Sea Turtles

Two different first nests were reported Wednesday in Collier County — one by The Collier County Sea Turtle Protection Team on Barefoot Beach and another by Conservancy of Southwest Florida scientists on Keewaydin Island.

A new study found sea turtle scutes can archive their lives and hold clues to lasting impacts from damaging red tides and other hazardous events.

The Endangered Species Committee met for the first time in 34 years to make the decision. Legal action by environmental groups is already planned to protect the Gulf's vanishing Rice's whale.

A 3-limbed Kemp's ridley sea turtle is now being tracked at sea by satellite

Students, scientists and area residents helped survey turtle diversity at Hornsby Spring on Sunday as part of the Santa Fe River Turtle Project. Eleven freshwater turtle species mingle in its depths, a level of diversity seen in only a handful of rivers worldwide.

Late last month, record-low temperatures cooled down the waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic significantly, causing almost 800 sea turtles to wash ashore across Florida’s beaches.

The Gulf Specimen Marine Lab says search efforts continue as they treat turtles in varying stages of recovery.

The turtles, among the world's smallest and most critically endangered, washed ashore during low water temperatures up north earlier this year.

Twenty-five Kemp's ridley sea turtles, considered the rarest among sea turtles, arrived in the Keys Tuesday after being rescued from frigid water off New England.

While the industry has been drilling in ultra-deepwater for years, 20K allows access to wells previously deemed too risky. They say the fallout of another large-scale spill could be catastrophic for the environment and coastal economies.

The region had record numbers of hatchlings and nests this season, even after beach erosion from last year's devastating hurricanes.

There are more than 100 specialty license plates in Florida. The second most popular is providing a big help for sea turtles.