Your Romantic Trip Can Help Endangered Sea Turtles
If your favorite causes are focused on the environment and endangered species, why not add a little of that love to your destination wedding or honeymoon? We know of a very special travel project where your help really counts.
Every year, sea turtles return to the beach where they hatched, to bury their own eggs. You can help protect endangered sea turtles in the Caribbean by assisting experts in monitoring eggs and hatchlings (May-Dec) or join volunteers on “beach clean-up day” in September. The beach clean-up is especially important to clear the beach of any litter that might keep the tiny hatchlings from getting to the water’s edge. Last year on the island of Jamaica alone, 4,000 helpers cleared a staggering 50,000 lbs of debris, much of it discarded plastic.
Many of the resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean have sea turtle programs for guests of the resorts to help the hatchlings get out to sea. If you visit any of these resorts in May or June you may see a small fence protecting a group of turtle eggs. All of the resorts are very strict when asking for help, so the turtles and their eggs are protected even from accidental harm.
Protecting the turtle nesting areas has made a huge difference to the population of these beautiful marine creatures. Here in the US, Florida has seen an incredible growth in the numbers of green turtles. The number of nests of green turtles this summer in Florida shattered all previous records. Increases also have been observed this year in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. Even South Florida, which doesn’t get nearly as many nests as Central Florida, has seen a doubling of green turtle nests this season.
If your Caribbean wedding or honeymoon falls during the green turtle nesting or hatchling times, don’t forget to ask about helping these little turtles get to the ocean. Something as small as holding a flashlight can go a long way in helping increase the survival of the hatchlings. Ask us to help you plan a honeymoon that includes an opportunity to help the green turtle hatchlings thrive, or make it part of your destination wedding excursions.
Painting by Bunny Griffeth. See more of her work at bunnygriffeth.com
