Orange Beach False Crawl
The following is from Joe Spafford (Gulf State Park Team Leader) on 23 May 2019:
The season was well underway and everyone was getting anxious. Who would be the ones selected, when would they discover the prize they were seeking? The committee of one (mama turtle) had made her choice and the first nest of the season (and their first nest) goes to Becky and Al Mullins. They were so excited that the picture sent to the team leader showed only the first few feet of crawl out of the water. The veteran leader calmly instructed them to take a picture a little higher up on the beach where the turtle turned around so she could have a better idea of what she was dealing with. The next photo was all she needed to put out the one call now and get the team into action. Over twenty new and old team members showed up to help along with Shannon Holbrook from FWS and our own biologist Elizabeth Bevins. Nest processing began shortly before 7 am. Elizabeth was collecting some sand samples from the nest area to help with a study and she needed to be very accurate in the placement of her guide perimeter. Once again the team leader came through and the eggs were discovered by Becky and Al (??), they had the touch today, right where she predicted they would be. All the data was collected and the nest was processed and the team photo was taken. Thanks to the Gulf State Park turtle team we have our first nest on record and are looking forward to a great season.
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