Leatherback Beach Monitoring

Each year before the leatherback season has begun our volunteers grid out the beaches. PVC stakes are placed every 50 feet along our 2 major nesting beaches and they are used throughout the season along with GPS units to record nest locations.

Early morning surveys are performed 5 times weekly on the 2 major leatherback nesting beaches on the island, Cayon to Keys and North Friars.

Volunteers walk the beaches and record non-nesting and nesting crawls, signs of depredation, and hatchling emergences. Tracks are assessed for size and symmetry to determine species. The nests are monitored throughout the season and after the hatchlings emerge the nests are excavated and the contents are recorded.