For decades, conservationists have been working tirelessly to protect and conserve Georgia’s threatened loggerhead sea turtles and the habitat on which they rely. In the 90’s and early 2000’s sea turtles in Georgia faced an uncertain future with fewer than 500 nests laid along the entire Georgia coast. Thanks to more than 30 years of conservation efforts, sea turtle nesting is now increasing by roughly 4.1% annually and annual nest counts have come close to 4,000 nests in one season! Despite these amazing strides, sea turtle conservation efforts remain more critical now than ever before due to the increased resources needed to study a growing population, and federal funding cuts that have impacted research capabilities on Georgia’s most remote islands.

Last year alone, the $77,025 raised through Sea Island’s Adopt-a-Nest Project allowed the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to hire biologists and purchase equipment to survey and protect sea turtle nests on Georgia’s largest barrier island, Cumberland Island. This measure alone will ensure the protection of more than 1000 sea turtle nests. Without these funds, Cumberland Island’s continuous thirty-year sea turtle research project would have come to an end in 2024.

Additionally, Sea Island’s Adopt-a-Nest funds in 2024 supported the Northern Recovery Unit Sea Turtle Genetics Project which allows scientists to gain critical knowledge of how many sea turtles are nesting along Georgia beaches through DNA sampling. Adopt-a-Nest donations funded the processing of more than 1,700 DNA samples last year. The insight gained from this study has allowed conservationists to better understand ways we can protect this beloved species for generations to come.

Since this program began, Sea Island members, guests, team members, and members of the local community have contributed a total of $275,525 to sea turtle conservation. In recent years, the Sea Island Nature Team created a renewed focus of the initiative. Through outreach and a redesign of the adoption packages, we were able to raise a record-setting $77,025 last summer alone! 100% of the proceeds from this project go to the Wildlife Conservation Fund within the Georgia Department of Natural Resources which relies solely on federal grants and donations to operate. Proceeds directly assist in conducting research, collecting data, and training sea turtle technicians along the Georgia coast.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources requires approximately $220,000 a year to operate the state’s sea turtle conservation program. Donations to Sea Island Adopt-a-Nest project have been used for two main initiatives over the years. These include; hiring seasonal staff to survey remote beaches for sea turtle nesting activity on islands such as Sapelo and Ossabaw, and purchasing survey equipment such as ATVs, fuel, wooden stakes, and predator screens. These supplies allow technicians to patrol the full length of Georgia’s beaches and work to protect the threatened loggerhead sea turtle population. In 2024 specifically, the funds raised through Sea Island Adopt-A-Nest were also critical to keeping the Georgia loggerhead sea turtle genetics project going. This multi-decade research project has allowed technicians to identify exactly which mother sea turtle has laid each nest along the Georgia coast, and in turn, has been vital to understanding the size of the population.

This summer, we hope to raise enough money to continue funding the sea turtle genetics project and provide supplies for our neighboring islands to protect each nest along Georgia beaches.

It takes about 30 years for sea turtles to return to their natal beaches and begin nesting. We can now safely say that the success of recent sea turtle seasons was largely due to the conservation efforts of those who were dedicated to protecting sea turtles three decades ago. Our long-term hope is that 30 years from now, our children and grandchildren will experience this same natural wonder thanks to the protection efforts happening today.