SPONSOR a Sea Turtle Nest - $100

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The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is one of the most remarkable visitors to our Tampa Bay shores - and also one of the most vulnerable. This species is protected as Threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act, Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule, and the state’s Marine Turtle Protection Act. Florida law makes it clear: sea turtles, their nests, their eggs, and the very habitats they depend on are strictly off limits from disturbance or harm. Only specially authorized conservation and research teams are permitted to handle these animals or their nests - a responsibility we take seriously here at Egmont Key.

Loggerheads are easy to admire. Adults weigh nearly 300 pounds on average, stretching three feet long, with a reddish-brown shell above and a creamy yellow shell below. Their name comes from their massive, block-like head and powerful jaws, perfectly designed to crush hard-shelled prey. Watching one emerge from the Gulf on a moonlit night, dragging her heavy body ashore to nest, is a reminder of just how ancient and resilient these creatures are.

Florida’s sandy beaches host one of the largest loggerhead nesting populations in the entire world. Female loggerheads return to their natal beaches every two or three years, laying four to seven nests in a season, each about two weeks apart. A single nest holds over one hundred eggs, incubating quietly beneath the sand for two months

before bursting to life with tiny hatchlings scrambling toward the sea. But the challenges are immense: coastal development eats away at nesting habitat, artificial lights lure hatchlings away from the water, and storms can wash entire nests away.

That’s why Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge is such an important sanctuary. Its remote, undeveloped shoreline has historically been a nesting hotspot, with between thirty and one hundred fifty loggerhead nests each year. Here, away from some of the worst human impacts, turtles have a fighting chance. Still, climate change, sea

level rise, and beach erosion pose constant threats, and after the destructive 2024 hurricane season, the resources to protect and monitor these nests are stretched thinner than ever.

Sea Turtle Sponsor Program

Help protect the next generation of sea turtles on Egmont Key. For just $100, you can become a Sea Turtle Sponsor and support the conservation, education, volunteer, and

stewardship efforts that help protect important sea turtle nesting habitat on Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge. Your sponsorship helps support the broader work that gives loggerhead sea turtles a safe place to return, nest, and begin the next generation. Sponsors receive seasonal updates highlighting nesting activity, conservation efforts, and the important work taking place on the island, along with a special end-of-season recap.

As a thank-you for your support, sponsors also receive a commemorative sea turtle keepsake celebrating their connection to Egmont Key and its sea turtles. Whether you sponsor a sea turtle in your own name, in honor of someone you love, or as a meaningful gift, your support helps protect this remarkable species and the special place they call home.

✨ Sponsor a Nest Today By Completing the Form Below

If you prefer, you can mail a completed Adopt a Nest Form along with your $100 donation per nest to: FTBWR, PO Box 40782, St Petersburg, FL 33743-0782.