Anna Maria Island

Bayside Turtle Nesting

The Only Place in Florida Where Bayside Turtle Nesting is Found...

Contact information for the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch.

Learn more about the Anna Maria Island Sea Turtles.

Bayside Turtle Nesting

It's true. Anna Maria Island is the only location in all Florida where the local turtles nest bayside.

In fact, there have been nests at Bayfront Park for years in the city of Anna Maria.

According to Suzi Fox of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, “This year, there were more nests south of the park. We had three nests south of the Anna Maria City Pier this year.”

What this means, the presence of the nests south of the pier, is the city of Anna Maria will have to be more vigilant than ever about artificial lighting close to the beach where there are turtle nests.

Turtle Pic of the Day

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Volunteers Continue Helping the Local Turtle Population...

As reported a couple of days ago, the Turtle nesting season is winding down.

The Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers of course continue to monitor the local beaches to make sure that all remaining hatchlings from late-season nesting make it safely into the Gulf.

To the right, you'll see a bucket of soon to be released turtle hatchling that hadn’t yet emerged from an excavated nest. 

If you look really close you will see one live pip in the bucket. Pip is the term used for a turtle hatchling that isn’t fully emerged from its egg. By the time this photo appeared in an article in the Anna Maria Island Sun, this baby had managed to shed the eggshell and all the hatchlings had been released.

Are the Beaches on Anna Maria Island Clean?

Keep Anna Maria Island Beaches Clean and Beautiful...

Help Protect the Sea Birds, Fish and Other Wildlife that Depend Upon Those Beaches.

Surfing the many different forums online that are Anna Maria Island or travel focused, we come across lots talking about the beaches of Anna Maria Island.

One of the most commonly asked question is... "Are the beaches clean on Anna Maria Island?"

Well, the quick answer is yes, the beaches on Anna Maria Island are clean, at least relatively so.

Ok, what I mean is this.

Compared to most tourist areas, the beaches on Anna Maria Island are clean, however, in recent years, the beaches of Anna Maria Island have become less pristine than in the past.

How Was This Turtle Nesting Season?

Turtle Watch Calls This Turtle Season a Hit...

It's being reported that this season has been a good year for turtles on Anna Maria Island. That’s according to Suxi Fox, who directs the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Program.

“The hatch rate is way up, though the number of nests is about the same as last year,” Fox said. ‘I think that’s probably because we didn’t have any really bad weather – just a few heavy rain days.’

To Education About Local Turtle Safety

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch...

According to Suzi Fox of the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch, “One of our main functions of the AMITW is to educate residents and visitors to Anna Maria Island about nesting turtles and what we can all do to make them safe,”

For example, “We had a $10,000 grant to produce brochures to place in rentals and hotel rooms, and that worked pretty well.”

However, Fox said, "tourists take the brochures home, and towards the end of the season, the educational material may be gone from rental units, so the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch will try some new things next year.

Turtles and Tourists

Saving the Anna Maria Island Sea Turtles...

May the Turtles of Anna Maria Island Live On,
Long After any Evidence that Mankind was here, has Disappeared Forever!

When it comes to ensuring the safety of the local Anna Maria Island sea turtles... it comes down to the turtles and the tourists.

To the right, you will see Anna Maria Island tourists watching a local Gulf water turtle returning to the sea. 

Lets face it, locally, most everyone's got it.

On Anna Maria Island, we understand the importance of altering our living and lifestyles in favor of protecting the local turtle population.

The problem or issue is that you simply cannot expect those coming here for the first time to automatically understand the issues we face living side by side with these truly majestic creatures of the sea.

That is were the local community and its support for the work done by Suzi Fox and her army of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers.

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Stay Up To Date On Anna Maria Island...

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Turtles and Exterior Lighting

Distressed Over Exterior Lights in Close Proximity to the Water...

Earlier this year we posted an article about the challenges artificial light imposes on the local Anna Maria Island turtle population.

It was called Lights Out For Sea Turtle Nesting Season: Help Ensure a Successful Sea Turtle Nesting Season.

Soon after we posted the article we began receiving comments. One comment inparticular was disturbing. It was a discription by one visitor of the magnitude of the lighting problem.

People on Anna Maria Island are generally quite well informed and educated about what can be done to ensure a healthy turtle nesting season, yet from this persons perspective not nearly enough was being done in regards to the lighting near beach nesting areas.

What's Your Anna Maria Island Experience?

Life On Anna Maria Island...

Do you love Anna Maria Island as much as we do?

Yes, then take advantage of this opportunity to tell the world why. Write us an article and we will publish it, right here on the Anna Maria Island blog.

Got a hobby or serious interest that somehow involves Anna Maria Island? Are you a landscaper, gardener, fisherman, business person or authority on something you do on Anna Maria Island?

Maybe you just would like to write an article about your Anna Maria Island vacation experience, or what its like growing up or living on the Florida Gulf coast... on beautiful Anna Maria Island.

Its entirely up to you. If you think you would like to write about something that would be of interest to readers of the Anna Maria Island Life blog, then by all means... write it and we'll publish it.

It just has to be appropriate and something our readers would find interesting.

Welcome to Anna Maria Island Life, a website and online portal to all the good things that are Anna Maria Island.

Turtle Nests Survive High Tide

Storm Tide Troubles Anna Maria Island Turtles...

It's been reported by Sun staff writer, Laurie Krosney, that according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox, the turtle nests covered by water as a result of the highest tide seen this season, are going to be alright. 

Good news for us turtle lovers ;-)

Laurie reported that, "Lunar high tides combined with the passage of Tropical Storm Claudette in the Gulf caused problems for several sea turtle nests on Anna Maria Island."

"We had several nests under water for a couple of hours," said Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch Director Suzi Fox. "It always freaks people out to see that, but turtle nests are usually OK with some wash over or even with water that stays over the nest for a little while."