Saturday, November 14, 2026
Photo by Maria Lamb | Kath Ebaugh, sea turtle monitor reported Marco had 9 false crawls for the first week.
Photos by Andrew Tyler | Lights Out Marco Island! Beach structures displaying artificial lights on May 1st.
Photos by Andrew Tyler | Lights Out Marco Island! Beach structures displaying artificial lights on May 1st.
Photos by Andrew Tyler | Lights Out Marco Island! Beach structures displaying artificial lights on May 1st.
Photos by Andrew Tyler | Lights Out Marco Island! Beach structures displaying artificial lights on May 1st.
Photos by Andrew Tyler | Lights Out Marco Island! Beach structures displaying artificial lights on May 1st.
Submitted Photos | False crawl (Monday, May 1st).
Submitted Photos | Mother Sea Turtle’s eye view of South Seas Towers I – IV.
Photo by SeaTurtle.org | A False Crawl happens when the female sea turtle emerges from the water but returns to the water without laying eggs.
Photo by Maria Lamb | Kath Ebaugh, sea turtle monitor reported Marco had 9 false crawls for the first week.
First Nest in Collier County at Hideaway Beach.
Photo by Yesi Olvera | First Nest in Collier County at Hideaway Beach.
Submitted Photos | Weekly Sea Turtle Activity Report for Collier County – Week 1.
It was a good start to the first week of Sea Turtle Season—with an early arrival at Hideaway Beach. Sand Dollar Island also posted 3 new nests.
However, 9 false crawls were also reported by our team of Sea Turtle Monitors, Yesi Olvera and Kath Ebaugh. A false crawl happens when the female sea turtle emerges from the water but encounters a manmade object such as a beach chair left on the beach, or is disturbed by noise or people or does not like the conditions on the beach and returns to the water without laying eggs. The glow of artificial lights from condos can also discourage them from depositing eggs.
It is time to keep the beach clean, flat and dark from May 1st to October 31st. The City of Marco Island has had a Sea Turtle Lighting Protection Ordinance since November 2001—all lights visible from the beach are to be either covered, blocked, hooded, moved or turned off after 9 PM from May 1st to October 31st.
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