line on the beach with the help of our ATVs,” she said. “If we spot a sea turtle crawl, we will follow her up the beach to determine whether she nested. Sea turtles nest about 50 percent of the time.”
If a sea turtle chooses not to nest, it’s likely the turtle didn’t like something about the spot. If that happens, the turtle eventually will return to find a more suitable nest.
Once a sea turtle nests, though, Ciciarelli and her crew kick into action.
“We collect data and establish a perimeter around the nest to protect to the eggs, we monitor the nest throughout the season, and document when the turtles hatch,” she said. “We allow the hatchlings to get out on their own and after three days, we will excavate or dig up the nest contents. During this process, we collect more data and get an idea of the hatching success of the nest.”
And if the crew find any stragglers in the nest, they release those turtles later in the evening.
Survival for the typical sea turtle is a difficult journey, fraught with a variety of predators, Ciciarelli explained.
Abby Nease, project manager for the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, uncovers a sea turtle nest.
“First, the sea turtle mamas must find an adequate spot to nest and not be spooked by people or deterred by beach furniture and lighting. Once the nest is laid, the nest must withstand tides and storm events such as thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes,” she said. “Foxes are common land predators, digging up nests to feast on eggs, and raccoons are also common predators of eggs and hatchlings. Additionally, ghost crabs also can get the hatchlings as they try to make their way to the water.”
But the predators don’t end there.
As baby sea turtles make their way to the surf, sea birds – such as gulls, terns, and frigate birds – will can eat them. If they escape the birds, they must contend with reef fish, including snappers, groupers, and mahi mahi.
“Here in Broward, we have three reef tracts that the hatchlings must successfully navigate,” Ciciarelli said. “As sea turtles grow, their list of predators diminishes. As larger juveniles and adults, sharks are their primary predator.”
The largest threat, however, comes from human-related sources, including coastal development and beach erosion, beach furniture, by-catch and entanglement in fishing gear, marine debris and trash, light pollution, climate change, illegal poaching, boat strikes, and chemical pollution and oil spills.
Sierra Ciciarelli explains to onlookers sea turtle conservation efforts.
The Evening Crew is responsible for monitoring restraining cages that have been installed in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale nest areas, which have heavy light pollution. These cages safely hold hatchlings until surveyors can collect them and release them to the water, Ciciarelli says.
Without the cages, hatchlings can get disoriented, and head away from the ocean into unsafe places such as pools, storm drains, and roads. The Lighting Crew also works with the Evening Crew, counting and documenting the different light fixtures present on each property. This data is then reported to local code enforcement in an effort to make lights on properties sea turtle friendly.
When they are not physically rescuing sea turtles, crews working with the conservation program spend a considerable amount of time educating people on how their behavior can positively or negatively affect South Florida’s sea turtles.
Ciciarelli has some tips for vacationers and residents unfamiliar with sea turtle nesting habitat:
- If staying in a beachfront hotel or condo, close your curtains at night and do your best to keep lights off to cut down on illumination.
- If you are walking the beach at night, stay at least 50 feet away from sea turtles that are nesting or hatching.
- Keep in mind that sea turtles are extremely sensitive to light, so avoid using flashlights.
- Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints, keeping the surrounding beach as natural as possible.
- Don’t litter. Marine life can often mistake debris for food, and it can cause stomach blockages and starvation.
“Small actions matter,” Ciciarelli said. “Those actions help to make people active stewards of the environment.”
The 24/7 Sea Turtle Emergency Line is 954-328-0508 and for more information, explore the Sea Turtle Conservation Program website.
Posted 07/03/22
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