A Walk On The Wild Side

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This loggerhead turtle heads back to the ocean after laying her eggs. About 20 percent of the loggerheads that nest in Florida lay their eggs at Sebastian Inlet.

For now, O’Toole shares some sobering facts about local turtles. Of the five turtle species that nest in Florida, three are endangered, including the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the hawksbill and the leatherback. The green sea turtle, once considered endangered, will soon be upgraded to threatened along with the loggerhead. Permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Wildlife Commission, the Sebastian Inlet State Park is one of only 19 places in Florida where groups may observe the nesting loggerhead. 

Loggerheads nest along the southeast coast of the United States from the Carolinas to Louisiana, but their primary nesting area is between Volusia and Palm Beach counties – and the Sebastian Inlet, surrounded by the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, falls right in the middle. About 20 percent of the loggerheads that nest in Florida lay their eggs at the Sebastian Inlet. 

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