Yellow caution tape is a rare and interesting sight along North Carolina’s beaches in the late spring and summer.
During these months, volunteers and conservation officials check the beaches every night for newly built sea turtle nests. They then cordon off the area with plastic tape to mark and protect the fragile nests.
“Female sea turtles have for millions of years returned to the beaches where they were hatched to make their nests and lay their eggs,” said Terry Meyer, deputy and conservation director at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City. “But it’s estimated only one in 1,000 hatchlings will make it to adulthood, which is why we need to protect nests to help improve the odds.”
Meyer and her team at the rehab center believe they have found a new way to protect the nests and inform the public at the same time.
The center has teamed up with the group Love Thy Turtle to deploy biodegradable caution tape around sea turtle nests. The reusable cloth tape will protect nests, keep dangerous plastic off beaches and inform the public of why such measures are needed.
“The eco-friendly turtle nest marker features a QR code that allows anyone on the beach to scan it with their smartphone and get information about the nest in front of them,” said Keith Dorman, founder and managing director of Love Thy Turtle, at a news conference. “In addition, the code will provide information about the organization working to protect the turtle and enable the person to ‘adopt’ the sea turtle and donate to the group that protected the nest.”
Dorman said he was inspired to create the tape after learning about a rescued turtle at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, a nonprofit rescue organization in West Palm Beach, Florida. During its first day at the center, the turtle passed about 20 pieces of plastic it had ingested.
“I knew I had to do something,” said Dorman. “This [tape] can help not only protect turtle nests but also become an information hub so people can learn about turtles and also help the rescue hospitals that are saving turtles.”
The QR code on the tape links to Love Thy Turtle’s online nesting map, where you can find the nearest turtle sanctuary.
Love Thy Turtle donated six rolls of tape to the Karen Beasley Center at the start of the 2023 nesting season. Additional rolls will be donated if they are needed. The group hopes more North Carolina sea turtle rescue organizations will contact them about using the special tape.
Meyer says the first tape marking a nest was put up six months ago and appears to be holding up fine.
“We can just roll it up after the nest hatches, and it’s not a hazard in the ocean if it washes away,” adds Meyer.
