SOUTHERN SHORES, N.C. — A special year on the northern Outer Banks for sea turtle nesting. As of this week, 55 sea turtle nests have been recorded from south Nags Head to the Virginia state line, breaking the record for most nests in a season on the northern Outer Banks ever.
An incredible moment was caught on camera just a few weeks ago — when a Leatherback sea turtle was spotted nesting on the Outer Banks for the first time since 2009.
"We also, for the first time in 17 years, have at least one Leatherback nest, potentially two. The first one was up in Carova on a four-wheel drive beach, the second one, a couple of days later, is down in Southern Shores. We didn't find eggs, but there's a possibility there are eggs there. Leatherback's are famous for making it difficult to find eggs, so we're excited about that. In both cases, the Leatherback was on the beach in the morning, so a bunch of people got to see it, which is really unusual," said Tony Parisi, president of the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles.
That's just one unusual part of what's been an unusual year for sea turtles here. News 3 learned from Parisi when we met this week that this is a record year for the nesting season on the northern Outer Banks.
"We have 55 nests in the 50 miles of beach that we cover from South Nags Head to the Virginia line. That's a record. Our previous record was 52," said Parisi.
And that's way above average. Parisi said they don't really know what's driving this trend.
"Average for the last 10 years has been you know low to mid 30s, so you know we're well above that. We're only a small part of their habitat, so it's hard to say whether this is a trend for the population in general. But it's a hopeful sign," said Parisi.
A hopeful sign for a creature where the majority of the species population is threatened or endangered — which is why organizations like N.E.S.T. are needed. When volunteers aren't waiting for eggs to hatch and protecting the nests, their everyday mission is education: helping the public understand their important roles as neighbors of the sea turtles.
"What we like to say is keeping the beach clean, flat, and dark. So, picking up trash, filling in holes, and turning out lights because lighting is a big issue for nesting sea turtles, and for hatchlings," said Parisi.
Though Parisi has seen a number of hatches, he said if you're lucky enough to catch the hatchlings leaving the beach...
"I'll say it's a once in a lifetime experience," said Parisi.
For more information about N.E.S.T. and their every day efforts, head to the organization's website here.
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