By Melania Lopez | Sea Turtle Conservation Program Coordinator
Dear [donor first name],
We are very thankful for your support and the difference it makes in our work. We are excited to inform you that our teams are working hard to protect sea turtle nests. Female hawksbill turtles began arriving at the start of April, and our team immediately began their beach surveys. As the nesting season progresses, we are approaching the first peak in late May when most hawksbills come to shore. The second peak will occur later once the green turtles start to nest.
As of the end of April, our team has protected 21 nests in Celestún, 26 in El Cuyo, and 65 in Holbox. That's 112 hawksbill nests protected in the first month of the season. While this is a good number, we have seen turtles struggling to build their nest and returning to the ocean without success. The extended heat waves and lack of rain in the region keep the sand too dry and collapse when the turtles start digging. We are hopeful that the arrival of rains will improve this situation. Another curious fact this season is that in El Cuyo, several hawksbill females have nested before sunset when they usually prefer to nest at night. The strange dry conditions of the beach could be causing this behavior; perhaps these turtles were desperate to lay their eggs after many failed attempts. We will keep an eye on this issue.
Our teams have also begun their environmental education talks in the three communities. They will visit schools to educate children and teenagers about their role in sea turtle conservation and to inspire them to protect biodiversity. Additionally, they are working with tourism service providers to educate them on what they should do when sea turtles nest on their properties to avoid disturbing them or damaging the nests and their valuable contents. The more people understand how to coexist with sea turtles and other species, the better for everyone.
Your support is crucial in enabling us to carry out these efforts. Every donation contributes to our mission of protecting and restoring sea turtles and their habitats. We kindly request you consider becoming a recurring donor to help us build a better world together.
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