Turtle season ends with record nests

A late-October storm destroyed the last remaining sea turtle nest of the season on island beaches, but that didn’t dampen spirits over the nesting season.

Amelia Island Sea Turtle volunteers recorded 298 nests this year. During a typical year, about 200 turtles nest on island beaches.

Moreover, 2026 marked the successful transition of leadership for Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, the non-profit, volunteer-based organization that oversees protection of turtle nests. Bill and Ronda Bokram became president and vice president of the group this year.

“It was a great season,” Ronda says. “It was exhausting but in a really fun way.  The whole team, all our volunteers, were just great. You can’t do it alone. You have to count on people to help you. We have a great team.”

The Bokrams took the reins this year from Mary Duffy, one of the original founders of Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch. Duffy was among a group of citizens who, in 1985, set up the group under the direction of the International environmental organization Greenpeace. Greenpeace was asked to train the volunteers after being contacted by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which was seeking data on sea turtles at beaches around the state.

Duffy recalls seeing a small notice soliciting volunteers at the Atlantic Rec Center. About 10 people, including Duffy, showed up for the initial meeting. Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch began collecting data in 1986.

“We got together and said, ‘We can do this. We can collect data for them,’” Duffy recalls, adding that, until the 1980s, no one knew how many sea turtles nested in the state. “They [Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission] were surprised to see what was happening. They saw that we have a lot of turtles nesting in Florida.”

Over four decades, the original members of the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch died, retired or left the area — except for Duffy. This season, she remained in the background, fielding occasional questions from the Bokrams while they took the lead. The smooth transition demonstrated how committed island residents are to the group she led for 40 years, Duffy says.

“It was time to pass the torch,” she says. “The most rewarding part of the program was the people, those that participated in the program and those I just met on the beach ... I have had kids who I met on the beach in the 1990s come back as adults with their kids for the same experience. There have been books written by people who experienced our work on the beach as children, only to put pen to paper with illustrations as an adult to tell the story of sea turtles to children.”

Bill Bokram says Duffy’s legendary leadership enabled the organization to grow to almost 150 volunteers today.

“She formed this group in 1985 with some very experienced people, who have since retired,” he says. “She remained the leader. She caused a lot of things to happen, not just with sea turtles but in the community."

Those volunteers had plenty to do this season. Some volunteers are permitted by the state to handle sea turtle nests while other volunteers serve as the “eyes” of the program. The group responsibilities include sending nesting data to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, educating the community about sea turtles and training volunteers. Residents can sign up to volunteer and undergo training in the spring.

The nesting season runs from May through October. This season’s 298 nests nearly matched the bountiful 2019 season, when 294 nests were recorded. Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch volunteers also excavated 265 nests this season. That’s a record, exceeding 232 excavations in 2019.

The nests produced 23,440 hatchlings, another record for the island. Overall, 29,076 eggs were counted; also a record.

The group also celebrated finding 79 nests in the beach area from Sadler Road north to Main Beach that was affected by a sand renourishment project in 2025. During the renourishment process, nests in that area had to be dug up and moved to another location.

However, Ronda noted, the turtles successfully returned to that section of the beach this year.

One sour note on the season was the increase in human disturbance of nests, such as stakes being pulled up around a nest or stepping on a nest. It’s a federal offense to disturb a sea turtle nest. The group recorded the highest number ever of human disturbances this season — 17 nests.

“We fixed everything, so the nest was OK,” says Ronda, who noted that the disturbances occur at night. “We don’t know who did it. But we find it disturbing that people feel like they need to do that. It’s a sign, maybe, of more people here or more people on the beach at night.”

However, Ronda praises many county residents who educate themselves about the nests and care about the program’s success. Residents and beachgoers have a significant impact on protecting sea turtles by keeping the beach clean and flat (filling in holes and knocking down sand obstructions) and turning off porch lights and avoiding flashlight use on the beach after sundown.

“We have a great community of people who if they saw something would say something,” she says. “This is a great community for people being aware of sea turtle nests and being protective of them.

Duffy praises the group’s cohesiveness and says she knows Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch is in good hands.

“They did a great job this year,” she says. “I didn’t need to oversee anything; everyone knew what to do.”

Duffy believes ocean pollution and lighting on the beach will continue to challenge the health of the sea turtle population. But the fight continues.

“Education and awareness are improving, and that’s what it’s going to take,” she says. “I’m proud of what we’ve built.”