Florida Nesting Sea Turtle Walks with The Sea Turtle Conservancy

Sea Turtle Walks with
The Sea Turtle Conservancy

Turtle Walks with
The Sea Turtle Conservancy

The Sea Turtle Conservancy is the organization that actually takes reservations and conducts turtle walk within the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights between June 2 and August 1. Walks are reserved online beginning May 1. Another link to try then.

Maximum number of participants is 20 for each walk, with a minimum age of 7. A $20 fee is charged at the time the reservation is made, with no refunds. The walks leave from the Conservancy’s Barrier Island Center. They may last as late as 1 AM, though they usually end around midnight.

The walks may cover up to 1/2 mile (about 20 - 30 minutes) each way in soft sand. Come prepared for mosquitoes and sand fleas. Flashlights, flash photography and filming are not permitted.

The formal name for the Barrier Island Center is The Barrier Island Sanctuary Management and Education Center (Barrier Island Center) and it’s an educational center is located within the Archie Carr Refuge.

The Sea Turtle Conservancy’s turtle tracking project is one of the largest. The movements of numerous turtles from a variety of places—Costa Rica, Panama, Eastern Caribbean, Bermuda, the Florida Gulf Coast and home base Archie Carr NWR and neighboring Canaveral National Seashore—are mapped and available on its website. These maps offer a fascinating insight into the travel pattern and distances covered by dozens of individual turtles.

The Conservancy for years has been at the forefront of increasing public awareness about the importance of protecting sea turtles and their nests. The income from the Florida turtle license plates—they go to the conservancy.

It is not by coincidence the most important turtle nesting beach in the U.S. and the world’s most important loggerhead nesting site is named the Archie Carr NWR. Archie Carr was the founding scientific director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy and for decades, until his death in 1987, was regarded as the world's leading authority on sea turtles. His books remain available today at Amazon.

Directions: The Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Barrier Island Sanctuary is located at 8385 S. Hwy A1A, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951; 321-723-3556. Exhibit hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 9 to 5; closed Monday.

To Where to See Nesting Sea Turtles

To Sea Turtle Life Cycle