Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Sea turtle monitors assessing a possible nest on top of the berm in June 2025. The berm was re-graded to make it more sea turtle friendly for nesting loggerheads coming ashore.
Taken on August 24, 2025, a view of a series of water rivulets causing erosion on the berm, which was completed in April 2025.
From this week’s sea turtle activity report, Marco Island has 19% more false crawls compared to all the Collier County beaches. It seems that the most striking feature difference between last season and this season is the Sand Dollar Island berm. This year, apparently the sea turtles did not like the berm, even after it was graded after completion. Whether the gradient on the berm was too steep, or they didn’t like the feel of the sand when they got to the top – we wish we could ask the sea turtles!
Marco Island also has the highest frequency of disoriented nests (19%) compared to the average of the other County beaches (13%). In 2024, according to the Collier County Sea Turtle Protection Plan, objects left on the beach could be obstacles to nesting and hatchling sea turtles, such as beach umbrellas and furniture left on the beach overnight. Another big issue causing disorientation is the presence of artificial lights from beach-facing condos and the presence of human activities on the beach at night using bright lights from cell phones.
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