Turtles come out of their shells

Sunshine Coast Council’s TurtleCare program is a finalist in the 2017 Healthy Land and Water Awards in the Government Stewardship Award category.
This is the first time that the group has been nominated in more than a decade of protection of marine turtle nests on Sunshine Coast beaches.
Sunshine Coast councillor Jenny McKay said the ongoing success of the Sunshine Coast’s TurtleCare program wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of local volunteers.
“Each year, dedicated turtle volunteers work tirelessly to monitor the turtle nests and collect scientific data on nesting loggerhead and green turtles,” she said.
“Data collected over many years has shown that the measures taken to protect turtle nests from threats such as fox predation, beach erosion, light pollution and tidal inundation have dramatically improved the survival rate here on the Sunshine Coast.”
Almost 90 turtle nests were found on Sunshine Coast beaches this year – about 60 nests between north Bribie Island and Buddina and almost 30 nests further north from Mooloolaba to Noosa.
The TurtleCare program has been nominated for the People’s Choice Award for its contribution to protection of endangered species and their habitats, but also for the social achievements of the program through its annual Clean Up for the Hatchlings Event and contribution of data resources to the state school curriculum.
Members of the public can vote for a winner by visiting hlw.org.au/awards/finalists.
The winner will be presented at the 2017 Healthy Land and Water Awards Gala dinner on 1 September.