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Everything you should know about sea turtle nesting season • Leatherback — March • Loggerhead —April • Green —May Local Conservation Efforts - The County and Municipality lighting ordinances also begin March 1st and end October 311t. In summary these ordinances direct home and business owners to either turn off their lights or make sure they are not visible from anywhere on the beach after 9pm. multiple lighting surveys are conducted throughout the nesting season along all beaches in the county. As guided under the HCP, county staff not only acts as a resource for surveys in unincorporated areas but is working cooperatively with its municipal partners to identify and resolve lighting problems. Enforcement of the lighting ordinances may prevent adult and hatchling disorientations on the beach. Staff also responds to sick, injured and dead sea turtles, as requested by FWC, and encourages members of the community to help report stranded turtles by calling 1-888-404-3922. Data collected from these turtle strandings help inform local and state mangers about human and predator impacts. Community Involvement - Community members can be involved in local conservation efforts by attending permitted educational programs in the area. • Turtle Walks - night-time educational guided tours to view a nesting loggerhead, are led by many organizations in the area. FWC's website http://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/sea-turtle/where-to-view/#watch identifies all of the guided walk locations. Sign-ups begin in May and Turtle Walks are led during June and July. • Turtle Digs - offers the public an opportunity to witness how sea turtle reproductive success is evaluated in marked nests. These events occur sporadically in July and August, at Sexton Plaza beach access, 3 days after a nest hatches. Event dates can be found on the coastal Facebook page (@IRCcoastal), the local chamber of commerce, and other community calendars. These events are special to IRC, as they are free and is one of the only location in Florida to host these permitted activities. • Lastly, on occasion some of the live strandings that were sent to rehab centers are released back into the wild. These opportunities to view a live sea turtle are also very sporadic and will be announced just as Turtle Digs through the coastal division Facebook page, local chamber of commerce, and other community calendars. All of these program are possible because of many dedicated volunteers who collectively contribute more than 1,200 hours a summer. APPROVED AGENDA ITEM FOR: APRIL 4, 2017 C:\Users\GRANIC-1\AppData\Local\Temp\BCL Technologies\easyPDF 7\@BCL@340587E8\@BCL@340587E8.docx Pii