2025 Sea Turtle Season Comes to an Amazing Close at Rookery Bay!

Another successful sea turtle nesting season has ended at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, marking a year of encouraging progress for local sea turtle populations. From May through October, staff and interns worked tirelessly to monitor nesting activity across the Reserve, documenting nests, false crawls and hatchlings to support ongoing conservation and research efforts.

Thanks to calmer weather and the addition of an extra intern supporting surveys in the Ten Thousand Islands, the 2025 season proved to be one of the strongest in recent years. The dedicated monitoring team of Jill, Jenna, Greg and the Reserve’s seasonal sea turtle interns conducted daily beach patrols to collect data critical for understanding nesting success and environmental trends that affect these protected species.

This season, Rookery Bay’s survey sites recorded impressive totals: 155 nests at the Ten Thousand Islands produced approximately 8,440 hatchlings; Sea and Cannon Islands documented 19 nests with 803 hatchlings and Cape Romano contributed 188 nests yielding 3,996 hatchlings. Altogether, Collier County saw more than 2,100 nests, an increase from last year’s 1,747, showing positive signs for sea turtle populations in the region.

These results highlight the importance of consistent monitoring and community support in sustaining coastal wildlife. The Reserve extends a heartfelt thank-you to everyone who contributed to sea turtle conservation this year, especially participants in the Friends of Rookery Bay’s Adopt-A-Nest program. Donations from the program directly supported research, monitoring, intern positions and outreach initiatives that make this vital work possible.