Tanner: A tale of two islands, and their turtle watch programs

Besides the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, two islands on our coast are similar enough that they could be called sister islands.

Hilton Head Island and Anna Maria Island, Fla., on the Gulf Coast, are definite destinations for year-round tourists, with views of tropical fauna and birds, and beautiful beaches offering refreshing waves on white sand shores.

Both islands have similar turtle watch programs.

Between the town and the Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head supports a very workable program. In speaking with Amber Kuehn, Hilton Head Islands Protection Project manager, and Jayme Lopko, lead protection project planner and a senior planner with the town, I learned that out of the 325 loggerhead sea turtle nests watched on the length of the island's beach shoreline, there was a 65 percent success of hatchlings during the May-October turtle season.

This season, the Coastal Discovery Museum has a paid staff that sets out in pairs as early as 5 a.m. to patrol, document and mark sea turtle nests.

In 2013, the nests became vulnerable to coyotes, so for the past two years, they have been covered with white plastic lattice-design protective coverings that keep curious animals out but still allow newly hatched turtles access to the sand on their journey.

The loggerhead sea turtle is a threatened species, and their lives are difficult. It is estimated that only one of a few thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood, with reasons ranging from natural to man-made. Some become entangled and drown in fishing nets, while others mistakenly eat trash and debris on the beaches and in the water that kills them, so it's important for beachgoers to take their litter with them when departing for the day.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shoreline Monitoring, in comparison, reported 356 sea turtle nests for the 2015 season.

Nests are up for adoption to commemorate weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, memorials or just for the love of nature. The 11-year-old adoption program raises funds for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shoreline Monitoring.

For a tax-deductible donation of $100, adoptive parents receive the adoption plaque that was posted on the nest, a video of the nest showing how many turtles hatched, and a letter of appreciation.

The Hilton Head Island Sea Turtle Protection Project also offers adoptions of nests, with donations going to support sea turtle education programs at the Coastal Discovery Museum. This unique fundraising program can be the perfect gift. For $25, they receive a certificate of adoption, a sea turtle souvenir, email updates with pictures on the nest's progress and a final report on nest production.

For a $50 donation, they receive all of this plus an official Coastal Discovery Museum Sea Turtle T-shirt. You can browse coastaldiscovery.org for a PDF application to download for membership.

One problem Anna Maria Island had that Hilton Head Island thankfully has not was an incident near the Holmes Beach/Bradenton Beach line in June. Around 10:30 p.m., two people, described by witnesses as being in their 20s, rode a three-wheeled vehicle with a single headlight at yellow-staked turtle nests, driving over five of them -- and each held about 100 eggs. They also killed three flightless black skimmer fledglings, a state species of special concern.

According to the Anna Maria Island Sun newspaper, as of Jan. 6, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission has closed the unsolved case after Bradenton Beach police said the video tape recording they received was too indistinct. If convicted, the suspects could have faced a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony, carrying penalties of $500 to $1,500 in fines with jail time of 60 days to five years.

While Hilton Head had its polar plunge on New Year's Day, Anna Maria Island had its "Shamrock Shiver," with more than 100 brave souls joining in.

Temperatures were a high of 63 degrees and a low of 45, with a 68-degree water temperature reading on Hilton Head.

The air and water temperatures on Anna Maria Island were in the 70s.

Contributor Jean Tanner is a lifetime rural resident of the Bluffton area and can be reached at jstmeema@hargray.com.

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Tanner: A tale of two islands, and their turtle watch programs."