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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 4
MAY 17, 2024
The Early Turtle Catches the Wave
SEA TURTLE SEASON IN SC O F F T O A N E A R LY S TA R T BY SCDNR
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For The Island Connection
outh Carolina’s sea turtle nesting season has begun a couple days earlier than normal with a loggerhead nest reported in Garden City Beach. Trained volunteers with the Garden City Surfside Sea Turtle Guardians located the nest this morning while walking the beach. They are among the team of over 1,500 volunteers and biologists who will regularly patrol South Carolina’s beaches through October to count, monitor and protect sea turtle nests. May 1 traditionally marks the beginning of sea turtle season in South Carolina, but recent sea turtle activity indicated nesting began early this year. Last month, volunteers with North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol noted the first ‘false crawl’ of the season, made by a loggerhead female who came ashore but returned to sea without nesting. Other early nest years include Folly Beach on April 29 in 2002 and Kiawah Island on April 26 in 2019. "With warmer winter conditions and observations of mating loggerheads, there was some expectation that nesting would begin sooner than May, especially after the initial false crawl reported," said biologist Michelle Pate, who oversees SCDNR's sea turtle nesting program. "We ask that beachfront residents and visitors recreating on our coast turn off lights at night as sea turtles begin this annual ritual of nesting." (continued on page 5) Nesting requires a great deal of energy, so
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The sea turtle volunteers who discovered the first nest of the season pose for a photo (from L-R: Vanessa Smith, Tommy Ginevan, Terry Grahm [and Mazie], Tara Burfening, Vickki Hardwick, Bridget Hardee, Mike Dalton).
BY THERESA STRATFORD
BY SUSAN MCLAUGHLIN
Sea turtle stranding season underway at the SC Aquarium
DISAGREEMENTS ON PA R K I N G AT T H E N E W C A P E CLUB PREVENTS OPENING
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For The Island Connection
For The Island Connection
t was an email sent out from the Kiawah Island Club to the membership at the end of April that spurred the Town to send out a community-wide email in response, or rather, in defense, of themselves. The topic in reference was in regards to the new Cape development off Beachwalker Drive and, specifically, the Club facility they built there. The email from the Kiawah Island Club entitled “Club Topics with Tom” noted that the Town issued a site plan approval for the Cape Club facility in 2020 and subsequently the building permit, but at this time will not grant a certificate of occupancy for use by the membership. The reason cited the need for additional parking requirements. The email stated: “The Club and Company submitted the site plans for approval nearly one year ago and submitted a separate, related site plan approval over five months ago, along with an updated Ocean Pines plan to address the new parking request. However, as of the writing of this letter, the Town has been unwilling to (continued on page 2)
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he South Carolina Aquarium has seen a significant uptick in admissions recently. “Our sea turtle stranding season has definitely started strong. These past two weeks have been a whirlwind, with seven sea turtles admitted in rapid succession and each needing individualized treatments and care,” said Sea Turtle Care Center manager Melissa Ranly. “It’s clear that sea turtles have arrived along the South Carolina coast and are facing some unforgiving impacts out there.” This year's naming theme for sea turtle patients is breakfast foods, adding an appetizing touch of whimsy to their journey toward recovery. Hashbrown was the first patient, a juvenile green sea turtle that arrived “smothered and covered” in mud and epibiota, indicating that the turtle has (continued on page 2) been sick for quite some
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Dr. Jamie Torres, volunteer veterinary student Lauren Humphrey and sea turtle biologist Ashley Wright provide care to Strudel, an injured sea turtle. COURTESY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM
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