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INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FLORIDA <br />BOARD MEMORANDUM <br />TO: Jason E. Brown, County Administrator <br />THROUGH: Richard B. Szpyrka, P.E., Public Works Director <br />THROUGH: James D. Gray, Jr., Coastal Engineer <br />FROM: Kendra L. Cope, M.S., Environmental Specialist <br />SUBJECT: Everything you should know about sea turtle nesting season <br />DATE: March 22, 2017 <br />PUBLIC NOTICE <br />(INFORMATIONAL) <br />REQUEST <br />It is requested that the following information be given formal consideration by the Board of <br />County Commissioners during the regularly scheduled meeting on April 4, 2017. <br />This is an announcement to inform the residents of Indian River County (IRC) about the beginning <br />of sea turtle nesting season, how to be involved in local conservation efforts, and a general <br />timeline for sea turtle related activities. Additional information relative to the county's sea turtle <br />Habitat Conservation Plan and annual nesting information can be found on the County website <br />www.ircgov.com/coastal and on the County Coastal Division Facebook page: @IRC Coastal. <br />DESCRIPTION <br />Background Information - Indian River County is home to three species of nesting sea turtles <br />(Leatherback, Loggerhead, and Green). Sea turtles are long-lived species and take up to 20-25 <br />years to become mature adults and can live up to 100 years or more. Long-term monitoring is <br />vital to the understanding of their populations and human impacts. In 2004, the County <br />implemented a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) in order to establish a framework for sea turtle <br />conservation. Goals are achieved through daily nesting surveys and beach monitoring, <br />implementing programs to reduce human and predator impacts, and local community education <br />and involvement. <br />Nest Monitoring - 2017 started the 13th year of county -wide monitoring since the HCP was <br />implemented. Data collected over these years not only informs county staff of annual nesting <br />numbers but can be used to identify long-term and emerging trends. Annually, sea turtle nesting <br />season in IRC occurs between March 1st and October 31St. As of March 22nd zero nests have been <br />laid in IRC, most likely due to the recent cold weather storm that passed through leatherback <br />migration and reproduction habitats. These are always the first species to nest on the County's <br />beaches. Estimated average nesting start dates for each the three species are as follows: <br />Page 2 <br />BCC Agenda Item for April 4, 2017 <br />C:\Users\GRANIC-1\AppData\Local\Temp\BCL Tech nologies\easyP DF 7\@BCL@340587E8\@BCL@340587E8.docx <br />P10 <br />