Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest
Last Updated: January 24, 2026
Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest — Protecting Sanibel’s Endangered Nesters and Hatchlings
Every year from April through October, Southwest Florida’s beaches become one of nature’s most inspiring stages: endangered sea turtles returning from the Gulf to nest on the sands. The Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest program invites locals, seasonal residents, and visitors to play a meaningful role in protecting these ancient mariners and celebrate one of the most dramatic wildlife events along the Gulf Coast.
Through symbolic nest adoption, you’re not just supporting research — you’re helping scientists and volunteers track, protect, and learn from sea turtle nesting activity along Sanibel and Captiva beaches while raising awareness about coastal conservation.
How Sea Turtle Nesting Works
Sea turtles are migratory reptiles that return to shore to lay eggs in the same area where they themselves hatched decades earlier. Along Southwest Florida beaches, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are the most common nesters, followed by green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and, occasionally, the rare leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) — the world’s largest sea turtle species whose nesting in this region is uncommon but highly celebrated.
Each nesting season, female sea turtles come ashore multiple times to deposit clutches of eggs in shallow nests dug into the sand. These nests incubate for about two months before hundreds of hatchlings emerge and instinctively make their way toward the ocean — relying on natural moonlight and horizon glow to guide them.
Sea Turtle Numbers & Trends in Southwest Florida
According to the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), the 2025 nesting season on Sanibel and Captiva Islands concluded with a total of 889 documented nests — including 868 loggerhead nests and 21 green turtle nests — marking one of the highest nesting totals since monitoring began in 1992. In that same season, more than 27,000 loggerhead hatchlings and 607 green turtle hatchlings made their way to the Gulf of Mexico.
During the 2024 season, SCCF documented 843 total nests with 839 loggerhead and three green turtle nests, producing 16,770 emerged hatchlings — despite storms like Tropical Storm Debby that washed out a significant percentage of nests.
These year-to-year fluctuations in nest numbers and hatchling success are natural, and they can be influenced by weather, ocean conditions, storms, predators, and human impacts.
Three Main Sea Turtle Species on Local Beaches
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
Loggerheads are the most common species to nest on Florida’s beaches, including Sanibel and Captiva. These large, powerful turtles lay multiple nests each season and return to nest every few years.
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green turtles nest less frequently here than loggerheads, but their presence has been increasing. These gentle herbivores typically return to nest every two years, and some individual turtles — like those tagged and monitored by SCCF staff — become familiar visitors across seasons.
Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Leatherbacks are rare on Gulf Coast beaches, but their occasional nests — including a leatherback nest documented in 2024 that produced hatchlings — are cause for celebration among conservationists.
What the SCCF Does to Protect Nests
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is the official monitoring organization for sea turtle nesting on these islands. Their team of biologists, technicians, and volunteers conducts:
Nighttime tagging and monitoring — to identify individual nesting turtles and understand their patterns.
Daily nesting surveys — patrolling beaches from April through October to mark and protect nests.
Nest protection and threat mitigation — addressing lighting disorientation, predator risks, and environmental challenges.
Data collection and research — contributing to long-term understanding of nesting trends and population health.
Volunteers are a big part of this effort, with over 5,000 documented volunteer hours in a typical year helping surveys, nest marking, data collection, and education outreach.
What “Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest” Supports
Symbolic nest adoption through SCCF is a significant way to support sea turtle protection and research. Funds raised from the program help:
Defray the costs of nightly and daily beach patrols
Maintain tagging and data collection efforts
Produce and share educational resources about sea turtles
Support outreach to local communities and visitors
Adopters receive a nest adoption certificate and, at the end of the season, a summary report detailing how their adopted nest fared — including the number of eggs, false crawls, and hatch success. Long-term programs even allow adopters to follow the same nesting turtle across multiple seasons.
Why Protecting Turtle Nests Matters
Sea turtles are Endangered Species Act-protected animals whose populations face multiple challenges — from habitat loss and marine debris to night-lighting that disorients hatchlings and predation that reduces hatch success. Only a tiny fraction of hatchlings survive to adulthood, making each protected nest and successful hatchling vital to the species’ future.
Engaging in adoption programs and community efforts helps ensure these ancient animals continue to nest and thrive on beaches that have been home to generations of turtles.
How You Can Help Beyond Adoption
Even if you don’t adopt a nest, there are ways to protect sea turtles while enjoying the beach:
Turn off or shield lights visible from the beach after 9 p.m. during nesting season so hatchlings can find the water.
Flatten sandcastles and fill in holes before leaving the beach to reduce obstacles for nesting females and hatchlings.
Keep pets leashed and away from areas marked for wildlife protection.
Respect posted conservation areas and don’t disturb marked nests.