This morning, I decided to head to the beach for my very own personal Sunrise Easter Service. (Hubby was still sleeping!) Forget the crowds and the sermons. This was MY beach. And I was the only person there…and it was AWESOME.
When suddenly…two young women on four-wheelers came FLYING up the beach. They rushed past me, and after I finished my time of solitude, I walked up the beach to the place they had stopped. I had a feeling I knew why they had come. They are part of the Turtle Patrol team in Fort Lauderdale.
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| Calling for Back-Up |
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| A Special Job |
They showed me the spot where a HUGE leatherback turtle had laid her eggs! And unfortunately, she picked a site too close to the ocean…so in two hours (when high tide rolls in) the eggs would all be washed away. So it was a race against time to dig up the eggs and save them from disaster. These creatures are on the Endangered Species list, and the penalties for disturbing their nests or eggs are serious…including huge fines and jail.
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| Charting the Nest Location for Scientific Studies… (See how HUGE the turtle was…based on the sand indentation!) |
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| Beginning to DIG… |
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| And DIG… |
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| And DIG!!!!! |
Leatherback Sea Turtles date back to dinosaur days. They are the largest of all living sea turtles, and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and they range from 4 to 9 feet long! Their estimated life span is between 40-45 years. The average nest contains about 80 eggs (about the size of billiard balls). The ridges in the sand are the places where the turtle’s flippers form a “butterfly” stroke to propel her back to the water after laying her eggs. The most amazing fact I discovered was that the sex of the baby turtles depends on the temperature of the nest when the eggs are laid!
In fact, here in Fort Lauderdale, we have strict laws against lights at the beach from May to October, since lights can confuse the turtles during their march to the shore to nest. The city installs shades on all the streetlights near the beach, and beachfront hotel guests are even required to keep their curtains closed at night while lights are on in their rooms!
Yes…This was a special Easter Sunday…And it was an Easter Egg Hunt I’ll NEVER forget!
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