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Welcome to the

Florida Coastal Conservancy

Home of the St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol and the Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center.

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Sea Turtle Nesting Season in Florida
May 1st - October 31st

What's Happening Now

Florida Coastal Conservancy

3 days ago

We're over the moon this week with the arrival of our first green sea turtle nest of the season! While many juvenile greens reside in St. Joseph Bay, they are a rare nesting species in our area. Green turtles are identified by their crawl patterns - they leave symmetrical flipper marks and their longer tails "poke and drag" in the sand. Green mommas also have a very elaborate camouflage process, throwing huge amounts of sand over their egg chambers to hide their eggs. This green momma did quite a number on a neighboring loggerhead nest stakes and screen. Fortunately, no eggs were damaged, and both nests were securely marked for the duration of their incubation. We hope to welcome many more of these special visitors to our beach this year!🐢

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St. Joseph Peninsula Turtle Patrol & Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center

Through our interactions with visitors to the Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center, beach-goers during nesting season, and inquirers from around the world, we are working hard to educate the public about the importance of sea turtles and the ways we all can help them.

Leave No Trace & Keep Lights Off

Help our visiting sea turtles at night:

  • Clear the way at the end of the day by removing all beach equipment.
  • Fill in holes and level sand sculptures.
  • Turn lights off or use turtle-friendly red lights.
  • Our sea turtles dig the beach CLEAN, FLAT, and DARK.

Visit Us at The Turtle Center

Come visit the Forgotten Coast Sea Turtle Center!

We're Open:
Sunday-Thursday
11:30 - 4:30pm EST

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