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The Cape Hatteras National Seashore reported on July 11 that just past the halfway point of the sea turtle nesting season, the nest count for the season so far is 206.
Here’s the breakdown of species:
- Loggerhead – 191 nests
- Green – 11 nests
- Kemp’s Ridley – 3 nests
- Leatherback – 1 nest
On this same day last summer, the count was at 216 sea turtle nests—perhaps leaving the Seashore still in sight of last year’s record total of 379 nests.
One highlight of the season was the June 19 discovery of a Leatherback Sea Turtle nest found on Ocracoke Island that included 93 eggs. The Leatherneck is the largest sea turtle in the world, weighing up to 2,000 pounds. And that nest was the first one found on Ocracoke in 11 years.
A July 4 story posted on the Voice profiled the volunteer nonprofit NEST, which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of sea turtles and other protected marine wildlife on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the stretch of territory from the Virginia line to south Nags Head. As of the deadline for that story, NEST had found 10 nests this season along that stretch of beach. The average number of nests found each year by the organization is in the 30-35 neighborhood, although 47 nests were found last season.
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