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EAI Proposal — Indian River County Sea Turtle Monitoring Page 2 December 2017 Surveys will commence at or shortly after sunrise. Monitoring will be performed by a combination of EAI, Park, and Refuge staff either on foot or using ATVs. All emergences (turtle crawls) apparent from the previous night will be interpreted to determine which species of turtle came ashore and whether or not it nested. Crawls will be denoted as being above or below the previous high tide line. The approximate geographic location of each crawl will be determined by GPS (sub -meter accuracy, where available). In addition to segregating crawls into nesting and non -nesting emergences (false crawls), each false crawl will be assigned to one of the following categories denoting the stage at which the nesting attempt was abandoned: no digging, abandoned body pit, or abandoned egg cavity. Any obstacles encountered by turtles during their crawls will be documented. Stranding and Salvage. A requirement of FWC sea turtle permit holders conducting nesting surveys is to respond to the stranding of sick, injured and dead sea turtles within their survey area. These animals are examined, and if alive, transported to state - approved care facilities. A standard Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage data form will be completed and submitted for each stranded animal encountered by survey personnel. This information will be transmitted to FWC in accordance with established guidelines. Disorientation Reporting. During the course of daily monitoring, any evidence of hatchling misorientation or disorientation from either marked or unmarked nests will be documented on a FWC Marine Turtle Hatchling Disorientation Incident Report Form. Based on track evaluations, an estimate of the number of hatchlings disoriented will be recorded and light sources potentially responsible for the disorientation identified. A copy of the Report will be forwarded by email to FWC, as required by EAI's Marine Turtle Permit. Indian River County as well as the Park or Refuge (as applicable) will also be provided a copy of the Report so appropriate remedial action may be implemented. State and Federal Authorizations. All sea turtle monitoring and related activities will be performed under FWC Marine Turtle Permit #18-010 issued by FWC to EAI Senior Project Manager, Niki Desjardin. All persons engaged in monitoring performed by EAI will be listed on the permit unless the Park, Refuge, or other qualified individual obtain a separate permit. C. Nest Marking and Monitoring (Task 3). A representative sample of nests (not to exceed 50 nests) will be marked between March I and September 15, 2018. Nests will be marked using a series of stakes and surveyor's tape and will be monitored throughout their incubation period to determine nest fate (e.g., hatched, washed out, depredated, vandalized, etc.). After an appropriate incubation period, and in accordance with FWC guidelines, nests will be excavated to determine reproductive success. Two measures of reproductive success will be calculated: hatching success (the percentage of eggs in the nest that hatch) and emerging success (the percentage of eggs in the nest that produce hatchlings which successfully escape from the nest).