Property Manager
| Manager’s Message | |
| Coral Sands is Working with Sea Turtle Watch to Improve Survivorship We had a great meeting with the folks from the Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch www.ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com). This year Coral Sands has more turtle nests than any other comparable sized parcel on the beach. This is the way the turtle watch system works. The nests are recorded by Watch folks as soon as the eggs are laid. The turtles hatch about 55 days after the eggs are laid. A couple of days after the hatch the Watch folks can open (excavate) the nest and help any stragglers find their way to the water. That extra assistance maximizes the survivors. Nests are vulnerable during this time and it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your pets so that they do not dig up nests. Here’s a particularly neat part. The Watch posts the scheduled date of excavation on their web site and you can attend. Pat Keogh did this with his granddaughter and she will never forget the experience of helping to release the stragglers. There are things we at the Coral Sands community can do to help the survivorship rate. Sea turtles typically hatch at night. Exterior lights are a real problem. These little guys are apparently programmed to head for the moonlight over the ocean. When the light comes from the land side they are attracted to the light. They only have so much gas to get to the ocean and if they do not make it before dawn they are sitting ducks for sea gulls and other predators. We are working to dim down our common area lights. So things will be a bit dark in the parking area until the season is safely over. It’s important for owners and their guests to understand that this is part of a program to accomplish and important environmental goal. But we also need owners and guests to turn off their balcony lights and draw curtains and blinds at night. We plan to work with the Turtle Watch folks to develop a program to make Coral Sands a leader in promoting sea turtle survivorship. Watch the building for educational material informing owners and their guests of ways we can all help to promote the well being of this challenged species. Coral Sands is an environmentally sensitive community and working with the Watch is an important way to make Coral Sands an important asset to the Amelia Island natural environment. I think we may be able to turn this into an economic opportunity for our owners. Ecotourism is a growing industry and in August, the peak hatching season for sea turtles, things start to slow down. We think this could be a very attractive feature in drawing guests to our property. |
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| Sincerely, | |
| Sean Kelly,
Association Manager Cactus Patch Management |
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