Lights Out by 10 PM for Turtle Season! No bonfires or flashlights on the beach
What Can you do to protect the turtles?
Keep the beaches clear!
- PLEASE remove ALL personal items from the beach at the end of every day
- Fill holes and level sand castles
- Pick up your trash and leave only footprints
Nesting turtles that encounter holes or obstacles, or are harassed will often turn around and retuen to the ocean, stressing the animal or reducing the chances of successful nesting.
Lights Out During Nesting Season
- Close blinds and lights off by 10pm
- No flashlights of flash photography on beach
No Vehicles on the beach!
Golf carts and trucks/cars are not allowed on Daufuskie beaches (aside from turtle patrol vehicles). This has become a problem especially on holiday weekends (e.g. 4th of July, Labor Day). Report any violations to local authorities (Beaufort County Sheriff).
Support Our Work
We rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund our advocacy and outreach efforts. Your donation will help us continue to work for preservation of turtle populations for future generations.
Sea turtles are an important part of the ecosystem
- Turtles help control their prey. For example, leatherbacks help manage the amount jellyfish in the ocean, and hawksbills help reefs by eating sponges that compete with them for space.
- Turtle nesting helps beaches. The nutrients left behind by eggs and hatchlings that don’t survive provide an important source for coastal vegetation.
- Hatchlings are an important source of food for many animals. Birds, fish, and mammals like raccoons rely on plentiful hatchlings to survive during nesting season.
- They are important for coastal economies and native communities. Many places rely on turtle watching or diving for jobs and income and a number of indigenous communities revere sea turtles as part of their cultures. Plus there are emotional and psychological benefits to seeing a sea turtle in the wild.
- Green turtles grazing on seagrass is an important way to keep seagrass beds healthy. Healthy seagrass benefits many species and stores carbon.