Science
"A Beachcomber's Guide to Turtle Tracks" is a dvd produced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, to train volunteers who participate in the agency's nesting surveys for marine turtles. These volunteers (>3,000 in 2010) contribute data to FWC's Statewide Nesting Beach Survey and Index Nesting Beach Survey. In 2010, surveys were carried out on 203 beaches that extended 1314 km. The video shows nesting behavior of loggerheads, green turtles and leatherbacks and relates that behavior to the evidence left in the sand-the tracks and nest. Volunteers learn how to identify which species of sea turtle made the track, and to determine whether a turtle nested or not. All participants are permitted by the agency to conduct activities related to sea turtles in Florida. For more information, see http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/nesting/sea-turtle-monitoring/