|
|
|
Reflections: Baby loggerheads and hope |
|
|
by Pamela E. Derr, LMHC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The beaches of the east coast of Florida are an essential nesting ground for endangered sea turtles. The most common species are the loggerhead turtles and Florida is home to about 80% of all the loggerhead turtles in the US. They nest in Florida from April through September. They grow to be on average 3 feet in length and 200-350 pounds. Hatchlings weigh less than one ounce and are only two inches long. They reach maturity between 16 and 40 years. Scientists estimate that only 1 in 1000 to 10,000 babies will survive to adulthood. Sea turtles live their entire life in the ocean. The only time they comes ashore is when the female lays her eggs. Sea turtles are endangered due to the demand for sea turtle meat, eggs, and other by-products, a loss of habitat due to development, commercial fishing, and pollution. |
| |
|
Artificial lighting is the biggest danger to hatchlings because they instinctively move to the brightest direction when they hatch. Usually the source of light would be light from the night sky reflected on the ocean. On a developed beach, artificial lights from buildings can cause the babies to move in the wrong direction, leading to their deaths. In Florida, we have all volunteer organizations called beach turtle patrols. Their goal is to keep the sea turtle population from declining. They educate the public, collect data for scientific analysis, and monitor nests. Once the nests hatch, the volunteers do an evaluation to determine the success of the nest. State and national parks run excursions to see sea turtles lay their eggs. I was fortunate enough to go on one of these when I first came to Florida. Our excursion was to Playalinda Beach at the Canaveral National Seashore. We met the ranger at dusk and waited at the beach. Spotters were positioned along the beach and the location of a female emerging from the surf was radioed to our group. We saw the female emerge, crawl slowly to the edge of the dunes and proceed to dig a nest. We sat a safe distance (for the turtle) away and watched as she laid over 100 eggs. I could hear her breathing heavily while completing this task. Once finished, she covered the nest and at an amazing rate of speed headed back to the ocean and disappeared in the waves. |
|
|
|
Ever since that experience, I have wanted to see the hatchlings emerge. I have just not been at the right time and right place to see this happen. Last Friday Mary, my office mate, told me she knew of a nest that was being evaluated after hatching. Libby, our local turtle patrol friend, said they would be opening the nest at 6PM, and it was possible there would be some unhatched turtles the volunteers would help emerge. As the universe would have it, I was finished with my clients that evening by 6 and was able to witness this miracle. |
| |
|
|
A crowd of about 30 people were huddled around the nest when I arrived. I was one of many who wanted to capture the events on my cell phone camera. People were really great about allowing each of us to take turns and get our photos. The turtle patrol volunteer, open the nest and found the remnants of a successful hatch. Within the hatched eggs, there were two that required a little help. We all watched as the turtles were placed in a plastic bucket with sand, waiting to be taken closer to the ocean. We were told to form a double line headed toward the surf. One of our jobs was to block the setting sun so the turtles would head in the right direction. We were also told not to move as the turtles would most likely be taken out by the tide but could come back several times before they finally found the current and swam. It did take three tries before the hatchlings began to swim on their own. It was a great opportunity to watch the wheel of life turning. As I gazed at those tiny turtles, I was struck by the yin and yang of life. On the one hand I was able to see these amazing creatures as they emerged from their egg. Thoughts of the beauty of creatures and the miracle of life collided with the reality of the odds against them. They appeared so tiny compared to the huge humans surrounding them and even smaller compared to the vast ocean. I was overwhelmed with fear for their safety and excitement about their journey. |
|
|
We rarely if ever stop to think about the miracle of our own present moment. Our day-to-day denial of our mortality keeps us from thinking about own frailty very often. We get too caught up in the details of how we are controlling our life (or so we think) to appreciate how amazing it is that we are here at all. We have difficulty escaping the need to judge all the events and conditions of our life to pause to realize that it is all these conditions that have brought us to this point in our existence. We also forget how much of the universe is here to sustain us. |
|
|
|
So I was very happy to be a witness to this event Friday evening. Not only did it give me a chance to witness nature in action, it gave me the opportunity for a moment or two to be mindful of the wonder of all of our existence and the conditions that make it possible. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
© 2010 by Pamela E. Derr, LMHC |
| |
