FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. — Fox 4 is looking at sea turtle concerns, as more than one million cubic yards of sand are being used partly to build sand berms along Fort Myers Beach.
As we move through sea turtle nesting season, Fox 4 has received questions from people asking if emergency sand berms are creating problems for sea turtles looking to lay eggs.
Ranger Rob Howell, a local naturalist, says the berms actually create better conditions for the turtles.
“The sand on the beaches is not bad for these turtles. It's actually really, really good,” said Ranger Rob.
Thursday, beach goers told Fox 4 they have witnessed false crawls along Fort Myers Beach.
"False crawl" is a term used when a mother sea turtle goes back to the water without laying eggs.
Ranger Rob said the issue is not the berms, but what lies beneath the sand after Hurricane Ian.
“One of the false crawls we had on Fort Myers Beach, she (turtle) dug down, only a couple inches, and then there was just debris and root structures from plants that have been uprooted and turned around. She had to crawl through debris and over debris just to even get to where she was trying to get to,” said Ranger Rob.
In a Sea Turtle Activity Update from April 25 - May 1, Collier County reported 38 false crawls, compared to just the 13 reported during this same time last year.
On Thursday, Ranger Rob said people should not point the blame at the berms.
“Everybody who knows how these animals work is very happy for the individuals and the companies that are choosing to put in these berms,” said Ranger Rob.
Ranger Rob told Fox 4 the berms will create a more resilient community against future storms and provide ideal sand conditions as he says more sea turtles will start laying eggs around the same time we celebrate the mothers in our own lives.
“It seems like in the past Mother's Day is like mother turtles day too. Around then there is a burst of the moms coming up to lay their eggs,” said Ranger Rob.
Ranger Rob said if a turtle nest is laid in an area where sand berm work is taking place, Florida Fish and Wildlife is alerted and decides what the next steps are for the nest.
Ranger Rob said those options can range from relocating the nest to stopping work altogether in that area.
