ASSATEAGUE — Short-term beach closures in the Over Sand Vehicle (OSV) area of Assateague Island National Seashore are in effect while officials anxiously await hatchlings from three federally-protected loggerhead sea turtle nests.
A closure of the OSV at the kilometer 20.5 marker went into effect last week and remained in place this week as National Park Service (NPS) officials await hatchlings to emerge from the first of three loggerhead turtle nests. When the hatchlings emerge, the tiny sea turtles will make a mad dash to the sea.
The dash is fraught with natural dangers including predators ready to scoop up the hatchlings, so the NPS is taking every step possible to ensure possible man-made factors don’t add to the peril. To that end, the purpose of the full beach closure in the area of the loggerhead nests is to reduce tire ruts, eliminate the risk of driving impacts to the tiny hatchlings and minimize light pollution near the nest sites.
According to Assateague Island National Seashore officials, the hatchlings are sensitive to light sources at night such as vehicle headlights and even beach bonfires. The young sea turtles can become disoriented enough that they exhaust their limited energy resources crawling in the wrong direction. Disorientation can also occur when the hatchlings don’t have a smooth access to the ocean and get caught in tire ruts.
All seven species of sea turtles are listed as either threatened or endangered and are protected worldwide through an agreement between 170 countries. Loggerhead turtles are listed as threatened, meaning they could cross over to the endangered species list if careful conservation measures are not taken. Assateague Island National Seashore officials are going to great lengths to protect the three loggerhead nests ready to hatch at any time.
As hatch time nears, signage goes up in the area of the nests in advance to allow the wind, rain and surf to obliterate any tire ruts along the hatchlings’ path to the sea. After locating a freshly-laid nest, staffers place a wire screen over the site with holes small enough to prevent predators from reaching the eggs, but large enough to allow the tiny sea turtles to emerge and make their dash to the ocean.
Just before hatch time, the full beach closure goes into effect to prevent potential impacts from vehicles and pedestrians and eliminate light pollution that can disorient the hatchlings. The window for that hatch and associated closure of that section of the OSV is one to two weeks.
