Sea Turtle Education at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

SEA TURTLE EDUCATION AT SANDY POINT NWR, ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS (1997-2000)

Sandy Point NWR is an important nesting site for leatherback sea turtles and it provides unique educational opportunities to the surrounding community. Every nesting season, hundreds of local students visit the Refuge to witness both leatherback nesting and hatchling emergence. This program, started in 1997 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, is plays an important role in the conservation of the leatherback sea turtle.

Introduction

Since 1981, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) Division of Fish and Wildlife (DPNR) has run a comprehensive study of the biology of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting on the beaches of Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) St. Croix, USVI. Education has been an important component of the study since its inception. Both past and present Field Directors have made significant contributions to the educational value of the study by increasing public awareness. Efforts were also made to bring information about all three of St. Croix’s marine turtles (hawksbills, greens, and leatherbacks) to island classrooms.

As more people visited to project, public interest grew dramatically. It became difficult for the Field Directors to meet the increased demands on their already limited time. A reservation system was instituted in order to deal with larger numbers of nighttime visitors to the Refuge.

Throughout the history of the Leatherback Project, there has been a steady increase in the number of leatherbacks nesting each season. The combination of increases in both public awareness and nesting females made it necessary for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to become more involved in Refuge management. In 1981, the first Refuge Manager was hired in order to address public use and wildlife management issues. Efforts were made to limit the number of nighttime visitors while also providing daytime visitors with information about Refuge regulations. These regulations were instituted by USFWS to mitigate human impact on sea turtles and their nests. A gate was installed on the Refuge’s main road in order to block vehicle access during nighttime hours. However, public use problems continued and Refuge hours were limited to weekend, daytime use.

In 1994, the USFWS decided to focus public education efforts on school and youth groups. Their decision was prompted by the need to limit visitors to the Refuge during nighttime hours. Additionally, they hoped to encourage new visitors, especially young people, to the Refuge. Previously, despite high visitor numbers, the program was only reaching a small number of the same people every season. USFWS recognized the need for a more structured and comprehensive education program which would complement the Leatherback Project.

From 1995-1998, two, local volunteers coordinated public education for the USFWS Sandy Point Sea Turtle Education Program. Beginning in 1999, USFWS added a seasonal employee to continue education and outreach in the Refuge.

Goals

The overall objective of the USFWS Sandy Point Sea Turtle Education Program is to make the community an integral part of the conservation of sea turtles and their habitats. In doing so, we foster a conservation ethic which extends to all aspects of the natural community. An educated and concerned public is our greatest ally when it comes to the preservation of sites such as Sandy Point NWR. The leatherback sea turtles of Sandy Point allow us to show visitors a world they may never have seen before. This is especially true of our local, young people since St. Croix has no zoos or natural history museums. For many of these children, this is their first opportunity to interact with a wild animal. This objective is met by doing the following:

1. Developing advocates for the Refuge and its sea turtles.

2. Heightening awareness of sea turtle natural history.

3. Involving the community in management.

4. Promoting proper use of the Refuge and its natural resources.

5. Inspiring respect for natural communities.

Results

Since 1997, over 2000 schoolchildren and local adults have visited Sandy Point, NWR in order to see leatherback sea turtles nesting. The USFWS, in order to address both the growing community interest in sea turtles as well as the needs of the resource, limits weekend, nighttime visitation to groups of schoolchildren. Local adults are allowed to visit during weeknights by special reservation. Individual reservations are not accepted from off-island visitors because the program is community based and not suited for tourism. We focus on local outreach in order to increase public awareness as to the importance of Sandy Point NWR.

In 1997, USFWS began to assess possible impacts education groups might have on nesting leatherbacks. Even though groups are closely monitored in order minimize stress to the nesting female, nest success of these females was compared to that of turtles not observed by groups. No significant difference was found in nesting success. Furthermore, observed turtles were timed during their different nesting stages and these results were compared to average times established by years of previous research done by DPNR researchers. Again, there was no significant difference between the two.

Comments/Suggestions/Additional Information

Should you have any comments, suggestions, or require additional information please contact the following:

Michael Evans
Refuge Manager
Sandy Point NWR
Federal Building
3013 Estate Golden Rock
Christiansted, VI 00820-4355
Phone: 340/773-4554
Fax: 340/773-4554
E-mail: Michael_Evans@fws.gov