We love turtles. We love them so much that we don’t want to see them get hurt or mistreated. We want to help them continue living full, awesome lives. That is why we celebrate and discuss events such as Sea Turtle Awareness Day, which seeks to educate people about the steps they can take to make the lives of Sea Turtles a little easier. Human beings often unintentionally do things that can harm magnificent animals such as these, so it’s important to discover what each of us can do to avoid causing problems for our reptilian friends.
Sea Turtle Awareness Day takes place on May 7, 2016. On this day, The Clearwater Aquarium near Tampa Bay, Florida will be holding a special event at Pier 60 to help educate people about these amazing creatures and how we can help them. Even if you can’t make it to the Clearwater beach on this day, you can still take steps to make your beach a more friendly location for Sea Turtles. These steps can and should be taken just about anywhere, because they are beneficial to many different life forms that you will find on the beach. If we want to protect our finned friends from unforeseen dangers, it’s important to take care of the beaches that they use.
Here are some steps provided by the Clearwater Aquarium that you can take to help out your reptilian friends on Sea Turtle Awareness Day:
1. Turn Out The Lights
Baby Sea Turtles need your help on Sea Turtle Awareness Day. Source: South Carolina Aquarium.
Lights can be very distracting for Sea Turtles and other life forms on the beach. If you live next to a beach, make sure to turn off your lights or use curtains to block the light from shining out.
2. Remove Obstructions
For those who didn’t know, Sea Turtles give birth on the beach. The baby Sea Turtles then return to the ocean once they have hatched. This process would be a lot more difficult if they had a sand castle or some other construct in their way. Make the beginning of their lives a lot easier by keeping the beaches nice and flat.
3. Clean Up Your Beach
This is an extension of the second step, but it’s also very important. Trash can be even more of an obstacle than a sand castle, as it could get caught on the animal and cause harm for years to come. Keeping the beaches clean is also just a good practice in general, because we share these areas with not only our fellow man, but also a plethora of wildlife.
If you live near a beach where Sea Turtles mate, make sure to do your part to make sure that they can live long and healthy lives. Even if you’re not close enough to actively participate in these steps, you can still spread the message and educate people about Sea Turtles and the threat we pose to them. With your help, we can make sure that Sea Turtle Awareness Day is both effective and meaningful.
Tell your friends and family about Sea Turtle Awareness Day!