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