{"id":110280,"date":"2020-06-16T12:13:32","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T16:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=110280"},"modified":"2020-09-30T16:03:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-30T20:03:17","slug":"today-is-world-sea-turtle-day-ucf-experts-celebrate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/today-is-world-sea-turtle-day-ucf-experts-celebrate\/","title":{"rendered":"Today is World Sea Turtle Day \u2013 UCF Experts Celebrate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today is World Sea Turtle Day, which celebrates sea turtles and their conservation. The day was selected in 2000 to coincide with the birthday of Archie Carr, who is considered the father of sea turtle biology because he spent his entire career on sea turtle research and conservation.<\/p>\n

Since the 1970s, UCF researchers<\/a> have helped collect data that demonstrates the importance of Florida\u2019s beaches to the life cycle of green, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles. Central Florida\u2019s Atlantic coastline is among the most important nesting areas in the world for loggerheads and hosts about one-third of all green turtle nests in the state.<\/p>\n

Because of data collected by UCF researchers, a stretch of beach from southern Brevard County to Indian River County was set aside to help protect the endangered sea turtles. It\u2019s now known as the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. The UCF Marine Turtle Research Group<\/a> conducts much of its year-round research in the Brevard County portion of the refuge.<\/p>\n

The UCF team of conservation biologists and students<\/a> has been monitoring nesting on the Brevard portion of the refuge for nearly 40 years and has monitored other Brevard beaches for more than 30 years. Beach and water data generated by the lab are invaluable for conservation efforts<\/a> and provide UCF undergraduate students unique hands-on experience<\/a>, which prepares them for graduate school and jobs.<\/p>\n

UCF\u2019s group is the only organization authorized to conduct sea turtle monitoring and nest marking throughout the 13 northern-most miles of the refuge and the Brevard County mid and south beaches under permits from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The UCF team also monitors Patrick Air Force Base in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\n

The group is celebrating World Sea Turtle Day today by continuing his research legacy. This is the height of sea turtle nesting season and more than 6,000 sea turtle nests have been counted by UCF on the Brevard County portion of the refuge since March with many more expected throughout the summer and early fall. The nesting season concludes in October.<\/p>\n

Here are the three species commonly found locally. The information comes from the UCF team\u2019s Facebook page, as part of the global #SeaTurtleWeek education efforts.<\/p>\n