Baja Sea Turtle Camp Adventure! Volunteer Nest Monitoring
Location
Mexico: Todos Santos
Description
For 12 nights only in August and September 2013 we are offering volunteers the opportunity to work with local biologists on the coast of the Pacific of Baja to protect endangered Olive Ridley marine turtles (Lepidocheyles olivacea). In each month we’ve chosen 6 nights around the time of the full moon, when viewing is optimal for spotting the 100-pound female turtles as they haul their bodies out of the ocean and make their way to the rolling coastal dunes to find the ideal nesting spot. Each female will leave 90-120 white ping-pong shaped eggs in a sandy hole, camouflage the nest with a characteristic belly dance, then leave the offspring to chance.
That’s where you come in. Predators, coastal development and illegal poaching all threaten sea turtle populations throughout the world. At this sea turtle research station you can help combat declining populations by volunteering with biologists as they collect the eggs and relocate them to a protective nursery. In many cases you’ll be able to see mature nests bubbling with turtle hatchlings and have the opportunity to guide the hatchlings on their way to the sea.
2013 Dates:
August 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
September 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25
Highlights
We depart Todos Santos in the late afternoon and arrive at Sea Turtle Camp in time to settle into our comfortable, safari-style tents with raised cots during daylight, then watch the sun set over the magnificent Pacific beach that is our home for the evening. The guide and camp staff will prepare a simple but tasty dinner, which will be followed by an orientation by our wildlife biologist Stephanie Rousso. Stephanie will provide some background and history of sea turtle ecology, and describe the local threats and conservation efforts in Baja California Sur. Before the night patrol, Stephanie will review the role of volunteers, and present her own background and research initiatives. When it is good and truly dark we’ll have a magnificent bonfire in the specially-designed firepit that shields the firelight from prying turtle eyes; those so inclined can indulge in s’mores. You may then choose to sleep for a few hours until the patrol starts in the wee morning hours, or you may just want to stay up and feast your eyes on the gorgeous moon and a sky free of light pollution. Stephanie will gather everyone around 1:00 AM to start our 4 kilometer roundtrip patrol of the beach on foot when we’ll scout for nesting females and assist in relocating the eggs to protected corrals. Some nights we may see several turtles, some nights we may find the nest after the female has returned to the ocean. And with any luck we’ll see some nests in which the baby turtles are hatching and have the opportunity to help the hatchlings make their way into the sea. In the morning we’ll enjoy a full Mexican “Turtle Camp Graduation” breakfast then head back to Todos Santos. One short night, but a lasting contribution to the revitalization of the marine turtle population in Mexico.