Adopt-a-Nest Program

Since this program began, Sea Island members, guests, team members, and members of the local community have contributed a total of $198,500 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 $72,500 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 2023 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 both the 2022 and 2023 sea turtle seasons werelargely 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.